Some thoughts about Prop 8...

Hi everyone. We've received some unhappy notes from folks on the site in the last 24 hours who think that DailyStrength is endorsing Proposition 8 in California (which would prohibit same sex marriages).  Apparently, the proponents of this proposal have bought a significant amount of advertising on the web, as these ads are appearing all over the place, including DS. We've been asked, and even accused, of having a political bias or agenda. DAILYSTRENGTH DOES NOT ENDORSE ANY POLITICAL OPINION. Why? Well, we're not a political site...we're just a place for people to talk about their issues, problems and feelings. We're fine with folks on the site discussing these important issues, but we don't take sides on issues....that's just not our job. If political ads run, fine, but we're not soliciting any organization and we don't take dollars directly from political entities.  In fact, we try not to have any opinion at all about important issues, because it's not our place to moderate or silence one opinion over another. In the past, we've been accused of siding with some of our members over others when disagreements break out - we don't do that either. Honestly, we think of ourselves as a home, a refuge and a safe place where all are treated equally and none are unwelcome. We only step in when our members turn on one another, with the sole goal of returning everyone to a place of healing and peace.  All of that said, we have tried to remove the Prop 8 ads on our site, because we have realized that the ads run counter to the positive experience that some folks would like to have on our site.  My big test for what's right or wrong is if you leave DailyStrength feeling better than when you arrived...if we're upsetting you, we can do better. These ads are upsetting people, and so I'd like to remove them. They're not all gone yet, but we're trying and we hear you. To be clear, we'd block anti-8 ads as well, as we'd want to be fair to both sides.   For me personally, Prop 8 is an interesting challenge.  Generally speaking we don't really have a policy on political ads, but this particular issue challenges my belief that DS should be a safe haven for all. Prop 8 actually calls for "eliminating" a certain right for a group of individuals. On DailyStrength, if we suddenly announced that certain folks could do things and others couldn't, we'd have an uprising on our hands, and folks would protest and leave us in droves. We have an active and vibrant gay and lesbian community on DS who sees this bill as an attack on their basic rights, and from that vantage point it's as offensive as running dieting ads in our Eating Disorders community (which happened until we banned them), or obnoxious dating ads in our Bereavement community (which also happened until we banned them).  My personal opinion (which is why I'm writing this in my personal account) is that Prop 8 is a horrible, meanspirited bill which is not only inappropriate in a day and age when so many more pressing issues need to be addressed, but also fundamentally counter to democracy. I can't think of any other recent bill based on the premise of eliminating basic rights for a group of people. It just seems wrong, cruel and stupid. But that's my opinion, and I express it as a member of DS, not an employee. As a company, we listen to your thoughts, and when a significant group of people complain that we are dong (or permitting) something that upsets them, we'll try to fix it. We believe in free speech, but we also believe in always maintaining a warm, welcoming and open space for conversation and support.  Sorry for the rant...I just want all of you to know that we listen, we care, we talk about these issues and we constantly try to improve. D