DISCUSSION GROUP GUIDELINES
The University of Sheffield Discussion group was created to encourage the sharing and discussion of LGBT+ issues for students and alumni at the University of Sheffield. The page is moderated by the LGBT+ committee but if members feel a post does not follow the guidelines set out below they can report it to the Inclusions Officer, Chair or an appropriate Rep or Officer (e.g Trans, BME or Disability).
Member Guidelines:
Committee Member Guidelines:
Member Guidelines:
- We encourage discussion within this group, however we will not tolerate discrimination which includes but is not limited to: racism, homophobia, biphobia, sexism, transphobia, ableism or prejudice based on age, ethnicity, nationality, socio-economic status, gender presentation, language ability, mental health, physical health, immigration status or religious affiliation.
- We encourage people to ask questions as a means of learning, however personal questions directed at specific members are not appropriate, for example it is not acceptable to ask someone what their birth name was, what genitals they had at birth, about their mental health etc. However more generalised questions such as "has anyone else experienced issues with mental health?" are permitted.
- The use of content notes are required for this page, for example CN: Sexual assault, mental health, drag, self harm, discriminatory attitudes, body shaming etc. If you’re unsure then either include the content note to be safe or message a committee member to ask for their opinion.
- Posts that don’t contain appropriate content notes will be asked to be edited, if they are not edited within a suitable time frame then a committee member will remove a post.
- If you are told that you are offending someone it is important that you don’t shout down this person, you can politely ask them to explain how your behaviour has offended them but try not to be persistent. It should also be noted that the offended person is not required to explain their feelings however doing so may educate not only the person involved but other people viewing the post
- Respect other members of the community, don’t bad mouth them, you may not necessarily agree with what they are saying but this doesn’t give you the right to mock them.
- Avoid writing in sarcasm as it can be easy for people to misinterpret what you are saying.
- Be forgiving, if it’s clear that someone isn’t aware of being offensive, correct them in a way that is informative not offensive. We all have to learn from somewhere.
- Never assume a person's gender, if it’s unknown then the use of they/them pronouns should be used.
- Remember that this is a private group and members should be free to use this service without fear of being outed as a result. Any member seen to be sharing contents related to other members of the group with a wider audience may be removed.
- Members may receive warnings from committee members if their behaviour is not appropriate to the group. If this behaviour continues then they may be removed from the group.
Committee Member Guidelines:
- Committee members will act as moderators for the page
- They will encourage discussion within posts and provide reasoned arguments where appropriate
- They hold the right to remove members from the group when their behaviours do not adhere to the guidelines, this should be discussed as a committee on the committee Facebook group
- Committee members are reminded that they represent the committee within the group, they may post information however they should remain professional
- Committee members are responsible for monitoring each others behaviours
- Under no circumstance is a committee member permitted to call out another committee member on this page, issues should be discussed within the Committee's own Facebook group or within a committee meeting
- If a committee member feels that a post is in breach of the guidelines they may temporarily pause the post and bring it to the attention of the rest of the committee through their Facebook group where a decision on appropriate action can be discussed