Community Guidelines

Before you post

This is a sapphic forum for conversation and creative work. Assume good faith when you can, but do not use "good intentions" as an excuse to ignore harm. If a rule is unclear, take a breath and ask a moderator before posting.

These Guidelines work alongside our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

1. Be welcoming

• Be patient with newcomers. Some people arrive nervous or are still working out how they identify.
• Use the names and pronouns people give you. If you make a mistake, correct it without turning the apology into a scene.
• Disagreement is fine. Personal attacks, sarcasm that punches down, and pile-ons are not.

2. Do not be cruel

• Hate speech and slurs aimed at other people are not allowed. Neither is content arguing that LGBTQ+ people should not have basic rights.
• Racism, biphobia, transmisogyny, ableism, and femme supremacy are not welcome here. Do not demean butch, stud, masc, gender-nonconforming, or less visibly queer people.
• Do not harass, stalk, threaten, or encourage anybody to harm themselves.
• Never out somebody. What a person says about their identity in a private conversation stays there unless they clearly say otherwise.

3. Protect privacy

• Do not share other people's real names, addresses, workplaces, photos, or contact details without clear permission.
• Be careful with your own identifying details too. A public thread can travel much farther than you expect.
• Ask before posting screenshots from private messages or closed spaces. Blur names and avatars if you cannot get permission.

4. Keep content appropriate for the space

• Members must be at least 16. Do not seek or share sexual content involving anyone under 18.
• Add a short content note for subjects such as trauma, violence, substance use, or eating disorders.
• If the forum opens areas for erotica or NSFW discussion, that material must stay there and follow the posted age rules. Ask staff if you are unsure.
• Gore posted for shock value, non-consensual intimate images, and exploitative material will be removed.

5. Offer support, not a diagnosis

• Share what helped you and listen. Do not diagnose strangers or push them into a decision.
• The Sapphic Sanctuary is not a crisis hotline. The care resources in the footer are there for moments when a forum reply cannot do enough.

6. Post with purpose

• Choose the category that fits. Browse categories before starting a duplicate thread.
• No spam, scams, multilevel marketing, or deceptive links.
• You can share your art, zine, playlist, or meetup where it belongs. Dropping the same link into every thread is spam.
• Do not manipulate votes, views, or engagement.

7. Respect creative work

• Credit artists and writers. Do not repost someone else's work as your own.
• Check whether feedback is wanted. Criticism should help the creator, not give the critic a chance to show off.

8. Moderation

Moderators can edit, move, lock, or remove posts. They can also warn, suspend, or ban accounts. A serious breach may lead to an immediate ban; repeated smaller breaches can end the same way.

How we run this place covers priorities, reporting, and appeals. If you disagree with a moderation action, contact staff calmly through the Contact page. Do not harass moderators in public threads.

9. How to report

Every thread and reply has a Report button. Choose the closest reason and add a short explanation of what a moderator should look at. Only staff can see reports.

Report harassment, hate, illegal content, or a safety risk as soon as you can. For anything that does not sit on a single post, use Contact and include the link, username, and enough context to understand what happened. Please do not start a public pile-on while staff review it.

10. These rules can change

We will update these guidelines when a new problem calls for a clearer rule. If something here is confusing or missing, tell us through Contact.

New here? Have a look at the homepage and read About. Introduce yourself when you feel ready. Lurking for a while is fine too.