Taint - Charter

Taint Charter of Rights and Responsibilities

The Taint is a large group of very diverse players and one of the many things that makes this guild a great place to play is that we welcome all types of players - gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, heterosexual, queers, geeks, misfits, studs, friends, lovers and anyone else who appreciates the fun and slightly twisted atmosphere of The Taint. However, in order to ensure that the guild remains such an open and welcoming place, it is necessary for all our members to observe a few basic rules.

1. Membership in the guild is a privilege, not a right.

While The Taint is intended to be a safe place for LGBTQ gamers and their friends, being queer or queer-friendly does not entitle you to guild membership in and of itself. We have rules, codes of conduct and expectations of player behavior. If you feel you either cannot or are unwilling to follow the rules within this charter, then membership here is probably not for you.

Also, officers reserve the right to take whatever actions necessary to improve, correct, or maintain a pleasant environment within our game, ventrilio, and/or forums. To that end, we reserve a range of rights, from downgrading game/forum/ventrilo permissions to removing consistently disruptive people from the guild and subsequent forums/ventrilio etc. via a majority vote amongst officers.

2. You have the right to play without being harassed.

Taint members are expected to treat each other with respect at all times. Regardless of race, class, gender, culture, ethnicity, sexual preference or any other characteristic, Taint officers will - without hesitation - ask players to desist with chat or other action that is deemed to be in the realm of harassment. This includes, but is not limited to slurs, disparaging comments and inflammatory statements that target either individual players or groups of players based on any such qualities. Players have a responsibility to keep guild chat an accommodating place for everyone and refrain from such speech in general and more specifically to drop it when an officer asks them to.

3. You are all 18+. Guild chat is too.

Guild chat is an adults only zone. As such it is subject to an array of topics covering anything from sexuality to politics, music, film and a multitude of other subjects. Taint officers will not censor conversations based solely on whether or not they are tasteful, too explicit or extreme. You will probably not enjoy everything that is said in guild chat. That is fine. If a subject of conversation annoys, shocks or outrages you, either join in or stay out. If you decide to stay out of a particular conversation at any time, ignore it and continue having fun with the game. Like fires, conversations tend to die out if nobody is feeding them.

4. You do NOT have an unlimited right to free speech.

While no topic of conversation is inherently too extreme or offensive for guild chat or the forums, you will be asked to censor yourself if the conversation is determined by an officer to be intentionally hurtful to other members (either individually, as a group or perceived group) or constitutes harassment of any member or if statements are being made solely to create or further drama or troll other members. Members are expected to be respectful of each other at all times and exercise an appropriate level of sensitivity. In general, officers will step in only when they feel it is necessary in order to maintain a respectful atmosphere for all members in the guild. If an officer has reached the point where they feel it necessary to make such a request, you are required to comply.

If you feel that you have been asked unfairly to censor yourself, please take your complaint directly to a different officer either in-game or via the communications function on this forum board. Do not argue the case in guild chat at the time as this will be construed by the officers and other members as an attempt to further provoke drama or hatred, and we will respond accordingly. Officers fully appreciate the value we all place on freedom of speech and expression and will not make this kind of request lightly, but we expect you as members to comply for the sake of peaceful guild relations.

5. You are always an ambassador of the guild.

This guild has a strong reputation in the gaming community and we would like to keep it that way. Taint members are asked to realize that their actions impact this reputation and so we ask that Tainters treat all players in the game in a decent, civilized manner and with respect at all times. Whether you are grouping with other Tainters, playing in a pick up group, hanging out in game or posting on the WoW boards, you are expected to uphold the Taint reputation of being a fair, reasonable and respectable player. Your behavior whether in pick-up groups, general world chat or battlegrounds should be fair and reasonable. Taint will not harbor ninja-looters, battle ground AFKers, people who make a nuisance of themselves in world chat, or people who take it upon themselves to spoil the experience of other players. If we receive a valid complaint about a member's behavior, we will take it seriously and will take appropriate measures to ensure that our guild is behaving fairly with others and that the guild only retains members who are appropriate representatives of The Taint. Likewise, while we realize that players should be able to do as they choose in the game, if we observe Tainters 'behaving badly' in a repeated fashion, or if a member breaches the Terms of Service for the game, will address the issue with the Tainter in question and disciplinary action, up to and including removal from the guild, could result.

6. The same holds true within the guild as well.

You share this guild with a multitude of people. The guild is a collective entity and its needs as such will always take precedence over the indulgence of an individual player. That means that if a player proves to be more trouble than benefit to this guild, they will be removed. Players will be expected to take their fellow guild members into account and treat them with an appropriate level of respect and consideration. Any member who feels that they are not being treated with proper respect by another member, should report the incident to an officer.

7. Diversity and mutual respect are the foundations of our community.

The Spreading Taint was created to provide a welcoming community for LGBT players and their friends. Over time, The Spreading Taint has grown so that it celebrates diversity of all types and is founded on a deep respect for that diversity. Members should be aware that, at all times, the guild is home to many different types of people - gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, straight and undecided, as well as people of every color, religious beliefs, body type, gender and age. Mutual respect is a foundation of our community and is expected at all times. The guild is a place to escape stereotyping, bashing and hostility; it is not an outlet to reverse the tables and direct it towards any other group.

These rules are simple and for the most part go without saying. We ask that you read over them and respect them. If you feel they are overly restrictive or that they do not mesh with what you feel is appropriate then you may wish to reevaluate your membership within this guild. These rules are by no means an exhaustive list of what is and is not appropriate within the guild and other issues will be dealt with through officer discretion. Moreover, these rules will be revised and updated by guild leadership as need dictates. We feel that following these rules will do much in creating and maintaining a guild that is welcoming, friendly, enjoyable, fair and one to which we can all proudly belong.

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Last Modified: 10/4/2009 6:09am
Contributors: Strikan, SkorMT, bigheadben

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[b][u]Taint Charter of Rights and Responsibilities[/u][/b]

The Taint is a large group of very diverse players and one of the many things that makes this guild a great place to play is that we welcome all types of players - gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, heterosexual, queers, geeks, misfits, studs, friends, lovers and anyone else who appreciates the fun and slightly twisted atmosphere of The Taint. However, in order to ensure that the guild remains such an open and welcoming place, it is necessary for all our members to observe a few basic rules.

1. [u]Membership in the guild is a privilege, not a right[/u].

While The Taint is intended to be a safe place for LGBTQ gamers and their friends, being queer or queer-friendly does not entitle you to guild membership in and of itself. We have rules, codes of conduct and expectations of player behavior. If you feel you either cannot or are unwilling to follow the rules within this charter, then membership here is probably not for you.

Also, officers reserve the right to take whatever actions necessary to improve, correct, or maintain a pleasant environment within our game, ventrilio, and/or forums. To that end, we reserve a range of rights, from downgrading game/forum/ventrilo permissions to removing consistently disruptive people from the guild and subsequent forums/ventrilio etc. via a majority vote amongst officers.

2. [u]You have the right to play without being harassed[/u].

Taint members are expected to treat each other with respect at all times. Regardless of race, class, gender, culture, ethnicity, sexual preference or any other characteristic, Taint officers will - without hesitation - ask players to desist with chat or other action that is deemed to be in the realm of harassment. This includes, but is not limited to slurs, disparaging comments and inflammatory statements that target either individual players or groups of players based on any such qualities. Players have a responsibility to keep guild chat an accommodating place for everyone and refrain from such speech in general and more specifically to drop it when an officer asks them to.

3. [u]You are all 18+. Guild chat is too[/u].

Guild chat is an adults only zone. As such it is subject to an array of topics covering anything from sexuality to politics, music, film and a multitude of other subjects. Taint officers will not censor conversations based solely on whether or not they are tasteful, too explicit or extreme. You will probably not enjoy everything that is said in guild chat. That is fine. If a subject of conversation annoys, shocks or outrages you, either join in or stay out. If you decide to stay out of a particular conversation at any time, ignore it and continue having fun with the game. Like fires, conversations tend to die out if nobody is feeding them.

4. [u]You do NOT have an unlimited right to free speech[/u].

While no topic of conversation is inherently too extreme or offensive for guild chat or the forums, you will be asked to censor yourself if the conversation is determined by an officer to be intentionally hurtful to other members (either individually, as a group or perceived group) or constitutes harassment of any member or if statements are being made solely to create or further drama or troll other members. Members are expected to be respectful of each other at all times and exercise an appropriate level of sensitivity. In general, officers will step in only when they feel it is necessary in order to maintain a respectful atmosphere for all members in the guild. If an officer has reached the point where they feel it necessary to make such a request, [u]you are required to comply[/u].

If you feel that you have been asked unfairly to censor yourself, please take your complaint directly to a different officer either in-game or via the communications function on this forum board. Do not argue the case in guild chat at the time as this will be construed by the officers and other members as an attempt to further provoke drama or hatred, and we will respond accordingly. Officers fully appreciate the value we all place on freedom of speech and expression and will not make this kind of request lightly, but we expect you as members to comply for the sake of peaceful guild relations.

5. [u]You are always an ambassador of the guild[/u].

This guild has a strong reputation in the gaming community and we would like to keep it that way. Taint members are asked to realize that their actions impact this reputation and so we ask that Tainters treat all players in the game in a decent, civilized manner and with respect at all times. Whether you are grouping with other Tainters, playing in a pick up group, hanging out in game or posting on the WoW boards, you are expected to uphold the Taint reputation of being a fair, reasonable and respectable player. Your behavior whether in pick-up groups, general world chat or battlegrounds should be fair and reasonable. Taint will not harbor ninja-looters, battle ground AFKers, people who make a nuisance of themselves in world chat, or people who take it upon themselves to spoil the experience of other players. If we receive a valid complaint about a member's behavior, we will take it seriously and will take appropriate measures to ensure that our guild is behaving fairly with others and that the guild only retains members who are appropriate representatives of The Taint. Likewise, while we realize that players should be able to do as they choose in the game, if we observe Tainters 'behaving badly' in a repeated fashion, or if a member breaches the Terms of Service for the game, will address the issue with the Tainter in question and disciplinary action, up to and including removal from the guild, could result.

6. [u]The same holds true within the guild as well[/u].

You share this guild with a multitude of people. The guild is a collective entity and its needs as such will always take precedence over the indulgence of an individual player. That means that if a player proves to be more trouble than benefit to this guild, they will be removed. Players will be expected to take their fellow guild members into account and treat them with an appropriate level of respect and consideration. Any member who feels that they are not being treated with proper respect by another member, should report the incident to an officer.

7. [u]Diversity and mutual respect are the foundations of our community[/u].

The Spreading Taint was created to provide a welcoming community for LGBT players and their friends. Over time, The Spreading Taint has grown so that it celebrates diversity of all types and is founded on a deep respect for that diversity. Members should be aware that, at all times, the guild is home to many different types of people - gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, straight and undecided, as well as people of every color, religious beliefs, body type, gender and age. Mutual respect is a foundation of our community and is expected at all times. The guild is a place to escape stereotyping, bashing and hostility; it is not an outlet to reverse the tables and direct it towards any other group.

These rules are simple and for the most part go without saying. We ask that you read over them and respect them. If you feel they are overly restrictive or that they do not mesh with what you feel is appropriate then you may wish to reevaluate your membership within this guild. These rules are by no means an exhaustive list of what is and is not appropriate within the guild and other issues will be dealt with through officer discretion. Moreover, these rules will be revised and updated by guild leadership as need dictates. We feel that following these rules will do much in creating and maintaining a guild that is welcoming, friendly, enjoyable, fair and one to which we can all proudly belong.