Raise your glasses. A toast: To Prism, dsc, and Smarmie Doofus!

[Behind the Aegis]

I would like to thank all three for their efforts in getting an open dialog started with Skinner. The result has led to an airing of concerns by our community and has seen the return of some wonderful people. Without their efforts, I feel negative perceptions would have continued to fester and this forum would have withered even more and, eventually, been nothing more than a shell.

Many members of this forum are wonderful writers, filled with wisdom and foresight. The "mending fences" thread has, in my opinion, demonstrated the depths of intelligence and passion from members of this community. One only needs read the posts by Duncan Grant, Pab Sungenis, Prism, Lyric, QC, ruggerson, Bluebear, Jamastiene, Creideiki, Sapphocrat (say :hi: to the Buffster for me), and the return of wonderful posters, Vanje and yardwork to see the depths of compassion, intelligence, and passion this community possess! I am sure I missed several posters, so "call them out" as you see fit.

I also would like to thank Skinner for taking the first step in allowing this healing to begin. I hope you see the levels of intelligence our community has to offer, and not just in this forum.

I hope more people, who left on their own accord, see what is happening and return.

So, I say "Cheers!" to Prism, dsc, Smarmie Doofus, and Skinner, for what I hope will be the resurrection of the GLBT forum and inclusion of the GLBT voices to DU!

CHEERS!!!!

(PS...if any "punchbowl turdmeisters" happen along, please don't respond. They really do hate being ignored. Let this be a thread of celebration and pride!!!)

[xchrom]

1. Cheers! Nt

[cate94]

2. Cheers!

[swimboy]

3. Gladly! Cheers!

[racaulk]

4. Cheers!

I'm happy to see Maven and Marrah_G return as well. Many thanks to all that never gave up and made this dialog possible.

:toast:

[yardwork]

5. I'll drink to that. And a toast to our many straight and straightish allies

[QC]

6. Cheers!

[BillStein]

7. L'chaim!

:toast:

[Heidi]

8. Cheers!

Recommended.

:kick:

[Cherchez la Femme]

9. Ramen!

Nostrovya,

Slainte (spelling on both?)

[The Philosopher]

10. A very loud cheer!

The LGBT forum is the one I check first when I come to DU, so seeing things change for the better really makes me happy.

[Marrah_G]

11. Thank you

For not giving up

For helping us return

For all that you do forward the goal of equality.

[TriMera]

12. Cheers! To our champions!

:toast:

[Vanje]

13. HUZZAH!

My thanks!

[mitchtv]

14. I'll drink to that

welcome back friends, and Vanje especially you, who have endured the isolation without giving in.

[MuseRider]

15. :-)

It is wonderful to see some sense of celebration here. I am so excited to see old friends returning. Cheers to all who never give up and continue to kick the can down the road. The end is out there but it is still a journey, one I am happy to be able to walk with all of you. :grouphug:

[LaurenG]

16. Cheers!

:toast:

[closeupready]

17. Yes, of course!

Cheers to all! :hi:

[joeybee12]

18. KNR!

[ZombieHorde]

19. Cheers to all allies! nt

[Jamastiene]

20. I'll drink to that.

It feels like a huge weight has been lifted in here now. It's great to see quite a few great DUers come back too. :toast:

[Stinky The Clown]

21. Cheers and a cautious HUZZAH!

[Tresalisa]

22. It's awesome, so glad it finally happened!

:toast: and a good ol' :kick: for good measure!

[Smarmie Doofus]

23. Thanks Aegis, thanks everyone. The fallout from....

.. this " project" continues to surprise me . The sheer magnitude of response to the "Mending Fences" thread is astonishing. I knew there was a lot of pent-up emotion of all variety but it looks like we opened some kind of friggin' cosmic *floodgate*. Good god.

All to the good. Most of the posting/banning dramas discussed in that thread... I was unaware, or dimly aware of them at the time they were going on. I knew people in GLBT forum were getting fewer, I knew speech was getting more , shall we say , restrained. ( I knew it was getting, frankly, pleasenobodygetoffended, a bit DULL.) Nothing of significance, it seemed, was being said.

Long story short: the idea of opening up a dialogue re. all of this was floated. THEN we *seemed* to be getting the runaround. When? "Next month." Next month passes. When? "After the holidays". Which holiday? "The one that is furthest away from the present time as possible." And so on.

OK. I know how this game is played. ( I've spent 26 years working in one of the world's ugliest bureaucracies; and not without learning a few things.) I felt we were getting , yet again, screwed over by the DU high command. Strung along. I HATE THAT. HATE IT! Did I mention I hate it?

OK...turns out I was totally wrong about that; turns out that DU meant well after all. Seems as though it was more a case of Skinner et al looking forward to this most vexing and perplexing of issues in much the same way as the rest of us look forward to root canal . And who the F could blame 'em? In a lot of ways this forum must seem to the rest of DU what Afghanistan has proven to be historically for the Western powers: the place where empires go to die.

Nothing's uncomplicated here, that's for sure.

So, I underestimated Skinner. (Obviously!) But there were legit reasons for that and a lot of us did. So... let's move on: Wisconsin, union-busting, corporate rule, those demented fucking wars, $$$chool "reform" and... naturally.... EQUALITY.

[Maven]

24. Cheers to them!

:toast:

[Iggo]

25. I'm a little late, but...

:toast:

[EFerrari]

26. Someone to clink with.

:toast: