It seems this thread has sparked a lot of charged conversations and arguments- and for that, I am drawn towards apologizing, but I don't think I will. Conversations like these are very important. We're all doing emotional work by talking about this- and hopefully moving further in the direction of trans and non-binary folks being seen as equal humans.
I want to say how appreciative I am of everyone that participated in this thread, and again urge those that are not as educated in the trans experience to follow this link:
http://www.glaad.org/transgender/transfaq
It took a lot of active work for me to educate myself about trans people. Growing up, I was surrounded by the same transphobia and misogyny that most people are raised to believe in. I accepted that was the way things were-and even took part in some of it.
I was told by the media that trans people were subhuman, freaks, why aren't they happy with what they're born with?, why would a man want to give up his privilege to be put on a lower rung in society?(actively misgendering them), they probably just want to be in the girls club so they can take advantage of us! I went along with all of it because I was not educated. I didn't know any trans people. I'm so thankful that I took the time to do the work and learn more. It took me having a partner that decided to transition for me to fully see how ignorant I was. Now, I can say that trans women are the most magical, caring, sweet, and understanding people I have ever met.
I'm hurt by being called entitled for deciding to make this thread. My goal with this was NOT to slander Amber's name. Again, I fully understand that this is not her job, and it takes a lot of work to run. I have nothing personal against Amber. I agree that Amber should be compensated for all of the time and effort that is put into running this forum.
That being said, obviously, bringing this up does ultimately put into question Amber's decision-making. There is no getting around that, aside from staying quiet, or, as many of you have said, making an entirely new forum of my own. This not being a priority does raise questions- but from what I've read it seems that it's been more of an issue of having the time to make the switch.
This is not about me painting Amber as trans exclusionary- this is about how ACF is a huge resource that most, if not all, new cam models seek out for help and advice. Since it is such a well-known forum and resource, excluding trans women from the MO section for women looked distasteful. Amber, I have read your stance on trans people and I totally understand that you have nothing against them- but to an outside source(as we've seen here, the OP of the confession has responded) it didn't look good. Being a part of this community, I wanted to bring this issue up to discuss publicly because I feel that everyone who participates in this forum should have a say in the matter. I appreciate you reading this thread and accepting feedback.