#beyondtheplus — Public Fediverse posts

We regret to inform everyone that Beyond the Plus is shutting down operations. Due to ongoing and future safety concerns, members voted to cease operations of the org effective immediately. (It might take us a bit to get everything taken fully offline.)

I founded this organization because I wanted to help people. I wanted to reach out to those who didn’t already have community and offer them safe spaces where they could meet others and beat loneliness. I thought the community was ready for something public, but I guess I was wrong. I still want to help people who are closeted, but if the answer isn’t public organizations then I think the only thing is to set an example and inspire people to fix their loneliness on their own.

Bt+ may be gone, but our message lives on. People in our community need to form in-person connections, only then will we achieve the acceptance we all want so badly. We all want our Stonewall, but Stonewall happened before gay rights organizations, not the other way around. Maybe someday something like Bt+ can exist again, but only once our people are organized and ready to literally fight for their rights, just as queer people did back then.

People want their safety guaranteed, but the truth is that it never can be in in-person spaces. If we want our rights then we all need to brave unsafe scenarios, be smart about how we handle them, and stick together. The best safety we will ever have is in numbers; if we are all side-by-side then we can protect ourselves from whatever threats come our way. But if we stay divided and stay in online spaces where we know we can’t be hurt, then we will never know progress.

Our acceptance will not come through arguments online, social media websites, and public organizations. It’ll start with genuine, in-person community, just as it did for every other marginalized group that came before us. It is our duty, if we want to see our acceptance, to play a part in that. Whether here in Washington, or across the world.

- Ally Kotetsu

#queer #beyondtheplus #gay #lgbt #lgbtq #identity #paraphilia

We regret to inform everyone that Beyond the Plus is shutting down operations. Due to ongoing and future safety concerns, members voted to cease operations of the org effective immediately. (It might take us a bit to get everything taken fully offline.)

I founded this organization because I wanted to help people. I wanted to reach out to those who didn’t already have community and offer them safe spaces where they could meet others and beat loneliness. I thought the community was ready for something public, but I guess I was wrong. I still want to help people who are closeted, but if the answer isn’t public organizations then I think the only thing is to set an example and inspire people to fix their loneliness on their own.

Bt+ may be gone, but our message lives on. People in our community need to form in-person connections, only then will we achieve the acceptance we all want so badly. We all want our Stonewall, but Stonewall happened before gay rights organizations, not the other way around. Maybe someday something like Bt+ can exist again, but only once our people are organized and ready to literally fight for their rights, just as queer people did back then.

People want their safety guaranteed, but the truth is that it never can be in in-person spaces. If we want our rights then we all need to brave unsafe scenarios, be smart about how we handle them, and stick together. The best safety we will ever have is in numbers; if we are all side-by-side then we can protect ourselves from whatever threats come our way. But if we stay divided and stay in online spaces where we know we can’t be hurt, then we will never know progress.

Our acceptance will not come through arguments online, social media websites, and public organizations. It’ll start with genuine, in-person community, just as it did for every other marginalized group that came before us. It is our duty, if we want to see our acceptance, to play a part in that. Whether here in Washington, or across the world.

- Ally Kotetsu

#queer #beyondtheplus #gay #lgbt #lgbtq #identity #paraphilia

We regret to inform everyone that Beyond the Plus is shutting down operations. Due to ongoing and future safety concerns, members voted to cease operations of the org effective immediately. (It might take us a bit to get everything taken fully offline.)

I founded this organization because I wanted to help people. I wanted to reach out to those who didn’t already have community and offer them safe spaces where they could meet others and beat loneliness. I thought the community was ready for something public, but I guess I was wrong. I still want to help people who are closeted, but if the answer isn’t public organizations then I think the only thing is to set an example and inspire people to fix their loneliness on their own.

Bt+ may be gone, but our message lives on. People in our community need to form in-person connections, only then will we achieve the acceptance we all want so badly. We all want our Stonewall, but Stonewall happened before gay rights organizations, not the other way around. Maybe someday something like Bt+ can exist again, but only once our people are organized and ready to literally fight for their rights, just as queer people did back then.

People want their safety guaranteed, but the truth is that it never can be in in-person spaces. If we want our rights then we all need to brave unsafe scenarios, be smart about how we handle them, and stick together. The best safety we will ever have is in numbers; if we are all side-by-side then we can protect ourselves from whatever threats come our way. But if we stay divided and stay in online spaces where we know we can’t be hurt, then we will never know progress.

Our acceptance will not come through arguments online, social media websites, and public organizations. It’ll start with genuine, in-person community, just as it did for every other marginalized group that came before us. It is our duty, if we want to see our acceptance, to play a part in that. Whether here in Washington, or across the world.

- Ally Kotetsu

#queer #beyondtheplus #gay #lgbt #lgbtq #identity #paraphilia

The new year is upon us, and while nothing has really changed except one digit of the date, the tradition of making and sharing resolutions makes a good extra push to reflect on what we want from the next 12 months of our existences. For some of us, what we want to change the most this year is an easy answer that comes readily; for others, it takes more thought. If you fall into the second category, here are some questions I suggest you ask yourself to get started:

1. How did things change for you in the last year? Were there setbacks you don’t want to repeat? Was there progress you want to keep rolling?
2. What didn’t change? And is that lack of change a good thing or a bad one?
3. What would you say are the things that have had the most impact on your well-being? The most helpful, the most harmful?
4. What would you say are your biggest wishes for 2026? Is there anything you can do to achieve them, or at least bring them closer?

Thinking through it, hopefully you have a better idea of what you should be doing with your new year. It can be as specific or as general as you want it to be, as ambitious or as humble as you’d like – the important part is just that you work towards a better future for yourself, whatever that means to you and however you need to do it.

For many beings in the community, this likely relates to their marginalized identities; that might be making more friends who accept them for who they are, taking more pride in themselves, working through internalized stigma, better coming to constructive, forward-looking terms with what is and isn’t possible in the world as it exists today, or even taking a more active part in working towards the social change that will make things better for all of us.

We here at Bt+ are resolved to keep pushing forward, to learn from our mistakes and our setbacks as well as our successes, and to make this year a better one for us than the last, the same as we did in 2025. And if you want to be a part of that, or if we can help you achieve your resolutions through the work we do, we look forward to having you with us this year!

#beyondtheplus #lgbt #lgbtq #gay #identity #paraphilia #queer #para #orientation #transid #transidentity #radical #radicallyqueer

The new year is upon us, and while nothing has really changed except one digit of the date, the tradition of making and sharing resolutions makes a good extra push to reflect on what we want from the next 12 months of our existences. For some of us, what we want to change the most this year is an easy answer that comes readily; for others, it takes more thought. If you fall into the second category, here are some questions I suggest you ask yourself to get started:

1. How did things change for you in the last year? Were there setbacks you don’t want to repeat? Was there progress you want to keep rolling?
2. What didn’t change? And is that lack of change a good thing or a bad one?
3. What would you say are the things that have had the most impact on your well-being? The most helpful, the most harmful?
4. What would you say are your biggest wishes for 2026? Is there anything you can do to achieve them, or at least bring them closer?

Thinking through it, hopefully you have a better idea of what you should be doing with your new year. It can be as specific or as general as you want it to be, as ambitious or as humble as you’d like – the important part is just that you work towards a better future for yourself, whatever that means to you and however you need to do it.

For many beings in the community, this likely relates to their marginalized identities; that might be making more friends who accept them for who they are, taking more pride in themselves, working through internalized stigma, better coming to constructive, forward-looking terms with what is and isn’t possible in the world as it exists today, or even taking a more active part in working towards the social change that will make things better for all of us.

We here at Bt+ are resolved to keep pushing forward, to learn from our mistakes and our setbacks as well as our successes, and to make this year a better one for us than the last, the same as we did in 2025. And if you want to be a part of that, or if we can help you achieve your resolutions through the work we do, we look forward to having you with us this year!

#beyondtheplus #lgbt #lgbtq #gay #identity #paraphilia #queer #para #orientation #transid #transidentity #radical #radicallyqueer

The new year is upon us, and while nothing has really changed except one digit of the date, the tradition of making and sharing resolutions makes a good extra push to reflect on what we want from the next 12 months of our existences. For some of us, what we want to change the most this year is an easy answer that comes readily; for others, it takes more thought. If you fall into the second category, here are some questions I suggest you ask yourself to get started:

1. How did things change for you in the last year? Were there setbacks you don’t want to repeat? Was there progress you want to keep rolling?
2. What didn’t change? And is that lack of change a good thing or a bad one?
3. What would you say are the things that have had the most impact on your well-being? The most helpful, the most harmful?
4. What would you say are your biggest wishes for 2026? Is there anything you can do to achieve them, or at least bring them closer?

Thinking through it, hopefully you have a better idea of what you should be doing with your new year. It can be as specific or as general as you want it to be, as ambitious or as humble as you’d like – the important part is just that you work towards a better future for yourself, whatever that means to you and however you need to do it.

For many beings in the community, this likely relates to their marginalized identities; that might be making more friends who accept them for who they are, taking more pride in themselves, working through internalized stigma, better coming to constructive, forward-looking terms with what is and isn’t possible in the world as it exists today, or even taking a more active part in working towards the social change that will make things better for all of us.

We here at Bt+ are resolved to keep pushing forward, to learn from our mistakes and our setbacks as well as our successes, and to make this year a better one for us than the last, the same as we did in 2025. And if you want to be a part of that, or if we can help you achieve your resolutions through the work we do, we look forward to having you with us this year!

#beyondtheplus #lgbt #lgbtq #gay #identity #paraphilia #queer #para #orientation #transid #transidentity #radical #radicallyqueer

We are looking for people to fill our Event Organizer position! The required duties are to research and contact event venues, organize your findings in a spreadsheet and share them with staff, and help set up some events. You must be able to commute to Seattle on a regular basis and maintain regular contact with the rest of our staff. Unlike Board of Directors positions, this one won’t list your name publicly on our website, so you’ll be able to work this role as confidentially as you’d like. For more info and to apply please read the page on our website.

https://www.beyondtheplus.org/get-involved/careers/event-organizer

#beyondtheplus #lgbt #lgbtq #gay #identity #paraphilia #queer #para #orientation #transid #transidentity #radical #radicallyqueer

We are looking for people to fill our Event Organizer position! The required duties are to research and contact event venues, organize your findings in a spreadsheet and share them with staff, and help set up some events. You must be able to commute to Seattle on a regular basis and maintain regular contact with the rest of our staff. Unlike Board of Directors positions, this one won’t list your name publicly on our website, so you’ll be able to work this role as confidentially as you’d like. For more info and to apply please read the page on our website.

https://www.beyondtheplus.org/get-involved/careers/event-organizer

#beyondtheplus #lgbt #lgbtq #gay #identity #paraphilia #queer #para #orientation #transid #transidentity #radical #radicallyqueer

We are looking for people to fill our Event Organizer position! The required duties are to research and contact event venues, organize your findings in a spreadsheet and share them with staff, and help set up some events. You must be able to commute to Seattle on a regular basis and maintain regular contact with the rest of our staff. Unlike Board of Directors positions, this one won’t list your name publicly on our website, so you’ll be able to work this role as confidentially as you’d like. For more info and to apply please read the page on our website.

https://www.beyondtheplus.org/get-involved/careers/event-organizer

#beyondtheplus #lgbt #lgbtq #gay #identity #paraphilia #queer #para #orientation #transid #transidentity #radical #radicallyqueer

We are looking for people to fill our Event Organizer position! The required duties are to research and contact event venues, organize your findings in a spreadsheet and share them with staff, and help set up some events. You must be able to commute to Seattle on a regular basis and maintain regular contact with the rest of our staff. Unlike Board of Directors positions, this one won’t list your name publicly on our website, so you’ll be able to work this role as confidentially as you’d like. For more info and to apply please read the page on our website.

https://www.beyondtheplus.org/get-involved/careers/event-organizer

#beyondtheplus #lgbt #lgbtq #gay #identity #paraphilia #queer #para #orientation #transid #transidentity #radical #radicallyqueer

The Danger of Too Much Safety 1/2

(A blog post by Violet Rose.)

From the point when it was just an idea, to today’s reality, Beyond the Plus has always been envisioned as a public organization, serving the community proudly in the open. We could have chosen a safer, easier path, being more secretive and building community privately by word of mouth, but while that would have avoided some controversy and hostile attention, taking the easy road has never been what Bt+ is about.

We want to stand up for what we believe in, lead by example to fight the climate of fear that leaves so many paralyzed and isolated, but most importantly of all, we’re here to bring community and support to beings who don’t already have it. There are far too many beings out there who have no idea that real community can exist for them, and that’s why it’s so important that the word gets out as much as possible!

We’re very proud of the community of members we’ve already gathered, and we want to do a lot more. But, at the same time, we have to acknowledge that while publicity lets potential friends know we exist, it also draws less friendly attention, and it’s going to be essential that we all work together as a community to keep each other safe. But what does that mean, in practice?

A relatively popular idea for that purpose is adopting a policy, as a community, of enforcing social norms based on three rules constituting a high standard of safety: that information which enemies could use to harm us is to be considered sensitive, that sensitive information is to be treated as strictly need-to-know and not disclosed or even alluded to unless necessary, and that members of the community whose adherence to these standards is sufficiently lax are to be distanced to prevent trouble that befalls them from spreading.

This is an eminently practical solution, and due to how effectively it counters most threats when fully implemented, has clear appeal. However, it’s critical to remember that every solution is optimized for a specific context, and applying the wrong solution for the job can be counterproductive, even harmful.

The thing is, this set of ideas was, broadly speaking, originally designed as protection for direct action (illegal activities undertaken for the purpose of activism). And in addition to being designed to protect extremely dangerous secrets – much more dangerous than simply being radically queer – more importantly, it’s designed for beings who view themselves as soldiers, placing everything personal second to their causes.

That isn’t the kind of organization Bt+ is. Not only are we a law-abiding organization, we’re an organization made by and for beings who ideally want to exist openly as our authentic selves – an organization of pride, connection, and acceptance. We cannot, and will not, ever reach a point where we can exist openly as ourselves by suppressing our authentic existences; that idea is a contradiction.

We make the friendships founded upon mutual acceptance of each other by being open about who we are, what’s important to us, and the things we go through. We change the minds of beings who otherwise would have remained ignorant and intolerant by showing them that the subjects of their hatred – ourselves – aren’t what the propaganda they’ve consumed claims we are. And the more of us are bold enough to exist openly, the easier existing openly will become for all of us.

#queer #beyondtheplus #gay #lgbt #lgbtq #identity #paraphilia #para #orientation #transid #transidentity #radical #radicallyqueer

The Danger of Too Much Safety 1/2

(A blog post by Violet Rose.)

From the point when it was just an idea, to today’s reality, Beyond the Plus has always been envisioned as a public organization, serving the community proudly in the open. We could have chosen a safer, easier path, being more secretive and building community privately by word of mouth, but while that would have avoided some controversy and hostile attention, taking the easy road has never been what Bt+ is about.

We want to stand up for what we believe in, lead by example to fight the climate of fear that leaves so many paralyzed and isolated, but most importantly of all, we’re here to bring community and support to beings who don’t already have it. There are far too many beings out there who have no idea that real community can exist for them, and that’s why it’s so important that the word gets out as much as possible!

We’re very proud of the community of members we’ve already gathered, and we want to do a lot more. But, at the same time, we have to acknowledge that while publicity lets potential friends know we exist, it also draws less friendly attention, and it’s going to be essential that we all work together as a community to keep each other safe. But what does that mean, in practice?

A relatively popular idea for that purpose is adopting a policy, as a community, of enforcing social norms based on three rules constituting a high standard of safety: that information which enemies could use to harm us is to be considered sensitive, that sensitive information is to be treated as strictly need-to-know and not disclosed or even alluded to unless necessary, and that members of the community whose adherence to these standards is sufficiently lax are to be distanced to prevent trouble that befalls them from spreading.

This is an eminently practical solution, and due to how effectively it counters most threats when fully implemented, has clear appeal. However, it’s critical to remember that every solution is optimized for a specific context, and applying the wrong solution for the job can be counterproductive, even harmful.

The thing is, this set of ideas was, broadly speaking, originally designed as protection for direct action (illegal activities undertaken for the purpose of activism). And in addition to being designed to protect extremely dangerous secrets – much more dangerous than simply being radically queer – more importantly, it’s designed for beings who view themselves as soldiers, placing everything personal second to their causes.

That isn’t the kind of organization Bt+ is. Not only are we a law-abiding organization, we’re an organization made by and for beings who ideally want to exist openly as our authentic selves – an organization of pride, connection, and acceptance. We cannot, and will not, ever reach a point where we can exist openly as ourselves by suppressing our authentic existences; that idea is a contradiction.

We make the friendships founded upon mutual acceptance of each other by being open about who we are, what’s important to us, and the things we go through. We change the minds of beings who otherwise would have remained ignorant and intolerant by showing them that the subjects of their hatred – ourselves – aren’t what the propaganda they’ve consumed claims we are. And the more of us are bold enough to exist openly, the easier existing openly will become for all of us.

#queer #beyondtheplus #gay #lgbt #lgbtq #identity #paraphilia #para #orientation #transid #transidentity #radical #radicallyqueer

The Danger of Too Much Safety 1/2

(A blog post by Violet Rose.)

From the point when it was just an idea, to today’s reality, Beyond the Plus has always been envisioned as a public organization, serving the community proudly in the open. We could have chosen a safer, easier path, being more secretive and building community privately by word of mouth, but while that would have avoided some controversy and hostile attention, taking the easy road has never been what Bt+ is about.

We want to stand up for what we believe in, lead by example to fight the climate of fear that leaves so many paralyzed and isolated, but most importantly of all, we’re here to bring community and support to beings who don’t already have it. There are far too many beings out there who have no idea that real community can exist for them, and that’s why it’s so important that the word gets out as much as possible!

We’re very proud of the community of members we’ve already gathered, and we want to do a lot more. But, at the same time, we have to acknowledge that while publicity lets potential friends know we exist, it also draws less friendly attention, and it’s going to be essential that we all work together as a community to keep each other safe. But what does that mean, in practice?

A relatively popular idea for that purpose is adopting a policy, as a community, of enforcing social norms based on three rules constituting a high standard of safety: that information which enemies could use to harm us is to be considered sensitive, that sensitive information is to be treated as strictly need-to-know and not disclosed or even alluded to unless necessary, and that members of the community whose adherence to these standards is sufficiently lax are to be distanced to prevent trouble that befalls them from spreading.

This is an eminently practical solution, and due to how effectively it counters most threats when fully implemented, has clear appeal. However, it’s critical to remember that every solution is optimized for a specific context, and applying the wrong solution for the job can be counterproductive, even harmful.

The thing is, this set of ideas was, broadly speaking, originally designed as protection for direct action (illegal activities undertaken for the purpose of activism). And in addition to being designed to protect extremely dangerous secrets – much more dangerous than simply being radically queer – more importantly, it’s designed for beings who view themselves as soldiers, placing everything personal second to their causes.

That isn’t the kind of organization Bt+ is. Not only are we a law-abiding organization, we’re an organization made by and for beings who ideally want to exist openly as our authentic selves – an organization of pride, connection, and acceptance. We cannot, and will not, ever reach a point where we can exist openly as ourselves by suppressing our authentic existences; that idea is a contradiction.

We make the friendships founded upon mutual acceptance of each other by being open about who we are, what’s important to us, and the things we go through. We change the minds of beings who otherwise would have remained ignorant and intolerant by showing them that the subjects of their hatred – ourselves – aren’t what the propaganda they’ve consumed claims we are. And the more of us are bold enough to exist openly, the easier existing openly will become for all of us.

#queer #beyondtheplus #gay #lgbt #lgbtq #identity #paraphilia #para #orientation #transid #transidentity #radical #radicallyqueer

The Danger of Too Much Safety 1/2

(A blog post by Violet Rose.)

From the point when it was just an idea, to today’s reality, Beyond the Plus has always been envisioned as a public organization, serving the community proudly in the open. We could have chosen a safer, easier path, being more secretive and building community privately by word of mouth, but while that would have avoided some controversy and hostile attention, taking the easy road has never been what Bt+ is about.

We want to stand up for what we believe in, lead by example to fight the climate of fear that leaves so many paralyzed and isolated, but most importantly of all, we’re here to bring community and support to beings who don’t already have it. There are far too many beings out there who have no idea that real community can exist for them, and that’s why it’s so important that the word gets out as much as possible!

We’re very proud of the community of members we’ve already gathered, and we want to do a lot more. But, at the same time, we have to acknowledge that while publicity lets potential friends know we exist, it also draws less friendly attention, and it’s going to be essential that we all work together as a community to keep each other safe. But what does that mean, in practice?

A relatively popular idea for that purpose is adopting a policy, as a community, of enforcing social norms based on three rules constituting a high standard of safety: that information which enemies could use to harm us is to be considered sensitive, that sensitive information is to be treated as strictly need-to-know and not disclosed or even alluded to unless necessary, and that members of the community whose adherence to these standards is sufficiently lax are to be distanced to prevent trouble that befalls them from spreading.

This is an eminently practical solution, and due to how effectively it counters most threats when fully implemented, has clear appeal. However, it’s critical to remember that every solution is optimized for a specific context, and applying the wrong solution for the job can be counterproductive, even harmful.

The thing is, this set of ideas was, broadly speaking, originally designed as protection for direct action (illegal activities undertaken for the purpose of activism). And in addition to being designed to protect extremely dangerous secrets – much more dangerous than simply being radically queer – more importantly, it’s designed for beings who view themselves as soldiers, placing everything personal second to their causes.

That isn’t the kind of organization Bt+ is. Not only are we a law-abiding organization, we’re an organization made by and for beings who ideally want to exist openly as our authentic selves – an organization of pride, connection, and acceptance. We cannot, and will not, ever reach a point where we can exist openly as ourselves by suppressing our authentic existences; that idea is a contradiction.

We make the friendships founded upon mutual acceptance of each other by being open about who we are, what’s important to us, and the things we go through. We change the minds of beings who otherwise would have remained ignorant and intolerant by showing them that the subjects of their hatred – ourselves – aren’t what the propaganda they’ve consumed claims we are. And the more of us are bold enough to exist openly, the easier existing openly will become for all of us.

#queer #beyondtheplus #gay #lgbt #lgbtq #identity #paraphilia #para #orientation #transid #transidentity #radical #radicallyqueer

We’ve recently padded out the Join page with some extra vetting questions. They are all optional, but we realize that it may look daunting to have so many questions anyways. Feedback into these sort of things is appreciated!

#queer #beyondtheplus #gay #identity #paraphilia #lgbtq #lgbt #para #orientation #transid #transidentity #radical #radicallyqueer

We’ve recently padded out the Join page with some extra vetting questions. They are all optional, but we realize that it may look daunting to have so many questions anyways. Feedback into these sort of things is appreciated!

#queer #beyondtheplus #gay #identity #paraphilia #lgbtq #lgbt #para #orientation #transid #transidentity #radical #radicallyqueer

We’ve recently padded out the Join page with some extra vetting questions. They are all optional, but we realize that it may look daunting to have so many questions anyways. Feedback into these sort of things is appreciated!

#queer #beyondtheplus #gay #identity #paraphilia #lgbtq #lgbt #para #orientation #transid #transidentity #radical #radicallyqueer

We’ve recently padded out the Join page with some extra vetting questions. They are all optional, but we realize that it may look daunting to have so many questions anyways. Feedback into these sort of things is appreciated!

#queer #beyondtheplus #gay #identity #paraphilia #lgbtq #lgbt #para #orientation #transid #transidentity #radical #radicallyqueer

We are temporarily suspending tabling due to circumstances out of our control. We’ll let you all know once we’re able to do it again!

#gay #beyondtheplus #lgbt #identity #lgbtq #paraphilia #queer #para #transid #transidentity #orientation #radical #radicallyqueer

We are temporarily suspending tabling due to circumstances out of our control. We’ll let you all know once we’re able to do it again!

#gay #beyondtheplus #lgbt #identity #lgbtq #paraphilia #queer #para #transid #transidentity #orientation #radical #radicallyqueer

We are temporarily suspending tabling due to circumstances out of our control. We’ll let you all know once we’re able to do it again!

#gay #beyondtheplus #lgbt #identity #lgbtq #paraphilia #queer #para #transid #transidentity #orientation #radical #radicallyqueer

We are temporarily suspending tabling due to circumstances out of our control. We’ll let you all know once we’re able to do it again!

#gay #beyondtheplus #lgbt #identity #lgbtq #paraphilia #queer #para #transid #transidentity #orientation #radical #radicallyqueer