Basic Rules

1. All the rules of being a decent human being and a good online citizen apply, of course.
2. Respect other users at all times. This means no bullying and no callout posts. If you need to warn us about a bad actor, please message the mods instead of posting publicly.
3. Absolutely positively no adult content of any kind:
   
   1. No discussions of a sexual nature, explicit or not.
   2. No discussions of drug use, including alcohol use.
   3. No NSFW images, even spoilered, including those showing a person or character’s genital bulge through clothing, or visible nipples on a person or character of ANY gender.
   4. Nothing else that you wouldn’t discuss or display at a public library.
   5. These rules are to protect us as a group, not to come down on anyone.
4. Advertisements for sale items such as badge or fursuit commissions, or non-Grackle meets must be approved by the mods before posting. Forwarding events from the Austin Events Bot is an exception as long as the event is open to minors.
5. This is a leftist, liberal community. We do not have to respect all viewpoints. The following will not be tolerated:
   
   1. Right wing/conservative messaging or Nazi dog whistles
   2. Pro-Trump propaganda
   3. Pro-life/anti-choice propaganda
   4. Anti-LGBT rhetoric
6. No political fear mongering. You may post politics and have political discussions, but the topic must affect the local community or the US as a whole and you must include a source from a reputable news outlet (e.g. not Fox, OANN, your aunt’s Facebook, etc). If you are not sure if your source counts, please ask the mods.
7. No threats of violence or crimes at any of the meets. This will result in a ban from the meet and consideration of a semi-permanent ban from Grackle.

Meetup Rules

1. Follow all of the above rules as applicable to in-person settings.
2. Follow all directions of both Grackle staff and that of the venue we are meeting at. In the case of conflicting instructions, defer to the venue staff. Then we ask that you inform a staff member of the discrepancy.
3. Respect everyone’s wishes with regard to physical contact, personal space, etc. Do not hug without asking, and if someone wants to be left alone, leave them be. If someone violates your personal space, let a staff member know.
4. Do not intentionally summon law enforcement of any kind to the meet. This risks potential confrontation with armed police officers that has been known to result in injury and death, as well as arrests and/or deportation. We want all of our attendees to feel safe. If you feel police need to be called, ask a staff member first. Do not hesitate to call firefighters and/or EMS though!

Meet Guidelines and Tips

These aren’t rules, rather useful tips for having a good time, and making sure that others do as well!

• If you see someone hanging by themselves at a meet, say hello! A good way to start a conversation is to ask someone a question about themselves.
• If you feel nervous, sit at one of our activity tables, grab a snack, etc. Don’t feel pressured to talk to anyone, although we won’t bite (except Lagoon, sometimes).
• If you have a car, please offer to give people rides or carry items to the events. We always need items!
• Many times we will have the option to donate slots so someone who cannot afford a meet can still attend- please consider donating if you are financially stable!

Ban Information and Redress Process

Temporary chat ban:

• Issued if you continue to violate chat rules after a warning
• Usually lifted after 24 hours

Semi-permanent chat ban:

• Issued if you continue to violate chat rules after a temporary chat ban
• Lifted after a week if you apologize and agree to stop the behavior

Single meet ban:

• Issued if we believe you will be a nuisance at the next meet
• You will most likely be allowed to attend the next meet

Semi-permanent ban:

• Issued if you violate our meet rules after a single meet ban or another semi-permanent ban
• We will review the ban every 1 month/3 months/6 months to determine if it should be lifted. You will be able to speak on your own behalf.

Permanent ban:

• Issued in rare cases if you are determined to be a danger to the community, including but not limited to:
  
  • You are convicted of a serious crime
  • You are outed as a pedo/zoophile
  • You are outed as a bigot/Nazi/transphobe/etc
  • You threaten bodily harm to an attendee
• We will review these bans after 1 year, on a case-by-case basis. You will be able to speak on your own behalf.