Pride - comments on or off

We leave comments on all our posts but I know of a few accounts that have left comments on, received a load of abuse and then used that to highlight why Pride needs to be celebrated in the first place.

Turning off comments and then updating the post to indicate why can highlight there’s still a lot of work to be done.

If equality is a core part of your institution’s values you could use the angry/hateful comments for follow up content calling them out or breaking down that hurtful nature of the comments. In the past we’ve replied to angry comments pointing out how they’re against our values and it’s caused the original poster to reflect and apologise (although not 100% of the time)

Appreciate this is coming from someone in the UK, looking across the pond at what can only be describe as a really weird vibe coming from the top.

I appreciate your response! Our organization has used this statement in the past to defend why comments have been turned off, hidden, or why guests have been blocked.  “committed to nurturing a diverse and inclusive environment that celebrates the complexities and differences of all living things. We welcome and respect diverse backgrounds, life experiences, and perspectives. We do not tolerate hate or discrimination of any form. We reserve the right to remove comments that may cause harm to our community including: – Derogatory or demeaning language – Statements that can be construed as racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, ableist, or reflect an ideology that denigrates a person or group of people – Inflammatory language that provokes violence or harm – Political propaganda – Personal (named) attacks. Users who violate our community guidelines will be blocked from our social media channels at the discretion of staff.” 

That being said, we do not reply to hateful comments or trolls. I’m impressed you have the staff capacity to do so!

I am considering leaving comments turned on in an effort to check the pulse of our followers. Most angry guests two years ago swore to boycott/unfollow us so maybe our followers are more in align with our statement now. Thank you!