Here at Bt+ we get a lot of questions about how we operate, where we run events, and how we protect our members. This page is intended to answer frequently asked questions for everyone's convenience. If you have a question that isn't addressed here then Contact us about it!
Q: What do you actually do?
A: Beyond the Plus is an organization that serves the wider queer community in WA state. We do this mainly by providing in-person spaces for our members to form community. Additionally, we also have resources on our website to help spread info on our cause and aid those aiming to do the same thing.
Q: What is the "wider queer community?"
A: When we say the "wider queer community" we are referring to people who identify as queer who may or may not be accepted my mainstream LGBTQ+. This includes MAPs, zoophiles, consang, otherkin, transage, transrace, etc. We aren't here for just one identity, but anyone who feels excluded from the mainstream. We also welcome allies or anyone who just wants to be part of something radically queer.
Q: Can you come to my city/state/country?
A: Bt+ is a very small activism effort. We don't have lots of money, and we are just a few broke people without cars. We don't currently have the money, staffing, time, or transportation to even go out of Seattle, and it's likely we never will. Instead of waiting for someone like us to come to your area, please consider starting your own activism efforts instead. If not you, then who?
Q: Can I start a chapter for my state / branch for my city?
A: Bt+ is currently not offering the ability to do this. It is possible in the future that we may, but once again we would like to urge people to start their own activism efforts instead.
Q: I live in another state/country, what can I do to help?
A: Good question! In the future we'll likely have a page with ways to help with Bt+ if you live out of state, but for now there are a few things we can say.
- Spread the word! Even if you or your friends don't live in WA, it's possible that by telling your friends about us will end up reaching people we can make an impact with.
- Subscribe to our mailing list! Our Subscribe page details how to do this through email, RSS, and even social media! That way if we ever send out a call asking for help out of state you can be notified right away.
- Do your own activism! Bt+ might never expand outside of WA, so if you want to help the cause, then do your own activism! Hopefully we'll have some pages about how to do this at some point, but the bottom line is to create a goal, find people to work with, brainstorm how you're gonna reach that goal, and then make a plan!
Q: What's your contact stance?
A: Bt+ does not officially have a "contact stance". We believe that contact stance labels are not beneficial to the community, and that they only divide an already small enough set of people. Additionally, our org is not completely about paraphilias, so matters of contact stance do not feel particularly relevant. We expect our members to respect each other, regardless of their opinions on contact stance, and we hold them to a standard of respect that they should not believe in acting on explicitly harmful attractions in a nonconsensual manner (such as rape) and that they should show not hold discriminatory beliefs, i.e. not being ageist, speciesist, etc.
Q: How do you feel about xyz orientation/identity/kink?
A: We support every orientation and identity, no exceptions. In terms of fetish/kink, we also support all of them, but we do expect those that are explicitly harmful not to be acted upon in a nonconsensual manner (such as rape).
Q: Is Bt+ safe to join?
A: Safety is our top priority here at Bt+. Please read our page on Safety and Security to see exactly how we make our org as safe as possible. That being said, there is always going to be some inherent risk of being associated with us, so we want to make sure that members are taking measures to keep themselves safe as well.
Q: Is your public activism dangerous?
A: It's complicated. The reality is that in a far left city like Seattle, the odds of violence happening to us are extremely rare, but that doesn't make it impossible. For this reason we have safety plans for our staff and we always carry pepper gel as protection. So far we haven't had to use it, and we likely never will. Most people are under the impression, because of the internet, that existing as, say, a paraphile out in the open is an instant death sentence, but this is not the case. Most people don't even recognize paraphile pride such as the MAP pride flag.
Q: What are your views on consent?
A: We think that consent is important not only in sex, but in all aspects of life. Consent is something that everyone gets to decide for themselves how it affects them. For instance, someone may feel like they can only consent while completely sober, while another person may like having sex while under the influence. Both are valid and should be respected. Breaches of consent are never okay.