The Danger of Too Much Safety

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.

But that's not going to happen if we close ourselves off, guarding our innermost selves from even those closest to us, and it's especially not going to happen if we let our idea of a reasonable amount of risk be defined by a climate of anxiety rather than logical threat assessment.

Should we be careless with our safety? No, of course not. I strongly believe that careless is the last thing anyone should be, and that friends don't let friends take thoughtless risks. But in addition to trying to keep ourselves safe from those who would act against us, it's just as imperative that we protect ourselves from the costs of excessive caution. When the effort and sacrifice that goes into safety exceeds the actual threat, we're just doing our enemy's work for them without them having to lift a finger.

Bt+ is committed to protecting our members to the maximum extent we can as a public organization. For some beings, that isn't enough to address their safety needs, and that's okay – different approaches serving different needs is a good thing! But for others, publicity is the only way our light will shine brightly enough to reach them. And the beings Bt+ is best positioned to serve are exactly the ones whom existing private social circles weren't helping.

For their sake, we need to be brave, even when that's not easy, even when we might face harassment and unfair treatment. For their sake, we will persevere, come whatever may. To everyone who doesn't have anywhere else they're accepted as themselves: Bt+ is here for you.