Closet
Republic

Community Guidelines and Moderation Charter

How we keep Closet Republic safe: anti-harassment rules, privacy protections, zero-tolerance offences, reporting and appeals.

Last updated: 15 October 2026

Closet Republic is a place for people who have had to hide. Many of our citizens are still hiding somewhere: at home, at work, in their country. One careless screenshot can undo years of careful safety. These guidelines exist so that nobody gets pushed back into a box, or dragged out of one, because of something that happened here.

They apply to every space Closet Republic runs or moderates: this Site, our GitHub repository and discussions, our Reddit community, our forum, any chat or event we host, and private messages between people who met through those spaces. They form part of our Terms and Conditions.

Part 1: Community Guidelines

1. The core rule

You decide your own door; you never decide anyone else's. Respect every person's right to be as out, or as closed, as they choose, in every space, every time.

2. Treat people with care

3. Anti-harassment

The following are not allowed anywhere in our spaces:

4. Safety perimeters

Protect yourself and others by keeping these boundaries:

5. Tactical privacy

These are the habits that keep our community safe. Breaking them, even by accident, can put someone in danger, so we enforce them firmly.

6. Content standards

7. Zero tolerance

Some things lead to an immediate, permanent ban, without warnings, and may be reported to the police or other authorities where the law requires or where someone's safety demands it:

Part 2: Moderation Charter

8. Who moderates

Moderation is done by the founders and by volunteer moderators chosen under the constitution. Moderators:

9. How to report

Report anything that breaks these guidelines, or that you believe is illegal, by emailing [email protected] with the subject "Report". You can also use the reporting tools on GitHub, Reddit or the forum, which reach our moderators and the platform.

Please include:

You don't have to give your real name, and you don't need to be the person affected. If you're reporting illegal content, please explain why you think it's illegal. You can send a report anonymously, but we won't be able to update you.

We keep reporters' identities confidential. We never tell the person reported who reported them, unless the law requires it.

10. What happens next

11. What we can do

Depending on how serious and how deliberate it was, we may:

  1. talk to the person, or send a reminder of the guidelines;
  2. remove or hide the content;
  3. give a formal warning;
  4. remove a Role (for example a moderator, lawmaker or contributor role);
  5. suspend someone from our spaces for a set time;
  6. ban someone permanently;
  7. report it to the platform, the police or other authorities, where the law requires it or someone is in danger.

We use the lightest step that keeps people safe, and we look at patterns, not just single incidents.

12. Statement of reasons

If we remove your content or restrict you, we tell you, unless that would put someone at risk or the law prevents us. Our message says what we did, which guideline or law was involved, the facts we relied on, whether any automated tools were used (we don't currently use any), and how to appeal.

13. Appeals

You can appeal any decision within 6 months by emailing [email protected] with the subject "Appeal". A different moderator from the one who made the decision reviews it, and we reply with a reasoned decision, usually within 14 days. If we got it wrong, we reverse it.

If you're in the European Union, you can also take a dispute to a certified out-of-court dispute settlement body under the Digital Services Act, or to the courts. In the UK, you can complain to us under the Online Safety Act 2023 and, for privacy issues, to the Information Commissioner's Office. Nothing here limits your right to go to court or a regulator anywhere.

14. Authorities and legal requests

We remove content that a court or competent authority lawfully orders us to remove, and we report child sexual abuse material to the appropriate bodies (such as the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the UK Internet Watch Foundation or the Australian eSafety Commissioner) where the law requires.

Because our members include people at risk of persecution, we examine every request for members' data carefully, give only what the law strictly requires, challenge requests that appear unlawful, and tell affected members unless we are legally prevented. We will not cooperate with requests aimed at punishing people for being queer or trans.

15. Transparency

Once a year we publish a short report in the Gazette with the number of reports received, actions taken, appeals and their outcomes, and any legal requests, without identifying anyone.

16. Changes

We change these guidelines through the community, as the constitution describes, and update the date at the top. Urgent safety changes can take effect straight away and are then put to the community.

Part 3: Getting help now

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call your local emergency number (999 in the UK, 112 in the EU, 911 in the US and Canada, 000 in Australia, 112 in India).

Free, confidential support:

Closet Republic is a community, not a crisis service, and our moderators aren't trained counsellors. We will always point you to people who are.

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