tl;dr - I mod 6 sites: Security, Music, Parenting, Outdoors, Sound and Video - I'm suspending all my mod activity on them until SE sort this out. I am just one voice among many, but I hope I add to the clamour.

I have been hovering in TL hoping someone from Stack Exchange would come in with any information on what they are going to do to improve things. Yes, we need more protection and support for the LGBT+ communities, and also for other minorities, and in fact all mods, who suffer under continuous personal attacks and stress.

And we also need a framework that protects us from Stack Exchange, from the capricious whim that can remove a mod at a moment's notice whilst they were trying to identify compromise, or that can change rules or tools off the back of a single tweet, rather than by following request from mods reaching back years sometimes.

We have very little agency, and as the liaison between the company and the millions of visitors every day I think we need it.

But so far SE have remained close-mouthed, using only canned responses that mean nothing other than our voices and our efforts are not respected or heard.

I have been a moderator for nearly 9 years, and have moderated 7 sites (sadly one failed, so I only moderate 6 currently.) I love and respect the communities built up around them, and have put so much effort into helping them grow, keeping them safe and tidy, and think that my efforts, like all the mods, should be supported and respected.

Yes, we are volunteers, so we may be seen as a free resource, but our value is far from free.

I hope SE does the right thing.

Update - After seeing indications of positive intention and direction, and because I care for the sites I moderate, I returned to moderating in March. Subsequently, when the nominations for Moderator Council came out I stood, and was elected to the Council, where I hope I can help make a positive impact.

I mod 6 sites: Security, Music, Parenting, Outdoors, Sound and Video - I suspended all my mod activity on them between Oct 19 and Mar 20. I am just one voice among many, but I hope I add to the clamour.

I have been hovering in TL hoping someone from Stack Exchange would come in with any information on what they are going to do to improve things. Yes, we need more protection and support for the LGBT+ communities, and also for other minorities, and in fact all mods, who suffer under continuous personal attacks and stress.

And we also need a framework that protects us from Stack Exchange, from the capricious whim that can remove a mod at a moment's notice whilst they were trying to identify compromise, or that can change rules or tools off the back of a single tweet, rather than by following request from mods reaching back years sometimes.

We have very little agency, and as the liaison between the company and the millions of visitors every day I think we need it.

But so far SE have remained close-mouthed, using only canned responses that mean nothing other than our voices and our efforts are not respected or heard.

I have been a moderator for nearly 9 years, and have moderated 7 sites (sadly one failed, so I only moderate 6 currently.) I love and respect the communities built up around them, and have put so much effort into helping them grow, keeping them safe and tidy, and think that my efforts, like all the mods, should be supported and respected.

Yes, we are volunteers, so we may be seen as a free resource, but our value is far from free.

I hope SE does the right thing.