Long-time TWiT Fan - Mastodon Suspension

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Hi @Leo & Team,

My twit.social Mastodon account (sezduck@twit.social) was suspended yesterday & I’m not sure why. No reason was given, & I hadn’t violated any of the server rules. I’ve been a TWiT fan & listener since the Cottage days. I was a Club TWiT member for a while (had to cancel due to financial constraints).

Not sure if this has anything to do with the suspension:
About a week ago, I posted a pro-LGBTQ meme on twit.social & was subsequently targeted by users from other servers. It seemed to be an orchestrated hate-speech campaign that started when one user linked to my post with a “call to action” for other users. I received dozens of replies from these users telling me to kill myself & calling me slurs. I don’t know if this is related to my suspension, but I’m the victim not the perpetrator. I did not engage with any of these hate-speech trolls. I reported the first few & blocked the servers for all of them.

As a long-time TWiT fan & supporter, I’m devastated. Can you please re-enable my account asap? I don’t want to lose all the connections I made over the years.

Thanks!

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I’m disheartened by the suspension of my twit.social account without explanation - and the lack of response to appeals - in a situation that amounts to punishing a person for supporting the LGBTQ community…

As I said, my account was likely suspended after I was targeted by hate-speech trolls for my pro-LGBTQ post. I was targeted by an orchestrated hate-speech campaign - then my account was suspended without explanation or response. That doesn’t align with what I understood to be the values of Leo & TWiT.

I don’t have the option of migrating my account to a new server. Mastodon allows me to download an archive, but migration is not available for suspended accounts. I’ve lost 5+ years of connections.

I’ve been a loyal fan & supporter of TWiT for a decade and a half.

I discovered TWiT back in 2010 and listened to The Tech Guy until Leo retired from radio. I regularly listened to / watched iPad/iOS Today, the TWiT roundtable, TWiG, and MacBreak Weekly.

I frequently supported TWiT sponsors. I’ve bought TWiT merch. I had a Club TWiT subscription simply because I wanted to see the network survive through difficult times.

I would really appreciate if you could do me the courtesy of providing a response.

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Just FYI, Leo doesn’t make an appearance here every day, and some times it can be many days between visits. So far as I know he hasn’t been here since your first post.

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Thanks. I figured as much. I’ve sent the same two messages via email, and I appealed via Mastodon as well. No response on any front.

I lost access to a large group of Mastodon friends that are a source of support during difficult times - and after being targeted by hate-speech groups.

I’m really disappointed that Leo and team would do this to a dedicated fan (and someone who has contributed to TWiT financially despite being on a fixed income) and that it appears to be a result of me expressing support for the LGBTQ community.

I’m not expecting any special treatment. Just some common human courtesy.

(I appreciate your reply. I just felt like venting a bit more :upside_down_face: )

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Update: I heard back from Lisa & Leo has restored my account.

Thank you @Leo & @Lisa !

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