On Ravelry

You may have seen social media posts over the past day or so from designers, dyers, and other industry figures supporting Ravelry; yesterday, you may also have seen articles on Ravelry hitting major news sites such as The Guardian, CNN, USA Today, and The Washington Post. Why? On June 23, Ravelry’s administrators and owners put in place a policy that bans support for Donald Trump and members of his administration within Ravelry's space. As Ravelry stated in their policy notice to members, “We cannot provide a space that is inclusive of all and also allow support for open white supremacy. [...] Hate groups and intolerance are different from other types of political positions.” 

The new policy is an extension of Ravelry’s pre-existing policies barring harassment, personal attacks, hate speech, and hateful imagery. Ravelry has previously banned Confederate flag patterns, racist doll patterns, and “Build the Wall” patterns. Those who use Ravelry do so voluntarily and in accordance with its terms and policies; as a private company, Ravelry may set those terms and policies as they wish. As a shop and its community, we stand against hate speech, dehumanizing speech, and dehumanizing actions that impact the most vulnerable members and sectors of society. We support Ravelry in this move and have no plans to change our affiliation with them or our use of their services for advertising, pattern purchases, and socialization.  

If you haven’t yet read the new policy and are a Ravelry user from any part of the political spectrum, please visit Ravelry and read the new policy carefully and in its entirety. We also recommend that you read the rpg.net policy that directly inspired Ravelry to take this course of action. If you have any questions or concerns after you have read the Ravelry policy in its entirety, please feel free to reach out to me directly through the shop's normal communication channels. (EDIT : Comments are on, but they are subject to approval before posting.) 

-Lindsey