Hi Mark,

I just found your blog post as I am searching to create a custom logo for my website. Your designs are inspired.

As an AfroAmerican female, I've experienced many episodes of discrimination, so I can empathize with your feelings. It hurts.

Unfortunately, many people consumed with their need to be in compliance with peers beliefs and attitudes have not achieved the elevated humanistic state to be able to embrace everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, spoken language, political views, age, legal, social or economic status, let alone verbalize them.

I am a member of an organization that celebrates humanity in all of its diversities & differences.

The platform WA presents is support for members new & seasoned to create a viable online marketing income.

Recently, I renewed my interest in WA. This company's mission provides the best platform for novice people like me & veterans of technology to learn & create an online marketing presence. Since my return, I see there is unlimited resources & support here.

You may be feeling discouraged or busy with other pursuits. I urge you to revisit your objectives & goals. Consider a review of website techniques the WA way. You may discover ideas to improve your website. Just a suggestion, not a judgement.

You have a special gift & talent. 'Pay it forward' as WA members say. Assist as many members as you can. It will open the way for you to achieve the recognition and acknowledgement of your peers in an acceptable & beneficial way for all concerned.

All the best to you,
Lovetta**

I had to find out what social preconceptions were at work here to get the heated response that I did to my LGBT question. As you can see from this thread Are there any lgbt brothers and sisters here in wa? I got in trouble with this question because some people believed I was trying to create divisions within WA and someone even accused me of lustful intentions, which would had been funny if it hadn't come from a really negative set of thinking. So I posted this very same question but I changed LGBT for conceptual art lovers to see if anyone would notice the same attempt to start a mini group aka 'create division' and respond in a similar way to my original question. Are there are conceptual art fans in wa? I can't say that I was surprised by the results. I was kinda hoping I would be proved wrong but it shows that unconscious bias was at work here. LGBT people are negatively portrayed in the media and by many politicians as a threatening and inferior group, posing a danger to public health and "traditional" structures, such as marriage and the family. These views filter through to many other things like my question here. People jumped to the conclusion that I was doing something wrong but this didn't happen when I did the same question as a art lover. I know the people who responded are good people and I think we can all be a victim of unconscious bias sometimes so I dont judge. I simply post this in the hope that someone reads it and considers changing their actions for the better in some situation similar to this. Peace x

Hi Mark;
I'm happy to reply, my friend:)
I hope you will see and consider my response (my second reply) on you original question page.
If you read that, I hope you will see logical reason there:)

Mark, here is your quote from above:
"If I had written the question in the same format but instead reaching out to illustrators instead of LGBT people I imagine that the response would had been different!

I know how you feel (I have been a victim of bullying more than a few times in my life).
However, a group of Illustrators is a SKILL group that brings further advancement to WA projects of all stripes.
I think you can see that it is widely more pertinent to what we are all pursuing as professionals...in our livelihoods.

You are feeling hurt, and you are reacting defensively; that's natural.
Please consider tweaking your original question as per my idea for you on your good question page:)

If you ever want to PM me, Mark, I'm always open, and I care.
Yours sincerely,
Terry

I have seen and reacted on your question. I can not relay with other member statements. I read clearly in your question "start a mini WA - LGBT community", and I do repeat my opinion, I do not think mini groups are belonging here. Whatever they are standing for. Whether it is a group for LBGT, dog lovers, hairdressers, parenting, bbq-ers, it just doesn't fit here. They invented G+ hangouts for that matter.

First let me say I am an ultraconservative. One of the things you will find difference between liberals and conservatives is that liberals always want you to think the way that they think. Conservatives don't care what you think as long as your beliefs don't interfere with us.

Secondly wa is full of cyber bullies. In fact that's the one thing that I feel will eventually kill wa. I actually called them the WA Klan. It just takes one member 2 reported to the right government agency. That may have already happened.

All that being said, I will do everything I can to help anybody's business. I am sure if you can think for yourself you will find this is just the first of many of these types of experiences that you have. Best of luck to you.