"A Word From The Assistant Editors" Topic

Greetings!

On behalf of the assistant editors here at TMP, I would like to tell everyone that the issue about our gender is true. We are ladyboys from the Philippines. But we are not just ordinary ladyboys, we're decent. I know that ladyboys have a bad reputation because of scamming, cam shows, and sex work. However, you should not generalize about us ladyboys – we are all different.

I, and the other editors, are here plainly for work. We just want to have decent jobs, and I thank Bill for giving me and the others the opportunity.

We are not here to change TMP. We are not here to make the site an advocate for LGBT rights whatsoever. We are here to work, to support the hobby and TMP.

Some of you have wondered why we tried to keep our gender a secret. The answer is that we were afraid that we would be discriminated against when you knew, and that our abilities would be questioned because of the fact that we are ladyboys. And we were right – the issue created a commotion in the forums. Also, we didn't think our gender was important for anyone else to know.

Lastly, yes, we are ladyboys, but our gender doesn't determine the capacity that we have for this work. It's just a gender and it doesn't affect our performance. We will always try our best to work with the utmost effort.

Have a nice day, everyone!

Glad to have you here, regardless of your gender.

Thank you @Stronty Girl
:)

I'll just echo what the others have said, Jhajha. Welcome!

Thank you @Terrement

Well said JhaJha! I echo what Stronty Girl and Terrement and jpattern said.

I think the majority here don´t have a problem with this, I certainly don´t. It is the vocal minority that is the problem.

Through this whole uproar, I still haven't been able to figure out why this issue is such a big deal. I have many friends and coworkers who are LGBT, and really see no difference between them and myself aside from preferences. We are all people, and not at war.

Welcome, editors. In a perfect world, these issues would never have come up.

As I said before, welcome. I'm glad you and the other editors have a job you enjoy and, as usual, thanks to Bill. Our hobby has more than it's share of just plain idiots. When you toss in the internet (where anyone feels brave enough to say anything), it can become a circus. Kindest regards from Hal

Welcome to you all. :-)
Your gender is your business and no one else's. It's a shame that a few wanted to make it theirs.

Keep up the good work!

Agreed, sexuality and gender is a non-issue although it may be claimed this thread is a Frothers hoax if Rebelyell is allowed back.

You were probably right to fear discrimination from some of TMP's more socially conservative members so this is a brave thread.

But the commotion has had less to do withh your gender than than with the content of A N Other website which may or may not be run by Bill on which transgender Filipinos are not always addressed as courteously as they deserve.

You will find very little discrimination here. I did not say "no" discrimination, but very little.
We are big boys here, grown ups. For the most part…
As for me, I do not care who or what you are. None of my business. And I am a card carrying redneck right winger.

The ONLY discrimination and sniping I have seen has been on "that other site". Those bozos are the intolerant ones. They are just waiting for the rednecks and right wingers to have hissy fits and quit TMP because of who you are. They will be proven wrong.

All I want is for the work to get done. By the way, if you are sitting on any news about Perry or Eureka or Fife and Drum releasing a "Washington Crossing the Delaware" set, I would appreciate it if you release it ASAP.

Welcome to you all. Your reluctance to come forward is understandable, especially in light of the recent controversy. Thank you for giving the rest of us here the chance to show you that everyone on TMP is not close minded.

@punkrabbit:

Through this whole uproar, I still haven't been able to figure out why this issue is such a big deal.

It's all directed AT Bill, not the people he's hired to work on TMP. Yes, they are in a minority. Yes, that minority causes controversy amongst a significant number of heterosexuals especially the "religious" ones. Yes, Bill's known religious connections place him in a vulnerable position. Potentially this attack could bring him down, in the estimation of his enemies. The assistant editors are a means to that end: attack Bill.

But I expect TMP's denizens have already "grown a pair" long ago. If we run across one or two here or there who have a personal issue with the gender identification of TMP's assistant editors, or anyone else on this forum, we have rules in place that prevent any sort of unseemly behavior toward other members of TMP.

If this becomes a bigger problem or one that doesn't go away it will be our own fault. I expect the entire thing to blow over now, but careful editing and screening of the very few malicious presences will still be required. So, go to it, Ed and assistants, guard TMP and may the Force be with you!…

Yes, Bill's known religious connections place him in a vulnerable position.

Not at all.

Welcome, everybody!

…the content of A N Other website which may or may not be run by Bill on which transgender Filipinos are not always addressed as courteously as they deserve.

What we do on the Transpinay Helper blog is to help transpinays like me to come out and express ourselves. For you guys who have been there, the contents may not be appropriate to your eyes, but for us transpinays, those stories are not just stories but inspirational stories. Things where we can get a lot of lessons.

I concur with the OFM. Well, except for the AWI bits!

This topic never made it on to my radar since I usually read posts about the hobby and not the subplots. Anyway, I welcome any assistance Bill can get to help him grow and maintain this resource! Really, we collect toy soldiers and play games--who are we to be judgmental about someone's life?

Having read both sides threads, all of them, I think it has never been about the editors, nor can it truthfully be said that the majority of posters at Frothers have been critical of the new editors sexuality.

It is very much about the circumstances and the lack of candor regarding the whole issue.

If it were stated that the five new editors on TMP were retired members of the Harlem Globe Trotters, I might have a number of questions as to why, and more than a few "wha???" Reactions. It wouldn't be about their race, but how this came to be and its implications to the forum. What circumstance warranted hiring the whole team of basketball players?

If the new editors were five members of the New York City Rockettes,, I think that, after asking for photos, the average TM P'er would be wondering how did they become aware of the job, and what insight might they have to a niche hobby like wargaming? Why are they all members of the Rockettes? Isn't that a bit odd and beyond coincidence?

Now it might be true that hiring several disabled ex-veterans of the military might find ready explanation and support, or even some charitable inspiration to hire solely unemployed street people, or a number of Mormons being served by a foreign mission in Ecuador, Kenya, or, yes, the Phillipines, but, given the combined uniqueness of a group of Filipino transgender people with no previous connection to the military, the US, or the wargame hobby, it would have to be someone of very low curiosity that wouldn't inquire as to how and why they came to be hired, and other than low wages (which are found in many diverse areas of the globe) why were they hired given the potential for raising legitimate questions as it has obviously done.

The statement by one of the editors above is a good first step, but it immediately raises a number of questions that any reasonable person might have about this whole topic.

Gender and sexuality are not among them.

Meh. Plenty of hostility towards LGBT folks out there. It's still not safe to come out for many of them so protecting one's identity is perfectly rational and sane.

Criticizing them for not being more forward is a pretty tall order given the environment.

"The statement by one of the editors above is a good first step, but it immediately raises a number of questions that ANY reasonable person might have about this whole topic."

A good first step?

I consider myself a very reasonable person and I don't see what's to add or how any of it is my (or your) business

I am a conservative Christian Minister. Although I do not agree with this lifestyle, I do accept the new editors as people and they have a right to live, work and pursue life as they wish. If I were to reject everyone with whose life style I disagree with, I would shun more than half the world. So I will not leave TMP nor will I attack these individuals nor Bill for his choice of who he hires.
I do think sometimes people attack Christians for the few that go around condemning everyone.

Yeah, what Paul said. Although I am not at all sure I am reasonable.

We were all writers at first, working and contributing articles for the Transpinay Helper blog. We were monitored and screened by Bill.

Then the best ones were chosen to be part of the TMP team, since he needed people to help here, too.

As far as I am concerned, the "issue" (if it ever really was one) if done. Thanks for the post and thanks for joining Bill's enterprise.

(and this is from one of those evil 'social conservatives' :))

Pat

Brilliant. Typical TMP; someone plucks up the courage to come out in what is potentially a hostile environment, quashes all the rumours and such in fell swoop and STILL someone is able to criticise them.

Thanks for your continued hard work! Wish you all well in helping this crazy place improve!

Flashman, I am not criticizing the new editors for not being more forward, nor am I unaware of the prejudice that some people have about LGBT. My entire working life was spent in TV, media, and the arts, and have worked with, hired, and known LGBT people. In my business the only thing that counts is the end result, and how creative the person is.

If this had been straightforwardly responded to at the very beginning, and if any residual issues are dealt with promptly, it would not be such an ongoing issue here.

The number one rule of controversy is get the facts, all of them, out there as quickly as possible, cover everything, and then shut up. The pages of partial admissions, vagueness, and defensive response have merely fed the fire, not put it out.

The best outcome for TMP and the editors is just forthrightness and complete candor. I expect that the whole issue would subside and the forum would move on, but, at this point, that can't occur until Bill just lays it out there, before additional info seeps out bit by bit like the Chinese water torture.

I really don't care, except to the degree it makes the forum less useful, more fractious, and chases off good people.

Editor Jhajha is right, everything she said is right!

Also, we didn't think our gender was important for anyone else to know.

And you were absolutely correct in this – it is totally irrelevant to any reasonable person.

The statement by one of the editors above is a good first step, but it immediately raises a number of questions that any reasonable person might have about this whole topic.

And what questions would those be? The only possible concern a reasonable person could have would be about how well they do the job, and even THAT is a reasonable concern ONLY in how it affects TMP users, if it does at all.

Even if the assistant editors happened to do an absolutely crappy job (say, for the sake of argument, that they were so slow at it that it took 27 of them to do what should be one person's work), so long as that does not affect the TMP user experience, it is SOLELY Bill's concern. We are not shareholders in TMP, we are CUSTOMERS of TMP. The assistant editors do not work for US, they work for Bill.

Why is this so hard to grasp?

Doug

What we do on the Transpinay Helpe blog is to help transpinays like me to come out and express ourselves.

Fair enough.

We were all writers at first, working an contributing articles for the Transpina Helper blog. We were monitored and screened by Bill.

I thought the web maestro of Transpinay Helper is someone called Monty Schwab?

I've been following the Frothers Fracas since the beginning, with very little input from me. Most of the posts from the detractors have been egoic and needing to control. Wanting answers. Well here is your answer. Are your ego's satisfied?

To the Editors, Kudos to you all for coming out!
Your sexual orientation should have absolutely no effect by anyone, particularly those who play with model soldiers. Sadly there are some here that have ego's too big and wish to denigrate those who are different.

So once again, welcome to our community of crazies. Thanks for being open and honest. Which is a lot more than some members.
Best Regards,
Thomas

Monty Schab is Bill's pseudonym in that site

So what you're saying is that everything Frothers claimed to be true is…true.

Good Christ, Bill, why did you spend the last week on banning binge, insult one of your advertisers publicly and claim Frothers were lying s?

Thank you Asst Editors for all your great work & patience in what has become difficult working conditions.

I have just extended my membership as a small token of thanks and support for you, Mr Editor, & my belief in TMP's community of this great hobby.

So what you're saying is that everything Frothers claimed to be true is…true.

Good Christ, Bill, why did you spend the last week on banning binge, insult one of your advertisers publicly and claim Frothers were lying s?

I've been honest throughout this whole thing, and I've never claimed Frothers were lying unless they were.

It was an issue of privacy, FDIARA. It wasn't up to me to reveal the editors' private information. They made that decision at a staff meeting last night. Until they reached that decision, I felt it was the right thing as their boss to protect them in the workplace.

The only reason the editors made this announcement is because Frothers has already "outed" them against their will. They would have preferred to maintain their privacy.

"I am a conservative Christian Minister. Although I do not agree with this lifestyle"

Out of curiosity – how do you 'not agree' with this lifestyle? Are you saying you choose not to live it? Fine. But you are begging the question of trans-gender as being a 'lifestyle' – i.e. – something that people 'choose' – like choosing shag-pile carpet – or choosing to be a plumber.

"I do think sometimes people attack Christians for the few that go around condemning everyone."

Well said for this.. I do find Satanists can occasionally be a wee bit intolerant as well. I mean, they might want to have intercourse with the devil, or practice ritual branding – all cool when it's consensual, but when they start cramming it down your throat, it gets a bit much.

It seems that the editors job is related to keeping things current on the site by posting news items and a number of other activities that are behind the scenes.

The knowledge needed to do that seems IT related, not past military experience or knowledge of military history.

I don't expect to have any one of the editors jump in and tell me button colors or explain bricoles to me on a thread. That's not their job.

Out of curiosity – how do you 'not agree' with this lifestyle?

Let's not go there. This is a wargaming forum, discussions about lifestyle choices should go somewhere else, please.

I've been honest throughout this whol thing, and I've never claimed Frothers were lying unless they were.

But, Bill, the question was never about the editors' lifestyle it was about whether you and Monty Schwab were the same person. You could have cleared that up days ago and this whole mess with its site lockdowns, bannings, flouncing offs, cheesed off advertisers, mass post censorings and so on could have been avoided.

Honestly, you made a total mess of it all.

On the bright side Rebelyell must feel like such a fool right now and may have axphystiated himself with a confederate flag in embarrasment. And that's on you, too, Bill because you allowed that poor man to delude himself post after post after post.

But, Bill, the question was never about the editors' lifestyle it was about whether you and Monty Schwab were the same person. You could have cleared that up days ago…

First, I don't think it is anyone's business. Second, doing so would inevitably have violated the privacy of my workers. That was a major reason for having a pseudonym.

And that's on you, too, Bill because you allowed that poor man to delude himself post after post after post.

I couldn't give him confidential information…

Was this the whole 'dark secret' thing? Tempest in a teapot if I've ever seen one.

-Will

I also think that was really NO ONE'S business, and the folks who 'dug up' the information committed a major and unwarranted invasion of privacy.

-Will

You cannot "out" someone who is already "out" there though Bill. Frothers did not "out" these girls the A N other site did.

That is rather naive McGobbo. Who brought the two together? And who is so petty and juvenile as to think it mattered?

It was an issue of privacy, FDIARA. It wasn't up to me to reveal the editors' private information. They made that decision at a staff meeting last night. Until they reached that decision, I felt it was the right thing as their boss to protect them in the workplace.

And you were precisely right, Bill. You're biggest mistake, in my opinion, was in responding to the trolls who artificially constructed this "controversy" with anything more than a simple (and FINAL) statement that the hiring practices of TMP are not their concern. Instead, you let them get to you, and you let your own ire at them motivate you to some questionable decisions.

First, I don't think it is anyone's business. Second, doing so would inevitably have violated the privacy of my workers. That was a major reason for having a pseudonym.

For anyone who really cannot get a handle on this, here's a suggestion … the next time you're in the grocery store, ask to see the confidential HR records on the produce department manager, the butcher, and the cashier who rings up your purchases. While you're at it, emphasize that you have no valid complaint about the performance of any of these store employees, no vested financial interest in or managerial responsibilities for the store, or actually any valid need to know any of this information whatsoever. You just want to know precisely why they were hired for the jobs they hold, and you're very interested in learning all about their personal lives, particularly their genitalia, and whether or not these match their outward appearances (because somebody at another store told you that the cute girl at the check out is not what she seems).

Let us know how you get on.

Doug

Do we really have to start this crap all over again?

Second, doing so would inevitably have violated the privacy of my workers.

I don't see how, that cat was wayyyy out of the bag since they weren't hiding behind pseudonyms and used the same photos on their profiles.

I think you were a bit embarassed about some of Monty's statements being linked to Editor in Chief Bill and resulting in giggling, snorting and finger pointing. And in that case you scored an own goal by dragging it out and making sure that many, many more people got interested enough to look at Transpinay Helper.

Still, all over now. And in the spirit of lifestyle tolerance I'd like to say I've got a Prince Albert and I'll be posting pics soon. But don't put them up on TMP because that would be an invasion of my privacy and you'll be for the DH.

I will take your advice Bill and not "GO there" in answer to "Khrskau"s questions. It would end up in a food fight.

FINALLY!

Can we all get back to gaming, painting, collecting, etc.?

I hope all who have left or been banned can and will come back. None of this would have happened if answers had been more forthcoming.

I very Rarely agree with the Repiquedone, but he has hit the nail on the head. What…. a thousand pages about….NOTHING. I welcome the Editors in all their glory/faults. Live your life the way the way you want and the H E double hockey sticks with anyone else. You will be much happier. Maybe now some of the threads will start to make sense.

Sorry, if I sound like I'm preaching, but I have followed this drama on both sites without replying at all. Feeling very uncomfortable with what has been going on with the members of these forums. Guys/Gals, we paint, collect, and play with toy soldiers……we should know a tiny bit about being snickered at by others.

GAME ON!