Basically it boils down to this: the actions and words of one individual have been deemed inappropriate for a regional group by several other group members. This is a matter of opinion, of what is appropriate or inappropriate, where to draw the line.
I firmly believe that free speech must be protected on the internet and that as long as someone isn't being mean or making other people uncomfortable intentionally, then that someone should have the freedom to say whatever they want. If you want to put a book review or a poem or something about your new faith in Christ in my group then that's fine, poor message board etiquette but fine.
If someone in the Houston group makes you uncomfortable, tell them so, or just ignore them. Consider this: at the state level (in Texas at least), you can not make sexual harassment claims against another individual unless you have confronted them about the behavior that makes you uncomfortable and they continue doing it. I am not making this up, I get tested on it every year, and it makes a lot of sense. What is appropriate and in appropriate is a matter of opinion, and you have to keep in mind that someone may not even realize they rub you the wrong way unless you tell them about it. Same goes for the Houston group. I'm not a mom or dad or schoolteacher or guidance counselor or whatever, so I'm not going to go stick up for you until you start sticking up for yourself.
As for the photography issue, it's all spelled out pretty plainly here. A lot of people have been posting that last clause and interpreting it as meaning "offering to take pictures for someone is soliciting, and therefore wrong." I don't see anything of the sort in there. In fact, it quite clearly sates that if you can't get a staff photographer, you "can also try finding a photographer on Model Mayhem, MySpace, or on the SG site" and then brings up a lot of valid points about using common sense and checking references and being cautious in general. If you post in my group asking for local photographers, I'm not going to stop people from responding to you, and I don't see anything about it being against site rules. I think the model faq sums it up nicely with:
"Anyone that we recommend directly will be completely legit, but that doesn't mean that all of the people volunteering to take pics in the Good Photographers thread, or the person you meet at a member gathering or on a model resource site is going to be. Use common sense and always err on the side of caution."
There are a lot of issues at play here. Censorship is not the answer, nor is intolerance. Telling people what they can and can't say has been tried many times before, and it never works out well. People are going to have to accept that in a city this size you will run across the occasional person who is openly sexual, or openly Christian, or openly Pagan, or openly homosexual. If you have a problem with someone you should talk to them about it or just ignore them and get over it.
I will continue to support the freedom of expression even if that expression is distasteful and contrary to my own opinions or the opinions of the majority.
-SK-
It is your responsibility as a group owner to keep your group in a comfortable environment. And if you are not doing that with a majority of your members you are not living up to your responsibility.
You could be putting people at risk.
And that is negligent on your part.
In the regional groups I am apart of, there is no solicitation of any kind - and quite frankly NYC has a lot of different beliefs as well. However, in the end behavior is not appropriate, and really you are just causing the death of your regional group because no one will want to come out to events.
I appreciate you want to offer people freedom of speech. However, there are better places and many places on this site to do that. Beginning with your blog, other sexual groups, sg photog hopefuls, fetish photography, and the boards.
I just hope you take this into consideration and maybe even pose the question to other regional group owners as to what they think of the situation.
It is your responsibility as a group owner to keep your group in a comfortable environment. And if you are not doing that with a majority of your members you are not living up to your responsibility.
He is doing that with the majority. This problem just deals with a couple people who feel weired out by one person. And I don't think that's his resposibility anyway. If people want to be all sensitive and miss out on a cool event that's their problem.
If they have a problem with a member, the least they can do is mention it to that member, because Frank didn't see his comments as creepy and honestly, neither do I.
In the regional groups I am apart of, there is no solicitation of any kind
He wasn't soliciting. They asked for a photographer, he just offered himself as a possibility in their thread. Which they seemed greatfull for in later comments.