Anyone know what's going on with MSN groups?

[mlle de carabas]

I just tried looking up an IS group I used to be on in MSN Groups, and when I put "intersex" in the search bar at groups.msn.com I got " Unable to complete
The group description you entered cannot be used. Please enter an alternate description." I was able to find results under "transgender" but not "intersex" or "transsexual." I was wondering whether anyone knew whether this is a glitch on MSN's part, or whether something like what happened in 2002 where you hot a "we can't look this up because it might be adult content" when looking up those terms on MSN.com? I''ve been able to look up "transsexual" and "intersex" on MSN.com but not groups.msn.com. Any ideas, anyone?
"

[Dana Gold]

Try not using any term/word with sex in it.

[mlle de carabas]

Originally posted by Dana Gold
Try not using any term/word with sex in it.

that's not a realisitc solution, as transsexuals and intersex people will be looking for info and resources under those words. In fact, the first incident with MSN generated similar "just don't type sex" replies. What was going on was that MSN would not reset their anti-porn filters to allow lookinmg up non-porn TS or IS stuff. It took a mont or two of campaigning by a coalition to change it. I'm trying to find out how to get in touch with MSN to find out what the actual situation is before assuming that the same thing is happeneing now.

[Sofie]

Have you tried looking them up on Google?

[Betsy]

I avoid all listserv groups but found this contact information for you: http://groups.msn.com/contact

Betsy

[mlle de carabas]

Thanks, I wrote them, if they do not reply or reply in a hostile manner, I will do what people did in 2002, which would be sic TG and IS groups on em. I myself don't depend on listservs but when I'm trying to fiigre out what I'm still subscribed to and they won't let me do thst and that may be cause they got a problem with IS ffolks and TS folks, then I'm not sitting for that.

[Betsy]

Cynthya, if you push the ball into a rolling state and discover the issues are related to out and out censorship, you know you will have the support of Bodies Like Ours. I am just too unfamiliar with the listserv enviroment to do it without guidance.

Betsy

[mlle de carabas]

Betsy, I never doubted that I have your support, I doubted that there'd be any way to prove MSN has issues with folks like us rather than a simple glitch, here is their reply to my email thru the link you posted, to me it seems more like discrimination, even if they don't intend it, let me know what you think--Cynthya

From: "MSN Groups Customer Support" <msngroups_us@<hidden>> Add to Address Book
To: barbieboy001@<hidden>
Subject: CST164980724ID - RE:Comment or suggestion
Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2004 05:20:09 -0700



Hello Cynthya,


Thank you for writing to us and providing MSN Groups with the opportunity to be of service to you.

I understand that you are being told that you cannot look for any groups regarding these issues when you tried to use these keywords. I know how inconvenient this can be.

In order to provide an environment that is clean and safe for everyone to enjoy, we have added a very thorough profanity filter, which may have been triggered by language you were using. We suggest you rephrase your search question.

Should you have other concerns regarding MSN Groups, please feel free to write again. We will be more than happy to assist you.


Sincerely,

Mae
MSN Groups Customer Support

MSN Groups has comprehensive online help available to you. For more information about features, functions, and issues, click the Help link at the top of any Groups page along with Home and My Groups.

[Betsy]

If we don't talk about sex, then surely it means it doesn't exist, right?

I'll write them a note in the next few days.

Betsy

[miriam]

Hmm, let me see if I can destroy this evil world:

sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex sex ...............

Heck, nothing happened, the spell doesn't work...

Groeten, Miriam

PS. The Dutch version of MSN has no filters, I can use words like intersex, sex and even four letter words when I use this link:

http://partners.search.msn.nl/partner.asp?q=intersex&CO=50&RS=CHECKED&qap=&FORM=CONLNL&dom=groups.msn.com&cfg=CONLNL&ba=0&v=1&lng=


UPDATE
Quite a few links in the search result will give this message:

This Group is Unavailable
This group has been disabled for administrative purposes.

????????????????????????

[mlle de carabas]

As you know, MSN has told me that intersex is a “profanity” word. They sent me this survey yesterday.
I would like to know if they've in any way either apologised or at least fixed the problem?

From: "Microsoft Customer Support" <msft-pss@<hidden>> Add to Address Book
To: barbieboy001@<hidden>
CC:
Date: Sun, 20 Jun 2004 09:27:44 -0700
Subject: Microsoft Customer Satisfaction Survey

***Please do not reply back to this message***

How did we do? What did we do well? Is there anything we need to
improve on?

The MSN Groups Customer Support Team would like to hear how satisfied
you were with your most recent support experience. We’d appreciate you
taking a few minutes to click on our Customer Service Survey link below
and let us know what we did well and where we can improve. Your
feedback will help us provide outstanding customer service and improve your
experience!

Customer Service Survey:
http://is4.instantsurvey.com/take?i=50346&r=8119284&h=x8Cs2ARDmTT7QRuLyziFCw
Click here to give us your feedback.

NOTE: If you have received this survey invitation, MSN customer
support has responded to your request. In the event you have not received a
response please re-check all your email inboxes as well as your junk
mail filter settings. These settings may have prevented you from seeing
our response.

This survey was sent on behalf of the Microsoft Corporation by
NetReflector.com in response to a MSN Groups customer support incident.

To unsubscribe from future surveys click here:
http://is4.instantsurvey.com/block?r=8119284&h=ssejUj3jNIT2EyzsPBlBPw

[mlle de carabas]

In case there's any way it wasn't made clear, this is my original letter to MSN and was in their reply to me, but somehow was cut off when I pasted it here so I am posting it here:
--- Original Message ---
From: barbieboy001@<hidden>
To: msngroups_us@<hidden>
Sent: Thu Jun 17 12:52:48 PDT 2004
Subject: Comment or suggestion


First Name: Cynthya
Last Name: BrianKate
E-mail address: barbieboy001@<hidden>
Web Page Cited: griyos.msn.com overall

Remarks:
When I try looking up MSN Groups for intersex people, as well as for transsexual people, I am told I can’t look up any groups on these issues. I would like to know why I can’t do this, as I know for a fact that there are MSN Groups for TS and IS people, as I am and have been a member of several. I would like to know if this is an accidental glitch, or if MSN has a policy against transsexuals and intersex people?

[mlle de carabas]

I've written this up about all the MSN stuff, and have been sending it out. This includes **MSN's contact info** if you want to **let them know how you feel** about their policies on intersex email list access.--thanks, Cynthya

MSN (MicroSoft Network) is discriminating against transsexual and intersex people again. If you go to groups.msn.com and search for email lists under the words ‘’intersex’’ or ‘’transsexual’’ you will be blocked from doing so, with a message stating ‘’Unable to complete: The group description you entered cannot be used. Please enter an alternate description.’’

When I contacted MSN customer service regarding this policy, a customer representative, ‘’Mae,’’ said, ‘’In order to provide an environment that is clean and safe for everyone to enjoy, we have added a very thorough profanity filter, which may have been triggered by language you were using. We suggest you rephrase your search question.’’

When I contacted them again to clarify whether this was indeed their policy regarding transsexuals and intersex people, another representative, ‘’Blas,’’ said, ‘’I understand that you are unable use some adult terms when doing search on MSN Groups and I apologize for this inconvenience. In order to provide an environment that is clean and safe for everyone to enjoy, we have added a very thorough profanity filter which may have been triggered by language you were using. We suggest you rephrase your search question.’’
This is not the first time MSN has discriminated against transsexual and intersex people.
In 2002, MSN.com blocked searches for any information using the word ‘’transsexual.’’ Users were told, ‘’we cannot search for the following term because it may return adult content. Click here for more information’’ but when they clicked the link were sent to the commercial porn search site nightsurf.com. Their UK branch, MSN.co.uk, blocked searches on any information regarding the word ‘’intersex.’’

A coalition of transgender and allied groups pressured MSN until the policies were quietly rescinded.
MSN is up to their old tricks and we need to stop them again. Transsexual and intersex individuals and groups, and allied individuals and groups, need to pressure MSN to change this policy.
MSN's customer service email is: msngroups_us@<hidden>. Their mailing address is: Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052-6399. Their public relations contact information is available on their website at: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.asp. Their main switchboard number is: (425) 882-8080.

[Dana Gold]

Unfortunately, even though they are indeed discriminatory, MSN (and perhaps others) do have one valid point:

Most all Search entries of intersex, transsexual, and "hermaphrodite" DO return a huge amount of porno. The porno industry seems to thrive on the marketable notion that intersex and transex are a form of bizarre sexuality which, ironically and paradoxically, are relished and practiced by the same people who categorize it as deviant......i.e. : active "participants" and the distributors (example: "men" who would "f**k" a TS (erroneously depicted in a lot of porn sh*t as intersexed) or IS person, but would never consider an honest relationship with such a "creature"). It would seem to me that many "normal" people have a twisted medical and/or sexual fascination with body and/or gender variant human beings, while simultaneously regarding them as abnormal and "fixable" and/or an exotic ( sometimes "humorous" as in a joke) form of sexual "entertainment". ......So, who are the real "deviants"?:confused: :mad:

[Dana Gold]

As an addendum to my previous post, I wish to add that I find it very hypocritical (of who or whatever "controls" and/or censors the Internet and its various websites) that *&%$# porn is abundant and "allowed", while many discussions and support grps with -sexual endings and talk of sexuality are not or end up with the usual dead-end pop-ups. It denies bona fide support to many seeking such and is a blockage of free speech.

I think sometimes that it is deliberately done in order to "stem the tide" of what such "controllers" deem to be "unclean and unwholesome" ( i.e any -non-normal "sexuals" )............and I don't think I am being presumptuous and/or alarmist about that observation.

Anyway,

:rolleyes: