Today I saw the changes that Ravelry made to their site over the weekend. As I opened their front page I saw the rainbow flag next to their name. Then I read the paragraph:

“We are banning support of Donald Trump and his administration on Ravelry. We cannot provide a space that is inclusive of all and also allow support for open white supremacy. Support of the Trump administration is unambiguously support for white supremacy. “ (Taken from the Ravelry website.)

What?? I support my country, and whomever is in office, whether I “like” the person or not, but to do so means (in the eyes of Ravelry) that I am a bigot and hater of blacks and pretty much everyone who is not white?

AND, just below this paragraph is one addressing specifically the LGBTQIA+ community. I’ll be honest, I’ve lost track of what all those letters stand for, but Ravelry wants them all to know that they love and support them. Yes, they are lumped together as people to love…. Trump supporters are lumped together as no good and banned. See a problem with this way of thinking?

FYI Ravelry, this is a hateful thing to say.

At least I know where I stand.

I went on to view some postings at Twitter and other places about that notice at Ravelry, and not surprisingly the Trump-haters were pleased as punch. Some were even considering taking up knitting because they loved Ravelry so much for the statement! For me, its just another fun place to hang out online that has become intolerant of anyone who does not believe like they do. (And I bet I pretty much do believe like they do except for the mass hating of a specific group of people.)

Pointing the finger when you need to look in the mirror. What’s new? This type of thing has become so tiring.

I’ve only recently become a member of the largest knitting and crafting website out there, and honestly I am still finding my way around Ravelry. But I’ve liked (until now) what I’ve seen. I’ve been building my FO’s (finished objects) section, finding and saving favorite knitting patterns from around the web, and learning from KAL (knit-alongs), forums, and others who love knitting as much as I do. Sharing photos about my projects as they progress has been fun.

I’ve never seen hate speech on the sight, and everyone seems to be friendly and helpful. But apparently a seething hatred has been building towards a group of people, of which I am a part.

I’d Love to Close My Account, But

They apparently don’t want any of us who support the leaders of America. We are ALL racists if we support our President. Removing and banning all political statements / designs from the site would have been fair, but this is not about fair. This is the typical hate message of the left, and phew… finally they got it out there!

The pattern designers are one big reason I am hesitant about closing my Ravelry account. They design and sell on Ravelry, and without the site, it will be difficult for me to find new patterns and pattern support. A lot of people who would like to make an exit from the site may feel like there is no place better to go, because presently there isn’t, as far as I know. That could change soon.

I also have a lot of links on my blog posts that go to my Ravelry pages. I don’t want to lose those links, but I do plan to remove some. Links to Ravelry helps them, and I will not do that from now on.

My Support of Ravelry is Gone

I’ve been working online since 2007, and I know a thing or two about promoting myself and others, but I will no longer promote Ravelry in any way. I will not Tweet them, Pin them, FB them, share them on Instagram, or (after today) blog about them. Yup, they are quaking in their boots over that! I am one, but I know I am not alone.

This does not include the designers, unless I see hateful posts from them individually, or see that they support Ravelry’s decision to exclude a big part of the membership (don’t know for sure, but I bet it’s a lot) on their site by lumping us into a collection of bigots.

Beware yarn-dyers / sellers and pattern designers, do not go down this road. It would be a mistake. I believe Ravelry may be sorry.