Laura's Playground Is Not Closing (update)

[Guest]

I have decided to close the site.  THis is a direct result from August's fraud.   My hard work and dedication is not at all appreciated as is eveident by posts to august.  When a fraud's word is taken over mine I have no business running this site.  To the handfull who remained loyal I thank you.  I am erasing all copies of the site and the forums and chat will cease to exist.  My decision is irrevocable.  May be August can do my job better.  I'm sure you all think so.

Goodbye

Laura

[Guest Sophie]

Laura, I beg you to really reconsider this. Honestly this site means a whole lot to me, I've gotten most of my help and information here since I found this site. I've had the opportunity to meet many great people who do not deserve this. But most importantly, its not about me or us, but its about the people who just found this wonderful site or haven't had the opportunity to, they were where I was 2 years ago, and where I am now, I could not have reached with the help I got from this site. I think it is saddening to think that those who need this site the most will never find it, because it is shut down.

-Sophie

[Guest Zenda]

Kia Ora Laura,

Are you really going to let August win or has he already won?

Metta Jendar

[Cathy]

I have decided to close the site.  THis is a direct result from August's fraud.   My hard work and dedication is not at all appreciated as is eveident by posts to august.  When a fraud's word is taken over mine I have no business running this site.  To the handfull who remained loyal I thank you.  I am erasing all copies of the site and the forums and chat will cease to exist.  My decision is irrevocable.  May be August can do my job better.  I'm sure you all think so.

Goodbye

Laura

Please reconsider I have only be coming for 4-5 weeks but I have seen and felt within myself the good that this site and most of the members have within them. Don't give in to the treachery While we have never talked in person I beg you to reconsider.

Love Cathie

[Guest anyushka]

Laura, This site is TRULY important. This site is the ONLY forum and chat I have found for Significant Others. You have been a role model of acceptance for Everyone in this community. Don't give up now. This site has come too far and meant too much to so many peple

anyushka

[Guest justin]

laura

i know i dont come in as much as i used to and im not very active on the forums but this site is very important to me. this is the first place that showed me that im not alone in this and that im not some freak who doesnt deserve friendship and acceptance. i was living in a large city and felt alone i can only imagine what people in rural areas feel. this site needs to be here for those who are just coming to terms with this and those who have yet to realize that they are trans,cd, andro or whatever and need that sense of community. please for their sakes dont close the site.

justin

[Guest Darrel]

PSSH! You're gonna let some idiot bring down your hard work and dedication, are you? He's one idiot; we're a larger community. One shouldn't ruin it for all! We love this site, Laura.

If he has to poke fun at an internet site to get his kicks...WOW what a loser. If only we knew where he lived...we'd make it up to you, Laura. Or I certainly would. >3

Please, though. Don't uproot this home and community. :/

[Guest GoldenKirbichu]

Hey, Laura. I'm really sorry to hear about this. But before you make any hasty decisions, read this thread carefully.

Unfortunately, popular places like your site, which deal with important issues, can easily be manipulated by conniving people.

This is not a failure on your part. We treated the information as genuine and it was proved to be otherwise. How can we blame this on you? We didn't anticipate it any more than you did.

Just because one person has abused this site doesn't mean you're not fit to run it. Who else could take your place? I sincerely doubt that anyone here is capable, especially not a fraud who has nothing better to do than trick people to get more money for his songs.

You are a strong woman for getting this far in life. Why let another stupid person bring you down?

This place is important. Many people rely on it for mental health and security - don't take it away from them.

We need this website. We need you. We DON'T need people like August, no matter what you might be thinking.

Don't leave.

[Guest SharleahLynn]

Laura,

Lets not let a moron be a downfall. That would make him a winner and us the loser. To me , that is not acceptable

We are not losers. Losing is not an option for us. Peace , Love , and Respect ....... SharleahLynn

[Monica_Jennifer]

You told us a moderator of forums allowed in August after he was banned .. let that moderator feel the heat a while rather than your site .. as to that moderator if I were you realizing that the site might go down for this action .. I would resign.

My apologies to everyone as I was wrong.  I totally misunderstood Augusts post and the replies because I did not see the date it was started.  It was an old post I read as a new one after I exposed August.  He was not let back in and I made a terrible mistake in accussing a moderator and I have made my apologies.  I wrongly assumed he was getting support and I was not.  The fact is the post really shows how we support people here. It is a plus not a minus.  August was loved here so it is his loss, not ours.

My work here is a labor of love in every word I have ever written on this site.  It's what drives me as I deeply care for every user and staff member here.  When that drive gets broken I dispair and I don't feel like doing much of anything.  It's a kink in my armor.  Most of the time I avoid the depression but this time I did not.

I get over a thousand emails a day.  Most of them are help or advice requests.  A few are complaints.  It is very rare that I get a compliment about me or my site.  This is despite dedicating every waking moment and a lot of my own money to this site.  It wears me down sometimes because I get no feedback to tell me if what I do is working or not.  Therefore it is overwhelming to me to see the outpouring of support you have given me in this thread.  Thanks to you all.  I am just not used to it.  It was getting hard to know if I was really making a difference here.  You have shown me that I do.

This site will stay open.  I apologize for my angry outburst.  Thanks for your support.

Love and hugs

Laura

[Darien James]

Laura, please don't close the site. Your site is all we have.

DarienJames

[Guest matthew41]

Laura,

When I found your site last summer, I was impressed to say the least. Your hard work and dedication has helped immeasurable numbers of people. I have seen the counter at the bottom of the page go up by 100,000 hits for each of the last three months and by New Years I wouldn't be surprised to see it go over 4 million. The variety of information covering everyone under the trangender umbrella shows that we all belong here no matter how we identify. Your site by far was the best all inclusive site I had found. When I joined the forums and shortly there after you asked me to become a moderator I was honored. When I started looking for support years ago when I started my transition, there was very little on the Internet. I couldn't find a mentor to help me through the process. You gave me the opportunity to give support to others who are just starting out. I don't know how I can continue to do this without your site. No one can replace you, or this site. The members here will be hard pressed to find another one with with this level of peer and moderator support.

Mat

[Guest Madison_Always]

plz laura dont do it honestly if this site closes i dont know what ill do

[Zufrieden]

Dear Laura:

I think that you are losing perspective how much good the forums and chats have done for so many people.

They have found a home where they can be themselves. They have found people who can accept them.

Yes, you have dedicated your life to The Playground, but a lot of other people have devoted much time to its forums and members.

It's unfair to let the August fiasco hurt your pride to the point of making you do an irrational act.

Yes, we were all yanked around, but in the end, soberly, what damage was done?

It has just demonstrated that we are quick to believe somebody and accept them.

Even though this attitude has its drawback occasionaly I hope that we all wwll not be hardened by this.

Keep the Playground going, people need it.

Z.

[Guest Lethalia]

Dear Laura,

My name is Isabella Lethalia Innocenzi. It has been so most of my life. I have been to Hell and back many times over. And for the past year, I have been trying to keep my head above water. I am just going to state plainly that I was going to kill myself before I found your site. In my introduction, I said, "But I feel I am in the last of my days." At the time, I meant to kill myself. I also said, "Perhaps there is something I might be able to pass on to someone else… something that might help. Perhaps not." I wasn't looking for someone to help me. I wasn't looking for a place to leave a suicide note. I just wanted to pass something on that might help another person… and then leave. But I stayed a little. Then I started to post a little. And a little more. Doubtless I have had a hard time. But were it not for your site and some of the members here, I wouldn't be alive to be writing this message. I'm not saying everything is all roses. But I'm here. I am hoping that is something. There are others here I so worry for. I cannot go out and work, so I have all the free time in the world. Perhaps there is something for which I could volunteer… if you would allow. Please don't close this site.

As for August. I did not know him. His supposed death upset me greatly. I do not deal well with death… at all. It is impossible to shelter someone from all the world. And even harder to shelter hundreds, scattered all over the world. So what's harder than impossible? So how did you do it? How were you able to provide shelter for so many, in such need, in so many places? And I'm not even going to mention the guests that flood the site every day. However you were able to do it, I know that you gave one girl another chance when she needed it the most. Thank you, Laura. OXO.

What August did was so uncaring as to be malicious. And he is a petty little fool.

"I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: 'O, Lord, make my enemies ridiculous.' And God granted it." (Voltaire)

Asking you to reconsider…

Isabella Lethalia Innocenzi

.

[Guest Mani]

Laura,

This site is badly needed, very much so. This site keeps the admirers out, it is a home to the people in our community that do not have another chat/forums available, like androgynes. It is welcoming to SO's. It has crisis rooms in the chat. There is a whole list of all the wonderful things that are only really available here.

I have been coming to this site for a long time now, since the end of 2005. This was the only site that I was able to talk to FtM's, the other chat rooms were all MtF's. While there have been a few breaks and changing my name since I first arrived, I alway come back. The chat room was where I met Phoenix. She is always grateful for everything you have done, like she says whenever she has a chance to speak with you. You were the only chatowner that ever bothered to answer her emails. If the chat room wasn't around then she probably wouldn't be here today. And I am sure that there are many others that are in the same situation. While we cannot log on as much as we want because of our internet situation, we still need this site, we still want this site to be here.

This hasn't been the first time you have threated to close the site down. But did you actually close it down those times? No! You kept going, you kept the playground alive. If you think that you can not handle it this time, please give over the site to VP and/or supervisior that you trust instead of closing our online home.

~Mani

[Guest Sergei]

Laura, you can't close this website.

I suffered alone for so many years with my problems, then I found this place, and met so many wonderful people like myself. I've made some great friends through this website that I wouldn't have otherwise made. In life there are always going to be the idiots who think it's funny to do stuff like August did. But forget them, we're better than letting that bother us.

Laura you're a hero to so many people here, and you have a great deal of respect. Please reconsider your decision.

[Guest]

You told us a moderator of forums allowed in August after he was banned .. let that moderator feel the heat a while rather than your site .. as to that moderator if I were you realizing that the site might go down for this action .. I would resign.

My apologies to everyone as I was wrong.  I totally misunderstood Augusts post and the replies because I did not see the date it was started.  It was an old post I read as a new one after I exposed August.  He was not let back in and I made a terrible mistake in accussing a moderator and I have made my apologies.  I wrongly assumed he was getting support and I was not.  The fact is the post really shows how we support people here. It is a plus not a minus.  August was loved here so it is his loss, not ours.

My work here is a labor of love in every word I have ever written on this site.  It's what drives me as I deeply care for every user and staff member here.  When that drive gets broken I dispair and I don't feel like doing much of anything.  It's a kink in my armor.  Most of the time I avoid the depression but this time I did not.

I get over a thousand emails a day.  Most of them are help or advice requests.  A few are complaints.  It is very rare that I get a compliment about me or my site.  This is despite dedicating every waking moment and a lot of my own money to this site.  It wears me down sometimes because I get no feedback to tell me if what I do is working or not.  Therefore it is overwhelming to me to see the outpouring of support you have given me in this thread.  Thanks to you all.  I am just not used to it.  It was getting hard to know if I was really making a difference here.  You have shown me that I do.

This site will stay open.  I apologize for my angry outburst.  Thanks for your support.

Love and hugs

Laura

ps sorry monica I messed up your post, not intentional.

[Petra Jane]

It wears me down sometimes because I get no feedback to tell me if what I do is working or not.

Trust me Laura, if it wasn't working, you'd soon get feedback! How does the saying go? No news is good news?

Laura, we need you, we need this site, the forum and the chat! You do some amazing work that most of us never even see nor suspect! How else does a site like this get put together?

I know how much work goes into a site half this size, hours and hours, day after day and as for the money it takes! Did anyone see that Tom Hanks movie from the distant past? The Money Pit? Well, that's what a site like this is, it takes money, love, blood, sweat and tears, oh yeah, and more money!

Keep on with the good works Laura, we are here for you!

[Guest karen_h]

I know more than probably anyone on this site what you go through. I deal with it a lot myself, and I hope I have reduced your load somewhat. the auigust vincident will become part of our history and in my opinion we will grow and become stronger because of it. the out pouring of support for the site proves this , and we will eventualy be the number one tg site staff and users are proving that.

[Guest Jessicatgirl]

My apologies to everyone as I was wrong. I totally misunderstood Augusts post and the replies because I did not see the date it was started. It was an old post I read as a new one after I exposed August. He was not let back in and I made a terrible mistake in accussing a moderator and I have made my apologies. I wrongly assumed he was getting support and I was not. The fact is the post really shows how we support people here. It is a plus not a minus. August was loved here so it is his loss, not ours.

My work here is a labor of love in every word I have ever written on this site. It's what drives me as I deeply care for every user and staff member here. When that drive gets broken I dispair and I don't feel like doing much of anything. It's a kink in my armor. Most of the time I avoid the depression but this time I did not.

I get over a thousand emails a day. Most of them are help or advice requests. A few are complaints. It is very rare that I get a compliment about me or my site. This is despite dedicating every waking moment and a lot of my own money to this site. It wears me down sometimes because I get no feedback to tell me if what I do is working or not. Therefore it is overwhelming to me to see the outpouring of support you have given me in this thread. Thanks to you all. I am just not used to it. It was getting hard to know if I was really making a difference here. You have shown me that I do.

This site will stay open. I apologize for my angry outburst. Thanks for your support.

Love and hugs

Laura

ps sorry monica I messed up your post, not intentional.

thank you laura for keeping the site open

[Guest angie]

Dear Laura,

This site has been a God Send to me.

I can never express my most heart felt deepest regret that this site is closing.

For the senseless malicous act of one thoughtless individual.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this site being here when i needed it the most.

I poured my heart out and have been accepted as never before in my life.

Myself and others like myself will miss an extremely important part of our lives.

It is with deepest regret that I Bid Thee Adeau Sweet Princess.

You Will Be Sorely Missed.

Thank You For Being Here For Me.

With All My Love,

Angelique Michelle Erickson

San Antonio,Texas.

11/01/07

i hope A is happy.

None of us are(sigh)

I've just read your futher post on staying on line.

I am all ready crying,so it stays.

Just to let you know how much you mean to me personally.

Thank You Beautiful Lady Thank You So Very Much.

If You Were Here,Or I There,I Would Kiss You Hard On The Lips To Show My Appreciation !!!!!!!!

Huge Humongous Hugs,

Angie.

[Guest Phoenix]

I am glad that the playground is not closing. It would have been a shame if such hard work went to waste because of a... person like August... Sorry I am not saying much more but I barely got 5 hours of sleep last night.

[Guest Jenny]

Wow did I ever miss some stuff. Glad to know everything is a okay. Would have been really sad to come back to closed dorrs.

[Guest SharleahLynn]

Ummmmmmmmmm, Newsflash people, it is my belief that this site of miraculous wonders will be here a hundred years after the universe blows up . This Safe Haven will be here just like the town we are gonna build. SharleahLynn