J. PUBLICATIONS
J.8. Use of Pseudonyms/Anonymity by Authors
The RC Community will not provide lists of any kind or provide other opportunities through which Co-Counselors might be identified for oppressive or malicious purposes.[137] When writing in RC communications[138], Co-Counselors whose writing reveals information that could put them in danger will write anonymously, including by using pseudonyms. This way, the RC Community does not risk colluding with oppression.
Some Co-Counselors are required either to use pseudonyms or to have their writing made anonymous. This requirement applies to Co-Counselors who in their writing identify in the following categories and who live in countries whose legal system permits persecution of members of the groups below. As societies collapse, repressive laws are being passed that target additional groups or remove rights previously granted.
- Political activists or organizers in volatile (rapidly or unpredictably changing) situations
- Immigrants without legal status
- Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, gender non-conforming, and non-binary (LGBTQ+) people
- Others who are targets of political repression or made vulnerable by their legal system
Additional groups may be added to this Guideline as determined by the IRP in consultation with the relevant ILRP(s), ICRP(s), and/or RRP(s).
Members of the RC Community shall not disclose the identity of anyone using a pseudonym or writing anonymously.
Any individuals who believe they might be targeted because of an identification (mistaken or otherwise) should consult with their Reference Person and have their writings made anonymous in RC communications, including by using a pseudonym.
Co-Counselors in the groups listed above, who have already made a decision to be visible outside of RC and who live in countries where persecution of members of such groups is prohibited by law, are encouraged to have sessions about how they wish to identify in RC publications and decide how they want to identify in RC publications in consultation with a Reference Person.
Apart from in our RC communications, we neither discourage nor encourage self-identification or visible leadership either inside or outside of RC. It remains an individual decision.
REASON
We are committed to the liberation of all people. We seek to make each constituency’s best thinking available to the entire RC Community. This is also true when a constituency is currently or potentially the target of oppression.
We want to ensure that the RC Community does not collude with oppression. This Guideline aims to protect the Re-evaluation Counseling Community and individual Co-Counselors who use RC communications from being targeted by oppression or malicious activity. (The blaming, scapegoating, and otherwise targeting of activists and oppressed groups distract people from the failures of the social and economic systems around us.)
We cannot control where and to whom our communications are distributed. Therefore, it makes sense to protect writers’ anonymity as we make their thinking available to the RC Community.
Creating social media or email accounts with a pseudonym identity is discouraged. When we create these accounts on the Internet, it connects our real identities with the pseudonym identities. This information will be available to companies and governments. For that reason, members of some groups should have their writings made anonymous[139] by Community leadership when writing for RC email lists and publications.
It is impossible to guarantee that using a pseudonym or writing anonymously will keep an identity secure. But by following this policy we seek to lower the risks of exposure.
As an example, at the time of this writing there are still 69 countries worldwide where it is illegal to be LGBTQ+. Increasing numbers of individuals globally are at risk for their political activism. Many people experience pressures to identify or not to identify. It is important to counsel on these pressures in order to think well about identifying as a member of a group currently or potentially targeted by oppression.
[137] Class and workshop rosters should not be shared outside the RC Community and should be destroyed or encrypted as required in Guideline K. Internet Safety.
[138] RC communications include our journals, email lists, the RC websites, and other RC resources.
[139] We can achieve anonymity on RC email lists by sending our posting to the person in charge of the list. Then that person forwards the posting to the list administrator, hansen@rc.org, who can post it anonymously.