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The Plural Association (TPA) and associated projects are committed to anti-racism and acknowledging the global intersectional impacts of white supremacy. We are also committed to restorative justice models as a way to deepen community, learning and connection. We are a worldwide community of many different forms of survivors and we seek to build each other up and strengthen connections whenever we can.
We believe that since these issues are systemic, we are all affected and have internalized many of these problematic narratives. We also believe the path towards change is to not replicate the methods frequently utilized by oppressive and domineering forces which favor punishment, shaming and ostracization as strategies for change.
The Plural Association, believes in “calling in” rather than “calling out”, and that positive change is always possible and should be encouraged. We extend grace to those who stumble as that will be any one of us at various times in our lives. We are all on a continual path of learning.
In light of this, The Plural Association would like to address 9 points that have been highlighted by the community as areas requested for discussion from The Plural Association.
1. TPA Volunteers and volunteer behavior:
The volunteers who support and work with TPA are their own people. In order to comply with Dutch labor laws, we do not monitor their social media, nor any part of their personal lives. Because TPA is headquartered in The Netherlands, our volunteers are protected under Dutch labor laws which do not allow ‘’at will employment’’ even for those with a volunteer status. Our approach remains focused on resolution through dialogue and education, rather than resorting to legal action. Termination of a volunteer’s role is a last resort under Dutch law, which strongly protects the rights of employees and volunteers, including freedom of speech. All of our volunteers have a history of personal lived experienced with Plurality and most are disabled and/or traumatized peoples. We couldn’t exist as an organization without their support, and we respect their right to their opinions and privacy. We do not aim for perfection, but for a willingness to grow and learn, and we will continue to provide collective education and training to all our volunteers.
To clarify further, individual social media accounts managed by TPA volunteers are independent and not affiliated with or representative of TPA’s official stance. To reduce confusion, The Refractory now has a dedicated Twitter account.
Following discussions about problematic statements made on social media, a few volunteers directly involved in these incidents, have voluntarily chosen to step back from their roles at TPA.
2. Concerns around The self hypnosis video:
We acknowledge the concerns around a video on self-hypnosis shared recently. Although its creation predates TPA’s founding and was presented with disclaimers throughout the video, we understand that it was problematic for certain systems, therefore it has been taken down.
Over the years, and also in this video, we have clearly stated, when applicable, that (most) content on the channel(s) was not created by doctors or clinicians, and that the information that has been shared is based on what has been helpful in relation to personal lived experiences. We believe that necessary safety precautions were taken, as, before this video went live, the video was evaluated by a clinician with lived experience DID Survivor, who has extensive knowledge about RA/MC issues. It received great feedback with hundreds of likes, and only 11 dislikes. It greatly saddens us to hear that some Systems have had a bad experience with this video, and Stronghold personally extends a heartfelt apology for any unintentional harm caused. PPWC has professionalized in these last few years and now has submission standards which includes a list of trigger warnings and safety information at the start of all videos. This is something that we hope will help to ensure more safety for all moving forward.
3. Concerns around payment for TPA contributions:
TPA follows the following principle for event speakers: We do not pay presenters for PPWC, and when we invite a speaker for a paid event and they can invoice us, we pay them, but when a speaker signs up themselves, they volunteer. This is clearly communicated in the application process. Of the 4 invited and paid speakers, 2 were Systems of Color. TPA has consistently compensated all guest authors for their contributions to the Power to the Plurals website equally. The only instance where an author was not paid was a voluntary submission before TPA became a nonprofit, in 2019 and in some instances like in 2022 where another volunteer requested to waive payment for a DID Awareness Day talk. Our volunteers are invaluable to the function and progress of the TPA. We support our community organizers by providing software and promotion for volunteer-led initiatives. We believe that this has been communicated clearly to all TPA participants. We, currently, do not compensate any of our volunteers or members for community organizing, for facilitating Plural meetups, online Plural communities, or activities related to the moderation of Plural chats.
4. Transparency concerns regarding donations and financial reporting:
Though it is not required by law, in the interests of transparency, we will release annual reports for each year TPA has existed as a nonprofit. We are preparing these reports now and expect to release them in 2024. TPA is not registered in a way that permits us to conceal our finances. In the USA nonprofits who make less than $50K do not have to release financial reports for their organization. It is the same for our Dutch based nonprofit.
5. TPA Website and Auto-links:
There has been some concern that our platform auto-hyperlinks certain words to provide context, information or definitions. TPA will gladly remove any hyperlinks from specific articles upon request by its author(s).
6. TPA articles based on personal opinion:
Power to the Plurals (PTTP) is a peer blog website founded in 2017, focusing on Plurality. It features over 75 articles based on lived experiences, including some that are highly opinionated. PTTP offers a variety of written content, including stories, tips, and experiences related to Plurality. It does not, nor does it claim to be, a research or clinical website (though research and clinical material may be included) . These materials will be appropriately highlighted and explicitly labeled within PTTP.
7. TPA Public stances on current public events:
It has been highlighted that TPA does not regularly display public stances on social media on current issues relevant to dissociative disorders that influence plurality or other world events such as war, genocide, and occupation. Within our small social media community, it tends to feel performative to post our opinions. As an international community, we recognize our members have a range of individual opinions and it is not our place to speak collectively for them. Our mission is the empowerment of Plurals in the midst of these events on a personal and global scale. We can support others who act as humanitarian voices for these tragic circumstances that surround our daily lives, but this is not our main function as an organization. Articles written by Plurals addressing the impacts of these events from a Plural viewpoint are welcome and can be considered for publication on the PTTP site.
8. Addressing and providing dignity to complaints. Particularly complaints from systems with marginalized backgrounds:
Complaints that have been recently brought to the TPA’s attention have not taken place at TPA functions, meetings, within TPA community spaces, or during work volunteers have collectively been managing for TPA. TPA cannot manage the personal behavior of its members, nor is that our place. Every volunteer is entitled to their own opinions whether or not we agree with them. Every volunteer is allowed to have their own private social media accounts and opinions, even if these do not reflect the values of TPA as an organization. TPA works with our volunteers to support continuous education. We support all of our members to grow and to change. When it enters an area where we feel a person or overall community safety may be at risk we will take action, as when we recently suspended a member over inappropriate racist actions and comments, inside our community. After this situation was resolved, we asked for feedback from the involved parties. They were happy with the outcome of the situation and how our team responded. We are currently providing free access to various learning materials, lectures and training on a variety of intersectional issues related to anti-racism. We are currently looking at options to include more materials to educate on ableism, sexism and gender.
9. A promised Plural Warmline:
Opening any kind of public warmline is a truly major endeavor. TPA is a fully community funded organization. We chose this on purpose to ensure we stay fully Plural-led and aren’t influenced by the Nonprofit Industrial Complex in how Plurals receive support and community. All past donations can be accounted for when we release our financial reports. As we have progressed with this project, many community members have strongly voiced that they want to ensure this new Plural Warmline only opens once there are appropriate professional staff who can assist in overseeing it in order to guarantee the safety of both our volunteers and the safety of those who will be using this line as support. In order to fulfill this request, we must look at hiring a small number of therapists with crisis management skills as staff to train and to support the volunteers who will be answering the lines as well as managing texts. We understand and respect this request by the community, and in order to meet this new goal we have found that we will need more funds before we can safely open a fully operational warmline. In the meantime, we provide community, events and scholarships.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, The Plural Association remains steadfast in our dedication to create an empowering, supportive, inclusive, and respectful environment for all our members and volunteers. We understand the importance of continuous learning and adaptation, especially in a world that is constantly evolving. Our commitment to the principles of restorative justice, anti-racism, and community empowerment guides every decision we make and action we take. We thank our community and volunteers for their invaluable feedback and assure you that it is both heard and deeply appreciated. Moving forward, TPA will continue to engage in open dialogue, pursue educational opportunities as well as foster an environment where every voice is valued and every member can thrive. Together, we will continue to grow more connected and more resilient, while upholding our core values. Together we are stronger! Together we empower more Plurals! Thank you for your support and for being an integral part of this journey.
Addendum:
To provide clarity and context, this addendum includes a personal apology from Katie Keech. As this apology addresses concerns raised about statements made on their personal social media profile, which is not affiliated with The Plural Association (TPA), it is appropriate to present this separately. This distinction underscores our respect for the individuality and personal accountability of our volunteers.
‘’Katie Keech feels strongly that forms of oppression are important to examine from an intersectional perspective and also acknowledges the impact of comparing perceived ableism with racism did not have the impact they intended and was upsetting for Systems. They apologize for this impact as well as the fumble on language that was intended to highlight the silence that many white individuals take when asked to enter into conversations around racial oppression which read in an unintended and yet offending manner even as they sought to immediately correct the unfortunate wording.
Katie regularly works with anti-racist consultants and is aware of the complications surrounding internalizing colonialist narratives as well as the long term nature of this work in community and with self.’’ – Katie keech.
