I was using Sync for years and years. This month, I deleted all my Reddit accounts. That was a well polished app and I’ll definitely miss it, but I’m not really missing Reddit itself.

I’m embarrassed to admit how long it took me to find the search function in Jerboa. I almost never click the communities list tab so I never noticed it had the search.

Oh geez. Twitter is such a nightmare. I had to quit last year when things started getting bad. I haven’t dipped my toes in Mastodon. Has your experience been much more positive? I’m scared I’ll end up stuck in a bad server!

The worst of it, by far, is of course the front page. But some of the subs I can think of off the top of my head where I encountered trans or homophobia are r/Science and even r/Pathfinder2e (if you know anything about the Pathfinder universe, this might seem mind boggling). There was pro LGBTQ+ support in many of these subreddits, but there was always a comment or a debate or whatever in every queer related thread.

The subreddit for the state I live in, while generally supportive, has numerous comments debating my right to exist as a queer person in most threads even vaguely LGBT related. It’s frustrating knowing I could basically only find refuge in LGBT subreddits. Everywhere else, there was always someone making a jab or starting an argument. It’s exhausting.

That’s a real relief to me. I see enough of that living in a very red town in a red state. Online communities are one of my only ways to talk to people who don’t want me gone.

I’ve only been here for a day, but the lack of homophobia and transphobia here compared to Reddit has been a breath of fresh air. I’m not afraid of posting here like I was on Reddit, where I’d actually have to debate with myself for a minute or two before posting. It’s like finally leaving a bad relationship; now I’m starting to see how bad that all was for my mental health.