Good news for some and bad for others: after having this discussion with Joey and Patti, I have come to the conclusion that, for them, DeafRead will not be any “safer” if I leave. In light of all the great comments, even from those who disagree with me vehemently, I received last night in response to my “Serious Concerns,” I have decided not to withdraw my blog/vlog from DeafRead. 
(ASL translation for this blog coming soon)
I see the tide has shifted and now the victim of bashing is DeafRead. I feel that this is truly uncalled for. I know a few of DR’s editors and trust them to be working vigorously to ensure that DeafRead will be diverse and accessible for all. Granted, they might have had their flaws here and there; but, that is no reason to hold them accountable for what my fellow bloggers/vloggers have written/said.
What I have noticed about my “Ella Vlog” was that I opened the doors for a lot of anger to be released. Many of us needed that–an outlet where we all could come together and bash everyone out. As negative as that may seem, it was one of the best things that could have happened here.
My deleting that post and ALL the comments in it allows us ALL to start over, on a clean slate.
As most of you are aware, the DBC/Deafhood situation has not yet been solved but we are working towards a solution. All this would not have been possible if not for DeafRead. We have them to thank, truly.
I couldn’t help but notice that Patti and Joey Baer are saying that DR is now nothing but negative, hateful, and hurtful–I would like to mention a good quote from DianRez: “Physician, first heal thyself.” A lot of readers and commenters along with their bloggers/vloggers needed someplace to vent, to get angry, to bash, so that we all can truly start our healing process.
It’s easier to perceive the initial anger and bashing as unproductive and hateful but when in fact, it is the first step unto healing ourselves so we can see the future in a much better light. I believe it is important for us all to understand that we all are human, bound to our emotions.
I want to thank everyone who got angry and spoke their minds–this was a very important part of trying to understand and clear things up for ourselves.
DeafRead was never meant to be a “safe zone” where we all could get complimented for having uniformed perspective. DeafRead has always been, and always will be, a place where ideas, opinions, and information come together. Tayler never wanted DeafRead to be something that pleased everyone–progress never came out of trying to please everyone.
I understand how some may feel that DeafRead is now no longer a safe zone for them to express themselves. I would like to point out that once you step outside your comfort zone, there will never be a feeling of “being safe.”
What happened in the past few days was DeafRead moving outside its comfort zone and entering uncharted territory and we along with them.
They need our support now, more than ever. They were the platform where we decided to create a bonfire and we as DeafRead’s audience cannot abandon it charred and burnt by our own doing. When we added more fuel to the fire, DeafRead, as a platform, never tried to shy away from being burnt. They deserve a bit more respect than what they are getting now.
Let us not redirect our anger at DeafRead for allowing this bickering and hotly debating to happen–perhaps not in the best nor appropriate way. Let’s keep in mind, if it were not for DeafRead, most of you would have never heard of DBC/DH, Joey Baer, myself, Patti, and many others.
We should be thanking DeafRead for giving us a platform where we can come together and be human beings–both positive and negative aspects of it.
Amy, Carrie, Elizabeth, JJ, Jared, Jon, and Tayler–Thank you, really.
-Ben Vess
P.S. I am thinking about changing the title of my blog–any suggestions?