As a member and participant in the boyLA.com community, you agree to act in accordance with the community guidelines that follow. For a full recitation of the rules for use of the boyLA.com Web site, see the User Agreement. In exchange for your compliance with our community guidelines, boyLA.com's community and member care team (CMC) is committed to nurturing a respectful, fun and lawful environment where lively discussions of LGBT issues are celebrated and honored, and where appropriate action will be taken against reported violations of this safe haven.

• boyLA.com Volunteers
  Chat monitors support members of our online community. They have the right to remove inappropriate participants from our community areas, and request inactivation of member accounts based on transcripts of inappropriate communications. Monitors are not authorized to use their tools to mediate in personal disputes.
• Don't Be Afraid
  boyLA.com is a community dedicated to providing a conversational safe haven -- an online world where you can openly discuss the LGBT issues important to you. If you are new to the community, posting to a board or speaking up in a chat room may be a scary proposition. But try it out. We encourage you to jump into the conversations and see what a friendly welcome you receive.
• Keeping Quiet Is Okay
  Just like any community, at boyLA.com every member has a different way of approaching new people. If you are not the forward type, feel free to enter any of the chat rooms and look around, listen for a while. While we suspect you'll be chatting up a storm in no time, we want you to know it's okay to watch.
• Taking It Offline
  While boyLA.com is a place to make friends and acquaintances, we encourage all members to act responsibly in choosing their offline interactions and in being conservative in the distribution of personal information, such as name, phone number and address. We cannot accept responsibility for what happens as a result of a connection made through boyLA.com services.
• Republishing Your Words
  Because we are dedicated to sharing the best of the boyLA.com community with a broader audience, we may republish your word(s) and/or image(s) across other segments of our Web site.
• No Hate Here
  Expressions and/or threats of bigotry, hatred, harassment and abuse are not tolerated on the boyLA.com Network. Bashers are subject to immediate removal from the site.
• Support Each Other
  This is your community and we encourage you to interact with each other respectfully, peacefully and thoughtfully and in accordance with the law. Below are a few things to keep in mind, whether chatting or posting to the boards.
  1. Welcome Newcomers: Remember what it was like to be new to the site yourself and how much of an impact those first few messages had on you. When you see new names in a chat room or on a message board, welcome them and show them around!
  2. Don't Attack Each Other: Always "cease and report" when faced with a potential flame war. If another member says or posts something that offends or irritates you, think before responding! The Community & Member Care team is here to support you and we ask that you report the member to us by emailing us, rather than engaging hostile people. We want to take appropriate action to keep a civil, courteous and lawful atmosphere here at boyLA.com but we need your help to do it. boyLA.com message boards often debate issues of the day and controversial subjects. While strong opinions and lively debate are welcome and encouraged, name-calling or personal attacks directed towards other members using our service is not allowed and violators will be subject to removal from the site. Please keep the conversation respectful of differing opinions, and consider your comments thoughtfully before posting a rebuttal. We urge members to work out personal differences privately via email or by thoughtful debate on the boards, avoiding "flame wars." Please do not post libelous messages about boyLA.com message board hosts, chat monitors, or chat hosts. Libel is defined as a false publication that maliciously damages a person's reputation.
3. Keep It Kind: Again, hate speech is taken extremely seriously, is a violation of our User Agreement and will not be tolerated on the boyLA.com site. This type of communication subjects you to immediate and permanent suspension of membership privileges and/or termination of your account. In addition, we respectfully request that you refrain from profane, defamatory, or communications that otherwise violate the boyLA.com User Agreement. If you feel another member is communicating in this fashion, tell us about it by emailing us. boyLA.com asks that you refrain from using extremely explicit or vulgar language on our message boards or in our chat rooms. We do allow discussion of sexual topics, but we ask that members refrain from using terms or words normally considered vulgar or rude. Stating your opinion and observations about a subject is appropriate in a topical discussion. When stating a position as "fact," please provide supporting documentation or a source for your position.

• Youth Online
  A vital part of the boyLA.com community is LGBT youth. While boyLA.com endeavors to build a single safe haven where all LGBT can gather and connect, our safety standards require that we uphold distinct, specific guidelines for youth areas of the site:
  1. In chat rooms and message boards designated for youth, solicitation for sex, intimate relationships and/or offline engagements is expressly prohibited. Likewise, explicit conversations regarding sexuality are not tolerated. Adults are prohibited from entering these rooms or posting on these boards.
  2. The chat rooms and message boards that fall into the Youth category are the Youth Floor in the chat house and the Youth folder in the message boards.
  3. Youth are prohibited from entering any rooms or posting on any boards that do not appear on the above list (see #2).
  4. Youth under 18 are prohibited from creating Premium Personals. Any Premium Personal reported to us that either has a stated age below 18 or that has a photograph depicting an individual who appears beyond a reasonable doubt to be below 18 will be immediately removed.
  5. Finally, if you are under 13, you may not make any Submissions or register for any aspect of Membership on the boyLA.com Network. See the User Agreement for more information on this.
• Be Considerate
  The time and energy of every member, volunteer and staffer at boyLA.com is valuable. In that light, we respectfully request that you refrain from posting or filling a chat window or message board with the same repeated message, or extending a single monologue through consecutive posts, even with different ideas. This type of posting, called Duplicate Posting, is not appropriate. Let others into the conversation! Posting in ALL CAPS is also discouraged. Members that post commercial advertisements, including Web pages that redirect users to membership-based pay-per-use sites and escort services, are subject to suspension of membership privileges, removal of content or removal from community areas. To pursue a partnership with boyLA.com, email us. Posting offers for sale of products or services is not allowed in any part of our service.
• Stay Focused
  A great deal of thought goes into the determination of chat and message board topics and in the interest of the communities that gather in those given areas, members are required to stick to the topic. The chat room names and message board titles specify the interests of those in the room or board. Please use these rooms and boards for the topics they were intended. Repeatedly straying off-topic or misusing the chat rooms and message boards may result in the suspension of membership privileges.
• Copyrighted Info
  Information copyrighted by an individual or entity other than the poster should never be posted or pasted within the boyLA.com community. In the event this does occur, the individual posting this information will be held responsible. boyLA.com cannot accept responsibility for this type of unlawful communication.
• Community & Member Care Team
  The boyLA.com Community & Member Care team reserves the right but is not obligated to hide inappropriate posts and/or image(s), suspend members and block select privileges, based on the standards set in both the Community Guidelines and our governing User Agreement.
• Ask Us!
  If you feel another member is violating the User Agreement or are uncertain whether your post could constitute such a violation, do not hesitate to email us to find out for sure. And remember, have fun!