longer.blue

# Bluesky's "WAFFLES" incident fractures trust with trans community “The ‘WAFFLES’ incident may ultimately be remembered as the moment Bluesky's founding contradictions became publicly inescapable—when the CEO's flippant response forced recognition that you cannot simultaneously promise sanctuary and insist people defend themselves.” Jay Graber's dismissive October 1 response to trans users' safety concerns crystallized months of mounting tensions over platform moderation, with the CEO posting "WAFFLES" when asked about banning anti-trans journalist Jesse Singal. The incident—in which Graber mocked a user's question with a single-word quip and later doubled down by posting a picture of waffles—represented the breaking point in a deteriorating relationship between Bluesky and its transgender early adopters. Coming just weeks after the platform suspended trans horror writer Gretchen Felker-Martin for reactive posts about conservative activist Charlie Kirk's September 10 assassination while continuing to host the platform's most-blocked user, the controversy exposed fundamental tensions between Bluesky's decentralized moderation philosophy and trans users' expectations for centralized protection. The incident matters because it threatens to alienate the community that helped build Bluesky's culture and reputation as a safer alternative to X/Twitter, potentially undermining the platform's core value proposition during a critical growth phase. ## The September catalyst: suspending trans voices while harassers remain The immediate backdrop to October's "WAFFLES" incident began September 10, 2025, when transgender horror writer and DC Comics author Gretchen Felker-Martin posted celebratory comments after conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated at Utah Valley University. Her posts—"Hope the bullet's okay after touching Charlie Kirk" and "Thoughts and prayers you Nazi bitch"—prompted Bluesky to suspend her account for approximately one week. DC Comics simultaneously canceled her Red Hood comic series the same day issue #1 was released, providing full refunds to retailers and stating that posts "promoting hostility or violence are inconsistent with DC's standards of conduct." This wasn't Felker-Martin's first suspension. She had previously been banned for posting "I hope someone splits her skull" about J.K. Rowling, part of a pattern where multiple transgender users faced suspension for expressing hostile sentiments toward anti-trans figures while those figures themselves faced no platform-level consequences. Trans YouTuber Jessie Earl was suspended for 24 hours in August for posting "I also wish ill on JK Rowling." Another trans writer, Dani Finn, received similar treatment. Author Roxane Gay called Bluesky's decision "unacceptable," "ridiculous," and an "absolute shame," telling other writers: "Every writer here should be decrying this because we have to stand up for each other." The Felker-Martin suspension set the stage for September 22, when Bluesky announced more aggressive moderation enforcement with new community guidelines taking effect October 15, 2025. The company stated users would receive "fewer warnings before their accounts are deactivated" after gathering feedback from over 14,000 community members. TechCrunch reported that Bluesky "especially heard from community members who shared concerns about how the guidelines could impact creative expression and traditionally marginalized voices." When Felker-Martin saw the announcement, she responded simply: "thanks this sucks." ## October's flashpoint: "WAFFLES" as in-group signaling The controversy reached its breaking point October 1, 2025, in a seemingly trivial exchange. A Bluesky user posted a joke mocking how arguments escalate on social media: "(bluesky user bursts into Waffle House) OH SO YOU HATE PANCAKES??" Jay Graber quote-posted this, commenting on toxic social media discourse. When a user replied asking "have y'all banned Jesse Singal yet or," Graber responded with a single word: "WAFFLES." Hours later, she posted a picture of waffles, doubling down on the joke. To understand why this response sparked outrage, the Jesse Singal context is crucial. The journalist—cataloged by GLAAD's Accountability Project for anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and writings on transgender issues critics say spread misinformation—joined Bluesky in December 2024 and quickly became the platform's most-blocked user. A Change.org petition demanding his removal garnered over 25,000 signatures, including from celebrities like Lizzo. Despite this overwhelming community response, Bluesky refused to ban Singal, citing its policy of not taking action based on off-platform behavior and labeling his account as "intolerant" through a moderation service rather than removing him entirely. The following day, October 2, Graber posted a clarifying thread that many found more troubling than the original quip. She wrote: "Harassing the mods into banning someone has never worked. And harassing people in general has never changed their mind." Her key statement—"We built a decentralized network so you could run your own moderation"—essentially told trans users to handle the problem themselves through blocking and custom moderation tools rather than expecting platform-level action. Trans users and allies interpreted the "WAFFLES" exchange as mockingly dismissive of legitimate safety concerns. One analysis circulating on social media argued: "The function of the waffles joke is an in-group signifier. Singal, Graber, and [staff] are showing in-group solidarity; they're all in on a joke. The joke is they have institutional power, and you don't." Users compared the incident to Tumblr CEO Matt Mullenweg's public fights with trans users, with some calling Graber a "temu Elon" (a cheap knockoff of Elon Musk). ## Trans community response reveals deep betrayal The reaction from transgender users reflected not just anger at a specific incident but profound disappointment at what they viewed as abandonment by a platform they helped build. Trans users were among Bluesky's earliest and most enthusiastic adopters—Rolling Stone's 2023 article titled "'It's a Huge Relief': Trans 'Shitposters' on Bluesky Feel Safer Away From Twitter" documented how the community "exploded onto the scene with anarchic posting fueled by a sense of liberation." One trans user told Rolling Stone: "I mean, no offense, but a lot of the best shitposters are trans. The cis people might want to be wherever we end up." By October 2025, that sense of safety had evaporated. Trans news outlet Assigned Media reported that Bluesky "lumped" Jessie Earl's mild post criticizing J.K. Rowling into violations involving "threats of violence" and "incitement of self-harm," though Earl's post made no mention of violence. The outlet noted: "Users say the pattern—suspending trans voices criticizing Rowling, while ignoring worse rhetoric elsewhere—suggests something more worrying." Trans journalist Katelyn Burns, who had migrated from X to Bluesky, wrote in Xtra Magazine: "I didn't realize just how worn down and jaded Twitter had made me until I logged on to Bluesky and took in the welcoming atmosphere on the site"—a past-tense observation that underscored the changed environment. Gretchen Felker-Martin told The Comics Journal she felt "disposable" to both DC Comics and Bluesky as a transgender creator. She stood by her comments about Kirk despite the professional consequences: "I had no regrets for what I said about [Kirk]. This is such a loathsome person...I saw that he had died in the middle of spreading more of the bigotry that he spent his every waking moment promulgating." Jessie Earl was equally defiant after her suspension, stating: "And let me be clear -- I wish on JK Rowling everything that she wishes upon trans people." The controversy sparked concerns about a perceived double standard where trans users faced swift suspension for reactive posts about their harassers while anti-trans rhetoric went unmoderated. One Bluesky user complained the platform should "worry less about whether or not a cartoon has rights and more about whether real life trans and Palestinian people do," referencing new guidelines about animated sexual content that seemed to receive more attention than protecting marginalized communities.