Terms of Use · Who We Are

These terms are meant to be read. In short: be kind, be honest about your age, keep it clean and private, don't break the law, and tell us when something is wrong. We will treat you fairly, explain our decisions, and let you leave whenever you like.

1. About these terms

Who We Are (shiningforever.in) is a free website about LGBTQIA+ lives, with games, a helper chat called Chai and a community made of chat rooms, a wall and an art corner. It is run by Reiner Endrios ("we", "us") from India.

When you create a community account, or tick the boxes when you join, you agree to these Terms, to the community rules in section 4 (which are also summarised in the community guide), and to our Privacy Policy. If you don't agree, please don't create an account. You can read the rest of the site without one.

2. Who can join

Email accounts are for people who are 18 or older.
Anonymous accounts (no email, a login key instead) are for people who are 13 or older.
If you are under 13, please don't join the community. There is plenty to read and play on the rest of the site.

We cannot check anyone's age, so we depend on your honesty. Giving a false age breaks these terms, and we may remove an account if we have reason to think it belongs to someone younger than the account allows. Parents and guardians are welcome to write to us about any concern.

3. Your account

Choose a nickname that is not your real name and does not copy someone else. Names that pretend to be staff, moderators or the bot are not allowed.
You are responsible for what happens under your account. Keep your password or login key private, use a password you don't use elsewhere, and log out on shared devices. If you think someone else has got in, change your password or write to us straight away.
We cannot see your password, and we cannot recover a lost login key. With an email account you can reset your password using a code we email you.
One person, one account at a time. Making a new account to get around a break or ban is not allowed.

4. What you can and cannot post

These are the community rules. They apply to everything: chat, wall posts, pictures, captions, nicknames and what you say to the bot.

You must not post, share or upload anything that:

belongs to someone else and that you have no right to share, including other people's photos, art, writing or private information;
is obscene, pornographic, sexual, or shows nudity, or that invades another person's privacy, including their body privacy;
sexualises or is harmful to children in any way;
is hateful, abusive, threatening, harassing, bullying or defamatory, or that promotes hatred or violence against a person or group because of their gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, caste, race, disability, nationality or anything similar. Slurs are not allowed, whether or not they are meant as a joke;
tells or encourages anyone to hurt themselves or others, or glorifies self-harm, suicide or violence;
outs someone, reveals their private details, or shares their messages without their permission;
infringes copyright, a trademark or another right, including art you did not make;
impersonates a person or organisation, or deceives people about who you are or where something came from, including false or misleading information that could cause harm;
contains a virus or any code meant to damage or interfere with a device or service;
is a scam, spam, an advertisement, or a request for money;
threatens the unity, integrity, defence or security of India, its sovereignty, friendly relations with other countries or public order, or that incites an offence, or that breaks any other law in force.

To keep everyone safe, you also must not:

share or ask for phone numbers, email addresses, social media names, home or school details, photos of yourself or others, or someone's age or whereabouts;
post links, or ask anyone to move to another app or a private chat;
arrange to meet anyone you know only from the community;
try to get around the filters, the limits or the approval step.

What is welcome: talking about who you are, using words like gay, lesbian, trans, queer, hijra or asexual, and talking honestly about hard things such as fear, loneliness, family, grief or abuse. Support and kindness are the point of this place.

5. How moderation works

A filter checks every message, nickname and caption. It stops swearing, sexual content, slurs, threats, links and contact details, and tells you when it has. It is automatic and it can be wrong. If it blocks something that was fine, rephrase it or tell us.
People read the wall and every picture before it appears. Approval is not an endorsement. A moderator may also remove something later.
Members can report anything. A few reports from established members hide a message until a moderator has looked at it.
Steps we may take: stopping a message, a short break, a hold on the account, removing content, a permanent ban, and telling the police or another authority where the law requires it or someone is in danger. Several blocked messages in a row lead to a 10 minute break, then an hour, then a hold until a moderator checks.
We aim to be fair. We will usually tell you why. If you think we got it wrong, write to us or use the complaints route in section 8, and a different person will take a second look where possible.
Moderators are people the owner has chosen. They can see nicknames and what members post. They cannot see email addresses, passwords or login keys.

6. Your content and our licence

What you post stays yours. By posting it, you give us a free, non-exclusive permission to store it, show it in the community for as long as it is there, and make the copies needed to run the service (such as caching). We use it for nothing else. We won't sell it, and we won't use your art or writing anywhere else without asking you.

You confirm that you have the right to post what you post, and that it doesn't break section 4. For art, you confirm you made it yourself.

You can delete your posts at any time, and your whole account from the community menu. See the Privacy Policy for what that removes.

7. Safety, and what we are not

The community is a friendly place to talk. It is not an emergency, medical, legal or counselling service. Members and moderators are not trained to help in a crisis. If you are in danger call 112. For free, private support call Tele-MANAS 14416. More numbers are on the Help page.
Mochi is an automated bot. It can be wrong, so don't rely on it for medical, legal or personal advice.
We do not check who anyone is. People may not be who they say they are. Never meet someone you only know from here, and tell a trusted adult or friend if anyone makes you uncomfortable. Then report it.
The information on the rest of the site is for understanding, and is not professional advice.

8. Complaints and the Grievance Officer

If you want to complain about content, a decision, your information, or anything else, write to our Grievance Officer:

Reiner Endrios, Grievance Officer
Email: shiningforevr@gmail.com

We acknowledge every complaint within 24 hours and aim to resolve it within 15 days.
Complaints about content that shows a person's private area, nudity or a sexual act involving them, or impersonation (including edited or morphed images), are acted on first, and we aim to remove or block access within 24 hours.
If you are not happy with our decision, the Intermediary Rules let you appeal to the Grievance Appellate Committee set up by the Government of India, within 30 days.
To report a crime against a child, or anything else that is illegal, you can also use the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. In danger, call 112. For a child in trouble, Childline 1098 is free.

We follow lawful orders from courts and government agencies, and we may keep or share information when the law requires it. Where we are allowed to, we will tell the person affected.

9. The service itself

The community is free and run by one person with the help of volunteers. It is provided "as it is". It may be slow, change, be paused or end, and there may be mistakes or lost messages. We will try to give notice of big changes. Use Download my data in the community menu to keep a copy of what you care about.

For content that members post, we act as an intermediary under India's Information Technology Act, 2000. That means we host what members write, we do not choose or create it, and we follow the duties the law gives us: publishing these documents, having a Grievance Officer, and acting on complaints and lawful orders.

10. Our responsibility

We work hard to make this a safe place, but we cannot promise it will always be. As far as the law allows, we are not responsible for what members post or for what happens between members, and we are not liable for indirect or unforeseeable loss, or for loss that comes from your own use, or misuse, of the community. Nothing in these terms removes any right you have under law that cannot be removed, and nothing limits responsibility for something we did deliberately or through serious fault.

You agree to follow these terms, and to answer for what you post if it is unlawful or harms someone.

11. Ending your account

You can stop at any time by choosing Delete my account in the community menu. We may pause or end an account that breaks these terms or the law, or that puts people at risk, with or without notice if safety or the law needs it. After an account ends, the parts of these terms that are meant to continue (such as sections 6, 10 and 13) do.

12. Changes

The version and date are at the top. When we change these terms or the Privacy Policy in a way that matters, we will update this page, and the community will ask you to read and agree again before you carry on. We also remind members of them at least once a year. Carrying on after a change you have agreed to means you accept it.

13. Law and contact

These terms are governed by the laws of India, and the courts in India that have jurisdiction will decide any dispute that cannot be settled by talking first. If any part of these terms is found not to apply, the rest still does.

Questions about these terms: shiningforevr@gmail.com.

This is a plain-language document and not legal advice.