Recently, a thoughtful conversation unfolded right here on Submit, ultimately getting to an important fundamental question: Why does this space exist? It’s a question we welcome, because the answer goes to the very core of our mission and our commitment to this community.

Submit wasn’t created in a vacuum or simply as another option. It was born out of necessity, deep-seated frustration, and a fundamental belief that the Kink, BDSM, and Fetish communities deserve online spaces built on a foundation of privacy, respect, and safety – principles often lacking elsewhere.

For years, many of us navigated platforms where toxicity wasn’t just present; it felt actively fostered or passively tolerated. We experienced firsthand, or witnessed consistently, environments where:

1. Systemic Failures Undermined Trust: Platforms professed rules against harassment, abuse, and hate, yet enforcement was frequently inconsistent, weak, or absent. Repeat offenders faced minimal consequences, signalling that certain harms were permissible in the name of engagement. This erosion of integrity and accountability left many feeling unprotected.
2. Platform Responsibility Was Avoided: When confronted with patterns of abuse, the response was too often deflection – blaming “bad users” while ignoring how the platform’s own structure, policies, and inaction enabled that behavior. This contrasted sharply with the value we place on platform accountability.
3. Growth Often Trumped Well-being: Decisions seemed driven by metrics over user safety. The tolerance for harmful-but-active users suggested a business model where safety and consent were secondary concerns, impacting the community’s ability to feel secure.
4. Real Harm Was Minimized: Concerns were sometimes dismissed, or the impact of platform failures downplayed. This invalidated the lived experiences of users and stood in opposition to fostering a space of authenticity and trust.

This wasn’t just about isolated incidents. It was a pattern – a predictable cycle of harm enabled by systems unwilling or unable to prioritize the community’s health. We saw how this divided people, eroded trust, and made online spaces feel less like sanctuaries and more like minefields.

Acknowledging this history isn’t about “bashing” or dwelling on negativity. It’s about being honest about the why behind Submit. Pretending those systemic failures didn’t happen ignores the very real need that sparked our creation and disrespects those impacted. It’s why our mission is explicitly focused on creating a space that prioritizes privacy, respect, and freedom from hate, fostering a safer, more inclusive future.

Expressing frustration about these realities isn’t dysregulation; it’s often a justified response to witnessing or experiencing systemic neglect. It fuels our determination not to replicate those patterns. We allow space for critical conversations because acknowledging harm is essential for healing and for building something genuinely better – a space guided by clear values like inclusivity, empowerment, and community focus.

Submit exists because we reached a point where reforming existing structures felt less viable than building anew, from the ground up, with different priorities. We believed – and still believe – that a platform can be designed and run with privacy, safety, and community well-being as its primary drivers. We envision a space grounded in respect, consent, and authentic connection, where accountability is practiced, not just preached. This foundational belief – that our community deserves a safer, more authentic, and truly supportive online home – is why Submit exists.

This commitment isn’t just words on a page. It’s reflected in our ongoing actions, like our commitment to transparency through our Transparency Portal and changelog, and our process to become a Public Benefit Corporation (PBC). This legal structure ensures our mission and values remain legally bound to our operations, holding us accountable to the community we serve. Understanding our origins is key to understanding our path forward.

Over nearly two years of operation, we’ve been learning, growing, and constantly striving to build a platform that truly lives up to these foundational goals. This post was about understanding why we started. In our next piece, we’ll dive deeper into our vision for the future – sharing how these experiences and our core values are shaping the road ahead as we work to create a truly better community where we can all be our authentic selves, free from harassment, hate, and judgment. Stay tuned.