FAQ
What is Desoladies?
Desoladies is a supportive, women-focused organization to unite, promote, and advocate for women in the Dota 2 scene. Membership is open to all women, as well as allies who believe in our mission.
Desoladies encourages diversity and inclusivity in the Dota 2 scene by providing unique, interesting, and uplifting content and conversation. The organization aims to both create and promote opportunities for women in the Dota 2 scene.
Desoladies encourages diversity and inclusivity in the Dota 2 scene by providing unique, interesting, and uplifting content and conversation. The organization aims to both create and promote opportunities for women in the Dota 2 scene.
What does Desoladies offer?
Our central hub of communication is a Discord server with more than 300 Desolady members and around 40 Ally members. Within our Discord, we have regular discussion about Dota and life. There are region-specific tags so you can find members to party with. Occasionally, we host server inhouses, tournaments, charity streams, and other events. You can also find us on Twitter, Twitch, and Instagram.
Is Desoladies only open to women?
Membership in Desoladies is open to everyone and is divided into two roles:
‣ Desoladies: Open to all types of women, regardless of sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, nationality, background, race, ethnicity, religion, age, disability status, etc. This role is also open to genderqueer, non-binary, other gendered, or agender people who strongly identify with the Desoladies goals and mission.
‣ Allies: Open to everyone who wishes to show support for the Desoladies group. All types of men will be assigned this role by default. The role is also open to genderqueer, non-binary, other gendered, and agender people who do not identify with the Desoladies group, as well as any women who do not want to become full members.
‣ Desoladies: Open to all types of women, regardless of sex, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, nationality, background, race, ethnicity, religion, age, disability status, etc. This role is also open to genderqueer, non-binary, other gendered, or agender people who strongly identify with the Desoladies goals and mission.
‣ Allies: Open to everyone who wishes to show support for the Desoladies group. All types of men will be assigned this role by default. The role is also open to genderqueer, non-binary, other gendered, and agender people who do not identify with the Desoladies group, as well as any women who do not want to become full members.
Why is Desoladies necessary?
While Dota 2 is a great game, certain segments of the Dota 2 community can be incredibly toxic—and these parts of the community are toxic in specific, targeted ways towards women. Desoladies offers a space for women, allies, and like-minded individuals to enjoy Dota 2 and gaming culture without the hostility and harassment that are far too common in public forums. In other words, we’re the change we wish to see in the community.
We understand that not everyone is interested in joining Desoladies and not everyone will be accepted into Desoladies—and that’s okay. We're not here to recruit everyone in the world; we're here for those who need us.
We understand that not everyone is interested in joining Desoladies and not everyone will be accepted into Desoladies—and that’s okay. We're not here to recruit everyone in the world; we're here for those who need us.
Is Desoladies a support group or a safe space?
It depends on your definition of a support group or a safe space. Ultimately, Desoladies is a respectful place where members can have productive, on-topic discussions about Dota or their lives in general. Our members talk about everything from crocheting to cosplay, patch notes to IRL pets.
Let’s say a Desolady posts a question about the mechanics of cosplaying. She can expect to get helpful information from other cosplayers, links to useful resources, or relevant suggestions about her question. In other forums, her question might be met with demands to see photos, hurtful comments about her body, critique on aspects of the cosplay she didn’t ask about, or responses arguing the merits of cosplay in general. In other words, irrelevant, unproductive discussion. In Desoladies, we aim for a higher standard of communication for both Desoladies and Allies.
Let’s say a Desolady posts a question about the mechanics of cosplaying. She can expect to get helpful information from other cosplayers, links to useful resources, or relevant suggestions about her question. In other forums, her question might be met with demands to see photos, hurtful comments about her body, critique on aspects of the cosplay she didn’t ask about, or responses arguing the merits of cosplay in general. In other words, irrelevant, unproductive discussion. In Desoladies, we aim for a higher standard of communication for both Desoladies and Allies.
How many members does Desoladies have?
As of June 2020, we have approximately 350 Discord members.
When did Desoladies start?
The first incarnation of Desoladies was Dota Dolls, formed in the summer of 2016 before TI6. Many members took issue with the "Doll" name, so admins created a poll and took suggestions on a new name. Server members voted on Desoladies as the new name, originally suggested by superphrenic.