Whereas I would say that what makes Bob's thread bannable is not that it is "essentialist" (because many progressive readings of race, sex, gender, etc.are also essentialist in many respects) but because it is a (facile) argument in favor of the reasonableness of racism. — Count Timothy von Icarus

That may have been the case 100 years ago, but certainly not now. But you have said "essentialist" in quotes so maybe you mean something different.

Either way such discussions can be taken up in the forum proper.

His framing of the term 'bad' and 'moral' were strange to say the least. — I like sushi

Strange? It was bigoted and stupid. It would have been one thing if Bob had been intellectually honest, but arguing with him was like talking to smoke.

I think perhaps if the take is "its bigoted and stupid" that probably isn't the reason someone was banned. Equally, the guideline section quoted in the thread itself is... censorious, despite it's claims.

In any case, Jamal did a great job of laying this one out, and as with T Clark, it's a shame but not totally unexpected. It wasn't legitimate work here.

He was banned specifically for being bigoted. "We have been very tolerant, and Bob was warned many times, but he persisted in advancing racist, homophobic, and transphobic positions."

You may want to read my next point :) I think that's overly broad, and dumb. What Jamal laid out in full was far more to say than that would have me think.