[Mod Post - please upvote for visibility] We have received a few requests to change the name of the subreddit, based on a comment Benedict made recently. This thread explains why things are staying as they are, with implicit apologies to those who feel strongly about a change.

tone: friendly, informative

People keep bringing this up, so I'm making this post. Please do not continue to create threads or PM the mods about this; they will be deleted. Leave any/all comments in this thread (but please keep comments respectful, regardless of the view you want to express).

Recently, Benedict voiced being a little uncomfortable with saying the term "Cumberbitches" on TV. Many people are citing this to insist he hates the name, and we should rename ourselves because of this.

In fairness, he has used the term several times before. Personally, I believe he felt uncomfortable saying "bitch" on TV because he has a pretty clean, humble image. But regardless of anyone's interpretation of his feelings...

• The term is the official name for his fans. People who go to any community (Reddit, Tumblr, Facebook, etc) and look for other fans of the man, will search for the term "Cumberbitch." It's good to keep that name so more people can find us and join in the appreciation of the man.

• It's not meant to be derogatory or exclusionary. It was meant to be a silly play-on-words (it only changes one letter of his last name), and somewhat "reclaiming" the word bitch (like how a lot of women are reclaiming the word slut to mean someone who's sexually open, instead of an insulting word). I understand the criticism that the term excludes men; while I agree that interpretation is common, I hope men will forgive the term (see point 1) and join in the love.

• Lastly, and most importantly: subreddit names cannot be changed. We can't rename the sub, and it's not feasible to convince over 4,000 subscribers to switch, en masse, to a new subreddit. Plus, a lot of time and effort has been put into constructing this community, advertising for it (in other subreddits, to garner attention; and PMing mods to get them to add us to their sidebars), and especially in the art and design of the place. I would feel terrible if we abandoned all of that over a comment Benedict made.

This subreddit is the home of his fans, and it will remain as it is, with implicit apologies to anyone who feels strongly about the name. Thanks for your time and understanding.