Last updated: May 2026
By paying the initiation fee, you agree to these terms. If any of this is unclear, ask before you pay.
Access to a private forum for working tattoo artists. That's it. You don't own a share of anything. You don't get a vote on how it's run. You get a seat in the room.
The initiation fee is $400, one time. Annual dues are $150, billed on the anniversary of your acceptance. Founding members pay $1,000 once and owe nothing after that—lifetime dues waived.
"Lifetime" means the life of the forum, not yours. If the forum shuts down, the deal's done.
If your application is rejected, the initiation fee is refunded in full. Stripe handles it. Takes a few business days.
If you're accepted and later removed for cause, there is no refund—initiation or dues. If you leave voluntarily, there is no refund for the current dues period.
Applications are reviewed in quarterly windows. Acceptance is not guaranteed. We don't owe you a reason if you're not let in.
We reserve the right to revoke your membership at any time, for any reason, without explanation. Grounds include but aren't limited to: violating the house rules, sharing forum content outside the gate, harassment, extended inactivity, or being someone we should never have let in.
Removal is permanent. There is no appeals process.
Everything inside the forum is confidential. You agree not to share, screenshot, copy, forward, or reproduce any content from the forum—posts, messages, member lists, conversations, or any other material—with anyone who is not a current member.
This survives your membership. If you leave or are removed, you still can't share what you saw while you were inside.
Violation of this section is grounds for immediate removal with no refund.
You own what you post. By posting it, you grant The Kept Gate a non-exclusive license to display it within the forum. We won't use your content outside the forum without asking.
You agree to follow the House Rules posted in the forum. They may be updated. Continued membership after a change means you accept it.
The forum is provided as-is. We don't guarantee uptime, specific features, or that any particular person will be a member. We're not liable for anything that happens as a result of conversations in the forum.
Any dispute arising from your membership will be resolved through binding arbitration under the rules of the American Arbitration Association, in the Commonwealth of Virginia. You waive any right to a class action.
We may update these terms. If we do, we'll post in Announcements. Continued membership after notice means you accept the updated terms.
The Kept Gate is operated by Lewis LaBrie. Questions go to the Stewards group inside the forum or to the contact information posted there.