This has been a weird couple of weeks in the queer romance world, and a strange time in the “real” world too.
I won’t rehash it all, other than to say that a well-known mm author has been catfishing the community, taking people’s life stories without permission, and raining abuse on anyone who questioned them.
On a parallel track, an editor was accused of overstepping their bounds, and a vein of subtle but potent racism once again reared its ugly head (can a vein have a head?).
In the last day or so, a cover designer has accused another of stealing their work.
It’s a rough time in the queer romance world.
But I don’t want to focus on that right now.
Instead, I want to look at the ways people are responding that remind me of the good in people.
After the catfishing mess came out, one of the first things that happened (and yes, it was long overdue) was that hundreds of folks in the community rallied around the truth tellers and helped them to both topple the catfish and to bring a wave of change to the community.
Another author stood up to speak out about racism in the community, and a major publisher was forced to drop their editor and retool their entire business.
With many of this publisher’s authors suddenly seeking a new publisher or neding to self-publish, my dear friend Amelia Faulkner organized a brigade to help provide them with access to discounted or free covers, and more than a hundred people responded.
Out in the world at large, disturbing and mean-spirited events continue at a pace that can be soul crushing, but there are little sparks of light and hope too, like the three kids from the high school in Parkland I saw on Rachel Maddow last night, who are shining a beacon of truth for the rest of us to follow.
A darkness has fallen on us all, but it’s not too late. We need to stand up for truth. For beauty. For love and for each other. I know it’s cliché, but we need to be the change we want to see in the world.
As this publishes, millions are marching around the globe for an end to gun violence, led by the kids of Parkland.
There is still grace and truth on this Earth. I have hope.
Scott was indoctrinated into fantasy and sci fi by his mother at the tender age of nine. He devoured her library, but as he grew up, he wondered where all the people like him were.
He decided that if there weren’t gay characters in his favorite genres, he would remake them to his own ends.
A Rainbow Award winning author, he runs Queer Sci Fi and QueeRomance Ink with his husband Mark, sites that celebrate fiction reflecting queer reality.
Find Scott here: https://www.jscottcoatsworth.com
Well said. We need to continue to speak out and call things for what they are. I appreciate you bringing this up, to allow some comment (some of my comments on other blogs bringing this up have been deleted). As the saying goes, how can you expect things to change if you don’t do anything different. And I think there’s been a natural tendency to be silent and not say anything, especially if it’s negative, bc it’d be “unfair” and upsetting to the m/m romance culture of HEA. As a result, many of us didn’t know this was going on, but I’m not surprised. I think it’s also a reflection of the larger lgbtq community and society as a whole, the racism that I see, etc. So it’s not surprising, but still disappointing and bringing it to light helps point us to things we need to improve on.
I’ve spent the day watching the young people across America highlight the gun violence they will not tolerate and challenge the politicians to ‘do the right thing.’ They’ve energized adults who have sat complacently too long! So much passion and eloquence in such teens…and even 11 year olds. It’s sad that it took this ‘affluent’ student group to garner attention when the attack on Pulse was even more horrific.
These kids are giving me hope. Like Peter Finch in the classic Network, they are mad as hell and they aren’t going to take it any more! I work with a lot of young people every day and I have to say, I’m less worried now than I was a couple of years ago. They are really stepping up – now if the stupid adults would just learn to follow!