cornerofmadness

It has been a terrible several weeks in the writing universe, especially if you're a romance writer (which oddly I don't consider myself in spite of the fact that ALL my novels published are romance sort of. I consider them urban fantasy with romance subplots but whatever) and most assuredly if you are PoC and/or LGBT.

While I've never had an interest in being part of the RWA (in my 20s I wanted to be in the SFWA but they have a record of being just as exclusive) since I am romance adjacent I've had this all over my twitter feeds and facebook. If you're not familiar with what's going on you can check out this link here.

In a nutshell, there's rampant racism and prejudice against LGBT in the romance writers of America (and gasp, so much of it wrapped up in Christian faith, giving Christians yet another black eye).

Then my twitter feed is blowing up about some con (which I've already forgotten) that invited Orson Scott Card and a good chunk of the Latinx authors backing out of the con as a result. On the other hand some other authors are staying not because they support Card (who is a racist homophobe as well) but to be there to oppose him so his voice isn't the only one that's heard. And a few weeks before all this we had J.K. Rowling doubling down on being a TERF. Sigh.

So that's what's been on my mind. What, as an author (or a reader) do we do in the face of all of this? Can we - or should we - separate out good art from a shitty creator?

Today I came across a post by

silveradept here. with one way of handling this topic that I thought was good.

As for me, I can separate it out easier in a case of old authors writing decades ago when the whole world was less accepting. It's hard to look at them with the standards of today. On the other hand I DO struggle to separate the art from the artist these days. I've stopped watching Mel Gibson movies. I never liked Card much anyhow. I don't know that I'll be paying for anything by Rowling.

I had kept out of the RWA thing other than to forward a few other twitter comments but then it started with the 'if you aren't speaking out then you're a racist too' comments. Sigh. No, I'm not but I can also see the if you remain silent you're part of the problem side of things. I do however prefer it when people don't start screaming believe and say what I do or you obviously are my enemy thing. So I forwarded more stuff. ah well.

I guess from here on out I need to be louder in some places. And tomorrow everything starts at