Lessons From the Margins
One question I'm constantly asked by people is a certain privileged author is doing it right or if they're capturing the authentic voice.
Ex:
Neo, does this white writer capture the POC experience and the authentic POC voice?
Neo, has this cis straight white female author done the research and has she captured the gay experience?
Now, to be fair, depending on the situation and who it's coming from, sometimes the questions are innocent, sincere and fair and the person asking is just genuinely trying to learn.
Other times however, from certain mofos, it comes across as me being used to give the Speshul Ally Stamp of approval to some white person's work so they can feel good about indulging in their privilege.
Pro-tip:
If you're genuinely trying to learn about the POC experience and support diversity, how about spending dollars on POC works by POC artists.
If you prop yourself up as an ally to the gay community and you say you want to learn about the gay experience and gay culture, rather than spending your money supporting a cis straight white female author, how about financially supporting gay and other queer storytellers.
If this year has taught you anything, it's that countless POCs and LGBTQs aren't able to tell our own stories about our own experiences yet legions of of straight white folks are able to appropriate our voices and they get praised for it, even when they do it wrong.
I'm not even saying don't support white writers (especially if they're doing it right) because I do and will continue to do so, but I think more emphasis needs to be on marginalized storytellers who are fighting an uphill battle rather than people who are in a position of privilege.
Related to this discussion. Something else I've been thinking about. Why is it that whites only participate in anti-racism forums, when they're the ones running it or they're the ones dominating the membership. Anyone else ever notice how most of them won't participate in a forum if they're in the actual minority or if they aren't the ones in power?
Another pro-tip:
If you’re a white fan of Anime and Asian culture and the forums and spaces you visit, are run and dominated by weabos and Asian fans are nowhere to be seen, there’s a reason for that.
If you’re a white person who props yourself up as an anti-racist and the “anti-racist, pro-POC” group and forums you visit are run and dominated by white people and POC members are few and far between (if that much), there’s a reason for that.
If you’re not a queer male and the m/m genre forums and spaces you live in are run by non queer males, and ACTUAL gay and other queer men avoid those cesspools like a Kryptonian to Kryptonite, there’s a reason for that.
It’s for the same reason why a woman would avoid a “feminist” space that was run, operated, and dominated by men.
Privilege, it’s a helluva drug.