I'm Not Just The Publisher, I'm Also A Gay
I always found it a bit suspect that the Powers That Be at Running Press adamantly supported the editor in light of the blatant bigotry she displayed in the Wicked Pretty Things anthology ordeal. But I always surmised that time would inevitably reveal all.
Boy can I call em.
For those of you just joining us, you can read about the backstory here and here.
The shorthand: New York Times Bestselling Author Jessica Verday was part of an upcoming dark fairy romance anthology, WICKED PRETTY THINGS, and wrote a boy/boy tale for it. The editor claimed the publisher Running Press wouldn't approve of it and she'd need to make one of the characters a girl. Verday called BS on the claim as RP had previously produced m/m titles in the past. Verday pulled the story in protest. It turned out the editor didn't even check with the publisher first, and the publisher would've actually been fine with it.
The editor's response was added to the blog post. Her response includes offering to show a YouTube video of her wrestling a gay guy.
In response, representatives of RP stated that despite the editor's offensive comments, they were standing behind the editor (even though they're pro LGBTQ) and would move forward with the anthology.
Since that time, approximately 10 authors have yanked their stories in protest and standing in solidarity with Verday. In addition, several other authors (personal friends) have stated that they have no intentions of submitting any work to RP or any other publisher where the editor works.
Now you would think RP would be doing overtime to do damage control and resolve this matter as amicably and expeditiously as possible.Certainly the last thing they would want to do is exacerbate the issue by victim blaming, scapegoating, and libel.
Apparently the publisher of RP has a different school of thought on the matter.
In his op-ed, the publisher:
-Accused Verday of spreading misinformation by spreading misinformation himself
-Accused Verday of misrepresenting RP
-Accused Verday of stubborness for pulling her story even though it would be accepted
-Blamed Verday for other authors pulling their stories and launching an unfair smear campaign
-Compared writers standing up for their pro-LGBTQ beliefs to cyberbullying that caused the Rutgers suicide
-Qualifies the fail by stating that he's not just the publisher, he's also a gay
A few points for the publisher:
1. Verday (nor anyone else I've seen) ever accused RP of co-signing on the editor's bigotry. In fact, many of us were going WTF?!!!! because of RP's history of publishing LGBTQ content.
2. It's clear that the publisher completely missed the point as to why Verday and the other writers pulled their work. RP publicly chose to support the editor in light of her actions and her flippant and disgusting subsequent comments. Such is their right. Just as it's the right of the writers to remove their work and stand tall for their beliefs on equality.
3. The publsiher keeps accusing Verday of spreading misinformation but nowhere does he actually illustrate where misinformation was given. She didn't misrepresent RP or the events and his very comments (the attacks against Verday not withstanding) confirmed as much. So just because you're using the words misinformation, doesn't make it so. And lecturing about misinformation while spreading it, is just silly and ironic.
4. Furthermore, if you want to lecture someone on misinformation that would be your editor. If you're looking for someone to blame, that would be your editor. Because this whole situation was precipitated because of her actions. She misrepresented RP and then made the subsequent offensive remarks. If she had sincerely apologized when all of this went down and made efforts to make this right, this situation probably wouldn't have gottent to where it is now. Verday is not the issue. Your editor is. And so are you.
5. RP pretty much had plausible deniability up until this point and was separated from the fallout that they could've saved face. Up until their public statements, the one universal thing that both sides (those supporting the editor and those standing tall with Verday) agreed on was that RP was misrepresented and was as much a victim in this as Verday. Unfortunately, that good will and plausible deniability was pissed away the moment RP supported the editor and villified Verday.
6. There is cyber-bullying on the internet. There are internet mob hiveminds. Make no mistake. Like many people online, I've encountered plenty. And it is a serious issue. But this right here, so not the case. Speaking out against homophobia IS NOT bullying. No one at RP was personally attacked and I don't even think anyone organized a campaign to boycott RP. Many people decided based on the actions of the publisher and the editor, that they did not want to be a part of this anthology whether purchasing it or submitting a story.
7. And did you seriously just attempt to exploit the Rutgers tragedy to justify derailing an effort to call out homophobia and bigotry? Are you serious? And did you seriously try to qualify said derailing with you being a gay male and what, you thought you get a pass? Are you fucking kidding me? Um........no. As a gay man, you more than anyone should be sickened and appalled at your editor's actions. As a gay man, you of all people should know the bigotry LGBTQs endure and why it's damn near impossible to have our stories told. As a gay man, you should be making every effort to make sure that something like this doesn't happen under your watch ever again. But I now can't help but wondering that maybe the editor isn't the only issue here. But the fact that your comments and actions are far more disgusting than the editor's could've been and real talk, it's this kind of house-queering politics (where affluent gays derail and sabotage LGBTQ equality efforts for their own personal game) is EXACTLY one of the reason why we're still struggling for bread crumbs of equality.
And for those of you who aren't in the anti-oppression, social justice game, let me clue you in on something. This is what happens when you take a stand. It's rarely glamorous or fun or fashionable. You get libeled, you get lied on, facts get rewritten and you are vilified for daring to take a speak out on what's right. The righteous shall walk a thorny path because when you take a stand for what's right, trust, unholy hell is going to rain down upon you.
This is what happens when you're outspoken. Verday and the writers took a major risk standing tall the way they did. Because in the writing game, you're not supposed to rock the boat or speak out, you get blacklisted, not for being wrong about the argument, but for shaking things up, starting trouble, or any of those other excuses that bigoted southern whites used to accuse black civil rights activists of when they campaigned for equality in the South.
And as illustrated, cis heterosexuals aren't the only ones engaging in the heterosexism.
I said it before and I'll say it again, until more people start demanding better (POCs and LGBTQs as the main protagonists in books), until more people start following Verday's example in standing tall against bigotry, don't expect incidents like this to be isolated....Because the truth is, it's simply business as usual.