To everyone hurting right now because your trauma is being debated: I see you. I feel you. I'm sorry.

We all know the true difference between working through trauma via writing and gaining pleasure from others' traumas. I'm disgusted that some are pretending otherwise.

I'm disgusted that some are trying to explain away the trauma with the fact that dead white men wrote about the topic and are considered classics. Fiction has been racist/queerphobic/misogynistic and been considered classics. This doesn't excuse anything.

I'm appalled by the lack of empathy, and I'm thoroughly triggered right now. I don't speak about it much, but I'm a survivor of the childhood trauma being discussed.

To suggest that fictional children don't require consent is on the same level of moral depravity of suggesting that racists, misogynists, queerphobic people can write and fantasize about attacking people of these identities...

...or spreading propaganda that people of these identities are less than human. "It's okay. It's not real." It has real life consequences. Such as the fact that people, such as me, are hurting right now.

I honestly can't even believe that this is up for debate. I won't add anything else except this:

Don't. EVER. Equate that act, which creates so much pain and lifelong trauma, with the beauty and freedom of my queer identity.

I wanted to say these words in case there's anyone else out there who needed to see them, to know that they aren't alone. I'm ready to move on from the topic to do some healing and self-love, so will be muting the thread. Love you all.