I think there’s a conversation to be had about (perceived as) straight authors *being centred* by the publishing industry while also being aware that that’s not purely a choice that author is making, & we should pay attention to the choices they do make.

I’ve felt uncomfortable with how much the industry centred Simon as a definitive queer story. But I’ve also noticed how Becky very intentionally redirects the spotlight to queer writers the industry wasn’t centring when she gets a chance.

Which is why I’ve never really felt uncomfortable with Becky herself, even when she was still publicly known as a straight author. (Particularly post-Simon.)

None of us is in charge of what makes anybody else uncomfortable. & in an industry that usually gives scraps to marginalized voices, there are going to be fights when somebody gets a bigger scrap. That’s a systemic issue.

But industry behaviour & author behaviour are different.

If we keep turning almost every conversation that should be about restructuring the industry into personal gripes with individual authors, we’re not going to get a better industry. It’s tedious & unproductive even when the authors do suck, imo!

Personally, Becky Albertalli’s prose rings my bell, & she’s written stories that have made me feel seen, that I would happily bring back in a time machine & drop off at my high school library circa the turn of the millennium. But that’s not really the point either!

& I’m pretty sure Becky, of all people, understands that that isn’t the point! Which is among the reasons I’m glad she’s in this scene & I really hope she sticks around for a long time.

Becky just said it herself on ig: “I am not your discourse.” & she truly shouldn’t be, not just because it’s inconsiderate to her (it is, very) or harmful to other queer writers who don’t wish to discuss their own identity (it is, very), but cuz THAT’S USELESS DISCOURSE.

The industry isn’t going to change because writers are squabbling amongst themselves, or somebody got ~cancelled~. When you make it about a writer, you’re giving the industry an out.

& I hope those of us who happen to like Becky’s books will remember that when it’s somebody whose books we aren’t crazy about. Because I’m so bored of nothing changing for real.

Authors ARE accountable for our own books & behaviour, of course. Sometimes it’s bad, & sometimes we’ll have legit disagreements about whether it’s bad or fine! That’s normal book discourse, & I’m not opposed to it.

But let’s get used to questioning, when we have a spicy author take, if we’re using an individual as an effigy of a systemic problem. Cuz even if they’re definitely culpable, that problem will still be there after we light that match.

Let’s talk about tokenism in publishing, please. Let’s talk about the constructed scarcity of opportunities for marginalized writers. Let’s talk about the heralding of firsts in media about marginal identities & the lesser interest in making those stories common.

Let’s talk about how watching the way this machine works affects emerging marginalized writers psychologically, absolutely. Let’s talk about the books we don’t write, the stories we soften or put away, because we’re made to believe there’s no market for us writing what we know.

Let’s talk about the lack of intersectional diversity in hiring at publishing companies, how that affects which books are acquired, what kind of ridiculous arguments are made for passing on great books, & whether there’s an editor on staff who really understands them.

Let’s talk about the way the industry conditions marginalized writers to see each other as rivals for limited space in a way that goes beyond the regular “its a competitive market” thing.

Let’s talk about what it feels like to go through an agent’s social media to find evidence that they don’t think your identity is a joke before you include your pronouns in a query letter. Let’s talk about trying to write a 3rd person bio without pronouns at all to be safe.

Let’s talk about WHY it takes so long for some of us to discuss our identities publicly*, in an industry that claims to be so progressive. Let’s talk about what’s at stake when we do.

*not that we should be obligated to do so! but some of us want to long before we do!

& in a way, I get why a lot of marginalized writers want to have the “I don’t like this author’s whole deal” talk before we want to talk about the weirdness of our own experiences in this industry. It’s really uncomfortable, & it’s often stuff we’re discouraged from discussing.

& there’s a lot of self-doubt, too. Was that comment homophobic, or am I not good enough? Could it be both? If it’s both, am I still allowed to be upset about the homophobia? For example.

& of course nobody should be forced to drag up their painful or confusing experiences in public for the industry to be pressured to improve. Of course they need to be having these convos internally & doing the work.

But it does matter what rage we give our energy to. It matters if the people in the castle never feel any heat from our little bonfire outside.

Marginalized authors don’t all have to like each other, no matter how many identities we share. We don’t have to like each other’s work, or relate to each other’s experience. But if we’re afraid another author is edging us out of the way? We should know that’s not their fault.

Somebody please tell me to end this thread so I can do laundry & eat cookies & edit my incredibly gay book so it can have a chance to compete in the industry & maybe people can be mad at me for being queer wrong too someday?

PS - fwiw obvs Gaby Dunn made a weird choice today & I look forward to them cooling down & turning it around, but making Gaby the villain of the day also doesn’t fix anything. Not telling you not to yell at Gaby, it’s your twitter account, have at. But. Eyes on the prize.