browngirl

As covered by Wired:
http://www.wired.com/2015/08/won-science-fictions-hugo-awards-matters/?mbid=social_fb

So, the Puppies lost, but so did everyone who would have won a Hugo if "No Award" hadn't had to win. And... the most succinct way of summarizing my feelings is that, not least as an amateur writer, I can't believe that the idea that "if one is not writing about The Societally Appointed Default Straight-White-Male Hero one is putting Message Above Story" is even taken seriously enough to be debated. It's like arguing about whether the moon is actually made of green cheese.

(Also, if you will bear with me for a bitchy moment: I noted in the Wired article that Mr Torgesen holds up his Black wife as a shield to deflect commentary and challenge on how he is contributing to racism, sexism, and other forms of bigotry. I can't help but wonder if she was informed she'd be taking that role as part of matrimony. I can say for myself as a Black woman that it's a role I am very glad the people who love me don't want me to play.)

I should be inured to hatred and dismissal by now, but it makes me sad all over again to see how many people hate people like me, even as I'm glad that the majority of SFdom doesn't. I suppose this is the kind of thing anti-social-justice people call "silencing", but I just... wish sometimes we could be done with the societal debate over whether women, queer people, POCs, etc, are validly human with worthwhile stories to tell. Maybe I should be glad that the answer is no longer assumed to be a "no", but I want us to not have to waste time and energy on that debate. It should be settled; the answer is obviously "Yes,", isn't it? I want us to talk about those stories.

ETA: I should've just linked to this glorious analysis:
http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2015/08/23/the-obligatory-hugo-awards-recap-post/

Thank you,