The Dotted Logline

They’re calling it “Deletegate” and “Strikethrough 2007″ on LiveJournal. CNET has already written about what happened, so I’m not going to bother explaining it again here.

I’m disappointed that LiveJournal/Six Apart still hasn’t seen fit to issue a statement to the thousands of upset users who are demanding one. I’m even more disappointed in their abrupt shift in their definition the more vague statements of their Terms of Service in response to the pressure of lost ad revenue. I feel for those who have lost beloved writing and gaming communities that weren’t actually in violation of the ToS. I’m heartbroken for those victims of rape and incest who lost their support group and thus contact with the people who helped them through difficult times.

But what really makes me furious is the attitude of the so-called “Warriors For Innocence” that started this while mess. Numerous people found the personal blog of the founder of the group (“suesviews2″ on Blogspot) and posted comments complaining about their methods on an entry complaining about WFI’s methods and lack of training/credentials. These people were called pedophiles by the blog owners. Especially those who mentioned being a victim of abuse. This comment (posted by one of Sue’s friends rather than Sue herself) especially upset me.

“Your attempts to rationalize LiveJournal and pedophiles as having anything even remotely connected to legitimate writing demonstrates both who and what you are. As for the victims…when, if ever, have the children of these monsters ever “described their own victimization”?”

The vehicle through which you share your writing does not define it’s legitimacy. And the inclusion of an unsavory or illegal topic in your writing does not mean that you support and promote it. Fiction has always had plenty of villains that commit unspeakable crimes. Sadly, so has the real world. There are many who write about darkness in the hopes of understanding it as a means of fighting it, not as an attempt to embrace it. It has a valid place in works of art and literature, professional and otherwise.

I’ve never been a big participant in any fandoms. Most of the time, they annoy the heck out of me. But it’s not all slashers and shippers and wank. Fandom and fanfic are extremely important to some people for reasons that have serious real world relevance. And these people have a right to speak and share, even if I find their interests annoying or even offensive. Of course, I’ve always believed in freedom from speech as well as freedom of speech. But as long as you are responsible in how you choose to speak (because freedom always entails responsibility) and I’m able to make an informed decision to avoid it if I know it will offend or me, I will defend your right to speak.

So call it “Deletegate” or “Strikethrough 2007″ or the Day that LJ Died. Sing a “Hoist The Colors” or Firefly theme parody. Make icons and banners and lolcats. Write a rant or a fic. Or better yet, tell a story that makes people laugh and think and cry and learn and grow. And don’t ever let anyone tell you that your words, your story, your life doesn’t matter.