Via Yonatan Zunger.

In the comments to Yonatan’s post, someone said (I paraphrase), “People of colour have been saying this for years, but now that a white man says it everyone finally listens.”

Without denying the truth of that, I’d point out that in his speech the mayor acknowledges how his black friends, by saying this for years, helped him understand the problem, so that he could use his power to solve it.

Originally shared by Rugger Ducky

If you haven’t read this transcript or heard the speech yet, do.

Landrieu hits the proverbial nail squarely on the head.

New Orleans was America’s largest slave market: a port where hundreds of thousands of souls were brought, sold and shipped up the Mississippi River to lives of forced labor of misery of rape, of torture.

America was the place where nearly 4,000 of our fellow citizens were lynched, 540 alone in Louisiana; where the courts enshrined ‘separate but equal’; where Freedom riders coming to New Orleans were beaten to a bloody pulp.

So when people say to me that the monuments in question are history, well what I just described is real history as well, and it is the searing truth.

And it immediately begs the questions: why there are no slave ship monuments, no prominent markers on public land to remember the lynchings or the slave blocks; nothing to remember this long chapter of our lives; the pain, the sacrifice, the shame … all of it happening on the soil of New Orleans.

Via Andy Brokaw.

As a straight, white, mostly able-bodied male, I know that there are a few people (not many) who wish I would just stop writing, solely based on my demographic. Fortunately, there are plenty who are OK with me lending my voice to diversity and representation, even if I don’t always get it right.

Originally shared by Troy

We live in a world where someone takes a webcomic strip that agrees with the worldview they want to project and say “This.” As if it’s the most powerful statement anyone can say. The world is too complex for such simplistic, knee-jerk meme sharing.

Lines of attack like this are being used on people who are actually minority individuals. It happened to an author friend of mine – the attack claimed they were a straight white male “cashing in.”

So we agree as a society that white people can’t write people of colour. Then the next step is to say, well, so-and-so is Asian. He can’t write a black character. Then, so-and-so is cisgender. She can’t write a transgender character – or the reverse. So-and-so is Christian. Xe can’t write a Muslim character.

Then: you can’t play a Vulcan, because you’re a human.

The alt-right is led by people who are actually quite smart and capable of spreading damaging ideas and lines of reason. They actually want this, too. They don’t want white straight males (who are frankly in the majority of novel sales) creating stories that empower minority groups and inspire them to write. Or inspire young minds with heroes and cultures, giving them the power to reject empty racist arguments. The business of mythmaking is a serious one.

Not only have women always written space opera; they’ve always written some of the best space opera.

Originally shared by Daniel Swensen

“It never even occurred to the men writing and directing this film that they might even out the gender balance. They just went ahead and did what they always do…In each generation, one is chosen to be named on all the lists and cited by all the Serious People. Once she’s selected, the Serious People dust off their hands and say, “There. We have a female. That’s sorted.” And go right back to focusing on male writers and ignoring the rest of the females.”

http://www.tor.com/2017/05/15/from-dark-to-dark-yes-women-have-always-written-space-opera/

So pleased at my friend Lisa Cohen’s well-deserved success with her excellent book.

Originally shared by Lisa “LJ” Cohen

There have been 2 pieces of amazing news that I haven’t been able to share. Which is probably one of the hardest things for me to do, given that I have very little ability for delayed gratification.

But I’ve been good.

Now I can share the 2nd opportunity that has come my way:

http://mailchi.mp/dfba4dc3fe6c/what-you-are-reading-is-rebellion?platform=hootsuite

DERELICT has been chosen as the inaugural pick for the Feminist Book of the Month project – F-BOM.

First of all, the name rocks!

Second of all, I am thrilled at the opportunity to share my work in this kick-ass curated selection of books.

I am grateful for the folks at Her Story Arc for their support.

There are (at least) two levels of representation: being visible and being seen. In this blog post, I talk about the difference between them in the context of how disability is represented in the TV shows NCIS and Bones.

Notably missing from this analysis, because he doesn’t fit into the tropes: Lois McMaster Bujold’s Miles Vorkosigan, who isn’t cured (his disabilities grow worse through the series), doesn’t become notably resentful, doesn’t become a villain, and isn’t either sexless or, really, a sage.

It would be nice to have more examples – I know there are a few, but when the main go-to example that everyone mentions is a series that started in the 80s, we’re failing to pick up the gauntlet.

Originally shared by Walter Roberson

Mike Reeves-McMillan​

“Everyone should read this and that says a lot because I’m not a fan of male writers but the female characters are so well written and they aren’t the wimpy kind either than need saving. In fact I reckon if anyone needs saving it would be Sparx first.”

Yeah, pretty much what I was going for.

Also:

“I’m a big fan of stories that represent who we are. I hadn’t realised how important it was to also have stories set in places familiar to us as well.”

Yep.

The most recent episode of The Librarians I watched featured two women literally in a refrigerator.

They passed the Bechdel test.

I could be wrong, but I suspect that was deliberate on the part of the writers.

These are excellent suggestions.

Originally shared by Self-Rescuing Princess Society

Ooo! Great list!

And I love that there are comments with the names of other amazing warrior women from that era!