This is absolutely unbelievable!
Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin canceled an upcoming appearance at the West Virginia Book Festival after its administrators declined her request that they nix a presentation from an author with outspoken anti-LGTBQ views.
Who did they ban, you may ask? How about Orson Scott Card!
Full article, HERE.
Freaking amazing. One of the most popular science fiction authors is effectively being kicked to the curb to appease a very small group, apparently formed in the last week or so!!! And an officer of the state, acting in her official capacity as mayor refuses to appear because of his religious beliefs (Mormon and believes marriage is between a man and a woman).
“I will not support hate speech of any kind and will not participate in the West Virginia Book Festival if Mr. Card is appearing,” she said.
This is a continuation of all the crap has gone on the last couple of years with authors being disinvited from con, having their wiki pages subjected to takedowns, and cons subjectively turning hard left in their panels, etc. We were discussing this online the other night with some of the old time con goers and con runners, who listed multiple cons that they would no longer attend, much less recommend to anyone.
There was a run made at one of the cons I attend last year by the POS (Perpetually Offended Snowflakes), and that has (hopefully) been turned back by the organizers and the con founder. There was also much gnashing of teeth from the POS over the Dragons this year. Apparently the left made a run to get at least one author a Dragon and failed miserably.
But make no mistake, there IS a strong push to deplatform any/all conservative voices not only in science fiction, but also general fiction. What does this bode for us?
I’m a Z-lister at best, so I’m going to just keep writing the stories I like to write. If folks want to read them, fine. If not, so be it. It’s not like I get a lot of sales from the POS anyway, so them boycotting me would have no effect, since I’m indie and they can’t go after my ‘publisher’, since that’s ME.
I REALLY wish people would just let the readers make the choice of what they want to read, not try to ‘force’ message fiction down their throats. Social media and other things are reducing the numbers of young readers, and this doesn’t bode well for the future of anything that isn’t ‘message fiction’ and approved by the left…
If it’s close to me (somewhere in Arizona) and if I’m in town and one of these events is going on where the offended will work to silence ANY voice, let me know, and I’ll show up as part of those who oppose ‘book burning’. There are a lot of rational people, but they seem to lack the spine to stand up to the mob. I don’t have those scruples. Freedom of speech and expression is a hallmark of America. We can’t let the communists and their allies within the gender-confused community get their way.
It’s interesting that the left (I won’t even grant them a capital letter) always talks about dialogue and communication when all they want to do is shut down any opposing viewpoint. I hope Card shows up since the bint of a mayor is not going to. This is way beyond any book banning.
Their self righteousness is especially sickening.
They know they can not win on the ideas, because the few ideas they have are bad, so they must not allow anyone that does not fully tote there party line to have a voice, because if they do have a voice, they know they will loose people from their side.
Amazing what they call hate speech. All the hate I see is coming from them.
Z-lister? Nope. I have you at J, maybe I, or even H.
Amusing rhetorical trick. Disbelieving the Vince Foster conspiracy theory is homophobic. Since it is impossible for a homosexual to commit suicide without homosexuality being a pathological disease state, Hillary must have killed him.
My impulse, if people are trying to censor the mild statements, or simply holding opinions short of a full kowtow, is to find something really offensive to say.
“I REALLY wish people would just let the readers make the choice…”
There you have it. Letting others make their own choice in ANYTHING — reading material, religious beliefs, music, political philosophy, medical care, etc. — freedom of choice is totally against the “system” they and others of their ilk desire. THEY will make choices for us, and if they can control government so much the better because they will be able to do it on a massive scale and with impunity. But you already know that. Keep reminding us, however. You may yet convince a handful now and then to honestly review their actions. Long shot, but worth taking, I think.
I remember the fuss and furor about OSC several years ago, when a VileProg dug up an article he had written for an LDS publication explaining LDS teachings on marriage. The horror! The wails! He should be fired, should be banned from [everything], and so on and so forth, in saecula saeculorum, amen. (Not that the VProgs know much liturgical Latin, but anyway…)
All- Thanks for the comments. TXRed- Yeah, freedom to practice what your religion teaches is NOT to be allowed, unless it’s islam… sigh…
Posted from my iPhone.
I was wondering, why was the politician invited to an event celebrating books and reading anyways?
Because she can read from a teleprompter?
Because, as a politician, she can spin more fiction than a fiction writer?
But in all seriousness, and I’m going to say this and people will be peeved at me, but… good. Good that she spoke out in such a way. Good that a small group of turd-burglers spoke up at the last minute. (that was the part that some may object to, but hold on, you’ll be happy in a second or two, depending on your reading speed.)
Why?
Because the organizers didn’t knuckle down to the flying monkeys and the PSHysterics, for once. Their attitude was, “Oh, so you don’t want to be here? Fine.” All the drama and all the flamy-flamy for once didn’t work. And it probably got more good publicity for the event. The organizers didn’t act like many sci-fi cons these days and knuckle under to stupidity and bigotry and hatred and scectsism (see what I did there?) Makes me proud of West Virginia, and makes me believe that the spirit of freedom and independence that has always been in that hardscrabble state is still as strong as can be.
10 to 1, she was never going to show up anyways and was using this as a ‘virtue signal’ for an upcoming election. If so, hope it bites her in the buttocks hard, and long, and destroys her political career for good.
Love the spin on the story, like she’s the one doing something good rather than the con committee being the ones doing something good. Bad media, no paycheck!
Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Religion, at least at the West Virginia Book Festival, still survives!
+1 for Beans.
Roger that!
Beans- Exposure… Sigh… And agreed!
Liberals claim to want to give a hearing to other views, but then are shocked and offended to discover that there are other views. – William F. Buckley, Jr., 1959. NINETEEN-FIFTY-NINE!
Some things….
Stretch/Ed- Good point, nothing changes except the vitriol… sigh
You are wrong about the POS being unable to do anything to you. If they target you you will not remain a Z lister (if that is what you actually are). Remember Chick-A-Filla.
The Mayor is the Poster Child for Hate Speech. She was made her hate public and also has given ammo to those that would say that Women should not belong in Political office. Shame on the people that elected this hate monger to office.
Disagreement is NOT “hate speech”.