claribel a. ortega

I’m not unlocking bc frankly I don’t feel like I can on here right now but permission to screenshot and share this if you take out my name. I am literally that worried about saying just about anything

And I am ok, i promise, but I’m really worried about what new writers will do and where they will go to find one another. Without twitter I would’ve never met so many ppl and would’ve lost so many opportunities. This is what ppl already at a disadvantage will lose

And I’m speaking about writers bc that’s my lane but I’m sure this is happening to other creators too and it’s equally unjust. I don’t know the solution but I know this isn’t sustainable

it feels like it has become a sport to call things out. Instead of conversations it’s straight up bullying. Twitter just isn’t conducive to having convos we need to accept that. Bc while we’re fighting one another the publishing practices that keep us down are chugging along

we also can’t keep pretending we care about mental health while absolutely destroying people on this site. I know it can be hard to have compassion for someone who f’d up & ppl get angry when others ask for that but someone messing up isn’t a license to do & say whatever you want

It’s like the moment someone gets labeled problematic no matter what the reason, all bets are off there are no rules to how you can speak to and about them and there is no time limit either. People are using it as an excuse to be awful and take out their frustrations on someone.

There are lists of problematic authors floating around & it’s like white man who sexually harassed five ppl and brown/queer person who said something mean once I think. And guess who is still gonna get published and who is going to get ostracized? It’s not hard to guess.

Ppl are saying they want diverse books but you’re harassing and abusing the people who make those books and boost them. Ppl who’ve been outspoken about equity in publishing are being targeted the most. We’re literally being told to stfu & it’s like nobody cares

Gonna mute this now but I know some ppl are frustrated that ppl here are responding when they’ve done the same thing to others so if you’re taking the time to read this pls reflect honestly on how you’ve used this space & how you can contribute to making it less toxic

If we are going to give grace to those who have messed up that also means the ones who’ve made this environment the way it is but they also have to be willing to change. It’s not about making new villains but about stopping this once and for all and I really hope we can. 1