I make it pretty clear through reblogs etc where I stand on censorship, dark fiction, kink, dark ships, etc, but I've been a bit of a coward and never made a direct statement myself because I had it framed in my mind as a stance against Purity Culture, and nobody has the energy to deal with Purity Culture bullshit should they decide my inbox looks like a nice target.
Well, that's not how I see it anymore. The framing is no longer against Purity Culture, it's for free speech, a healthy grasp on fiction being fictional, and acknowledging that everyone engages with fiction in different ways + for different reasons. Nobody's moral character should ever be judged solely on the fiction they consume.
My priority is not to engage with Purity Culture bullshit or the toxic vocal minority, it's to protect people from it.
Gaywatch is, and always will be, a place for queer sanity and support. A space to enjoy queer fandom, queer fiction, and the camaraderie it inspires between queer and ally fans alike when we unite under art we love.
I will not tolerate the silly idea that we should be at each others' throats over the "validity" of ships, or that differences in opinion when it comes to which characters should kiss-kiss-fall-in-love justifies spewing hyperbolic vitriol at real, breathing people. I don't have the time, energy, or hubris to vet every single fan's hyper-specific relationship with fiction and psychological origins for their taste in make believe.
My enemy just got elected. I know trans people. Members of the community I've built are trans and most everyone else are queer. My boomer neighbors fly a Blue Lives Matter flag every day of the year and the Gen Z nephew I helped raise owned a shotgun when he was seventeen. I have, quite literally, real problems to deal with and real people to worry about.
If I have any actual role in the online community I've gathered so far, it's to protect one of the goddamn few things they have in this world that brings them joy.
You're safe here. I'm not going anywhere.
