Kari Sperring* introduced the utterly magnifient tag SFFragette over on Twitter a few days ago, as a term to embody the push-back against sexism in SFF. It now has a Facebook page, a Twitter feed, and a blog.
These are fantastic places to follow the ongoing discussion. I ottally lack the spoons to link to all the great posts and talks that are happening, so if you’re one of my readers and have any interest in the topic, there’s your source for news.
That said, here’s a link I think says some important things: What we talk about when we talk about con harassment. It’s not a scintillating post title, but it’s written by a man, and largely directed at men. The thing that particularly stands out about it to me is his discussion of the of “I’d have broken that bastard’s teeth!” response when faced with a discussion or report of harrassment. (Note: this is not a men-only response by a long shot, but it does seem to be a nearly universal one among men. I am not trying to persecute anybody by bringing this up.)
I have seen several people say words to the effect of “but this is a problem throughout society, why is SFF being called out for it?” Someone–whose blog I didn’t save–essentially said, “Yes, but the SFF community is my particular pool, so this is where I’m choosing to expend my energies.” I think that nails it. Besides, in this context, the SFF community is freaking huge: the overlap with gaming, comics, cosplay, means the potential ripple effect is tremendous.
*If you like Carol Berg or Guy Gavriel Kay, you should be reading Kari’s books. I’m just sayin’.