Yolen Gets Mixed Feedback

Jane Yolen’s announcement on Facebook that she will no longer travel to Texas or Florida to speak or do signings led to “a sudden flood of folks unfriending me here (I CAN read the statistics, puleeze.) Have to put it down to my political stance.”

A typical negative comment was Alexandra Flinn’s:

Maybe authors who are boycotting our state should refuse to have their books on the Sunshine State list too. I mean, they wouldn’t want to take Floridians’ money and all. I’m sorry, but I voluntarily live in a very diverse county of a very diverse state, so it’s annoying to hear about how stupid and racist we all are.

Many people posted supportive comments, too.

Yolen says she has a waitlist of over 1000 people wanting to be her Facebook friends and she’ll have no trouble filling in the vacancies. She did not say how many there are.

Yolen responded to another who discounted her tactics by saying he failed to take into account that Yolen has been politically active for decades, and even been a delegate to the Democratic National Convention. The decision is based on ample experience.

4 thoughts on “Yolen Gets Mixed Feedback

  1. I’ve seen other similar comments about economically boycotting Texas from people who say they now refuse to go to the worldcon in San Antonio (including one self-righteous one from someone who I know for a fact was not planning to attend in any case!) Considering how reactionary the state has always been (you’re talking about a state where environmental science books were once held up by their school board due to concern that they were teaching children to be more loyal to their planet than their country, and where in March of this year they passed a bill requiring drug tests before one can collect unemployment benefits), it seems like coming a little late to the party for the latest outrage – the abortion bill – to all of a sudden cause everyone to not want to spend money there.

  2. “David Gerrold
    Saturday, 13 July 2013 at 10:24 near Los Angeles, CA

    “I have a supporting membership in this year’s Worldcon. I know how hard the committee has worked to make it a success. I wish I could be there because my buddy, Norman Spinrad, is guest of honor. But … as I said previously, I’m so appalled at the behavior of the Texas legislature, I can’t.

    The irony here is that I’ve already promised to attend a Trek convention in Houston. And I have to keep that promise. But that one, they’re (supposed to be) paying my way, so if I do get there I’ll sell some tribbles and donate some funds to an appropriate cause.”

  3. I thought he had been appalled by the behavior of the Texas legislature since pretty much forever, but I’m fine with whatever decision David Gerrold wants to make about the cons he chooses to attend. I have to say, I would be really impressed if he gave up attending a con where they were going to pay his way.

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