When Worldcon 76 program participants were sent their schedules over the weekend such controversy resulted that the schedule was taken offline this morning, Chair Kevin Roche issued an apology, and the committee now is reviewing the participant bios, asking to hear from Hugo nominees who haven’t been put on the program and, presumably, filling the vacancies left by writers who have now dropped out.
Three issues drawing the most fire in social media have been —
- Respect for people’s chosen pronouns (and related concerns about LGBTQAI+ and POC participation);
- Whether new writers are being accepted onto programming (with skepticism fueled by the realization that several newer writers who are Hugo nominees are not on the program); and
- Dissatisfaction with responses by the Worldcon 76 program division.
Lighting off the social media cycle was Hugo nominee Bogi Takács’ call for an apology after seeing eir bio in the program database. (The thread starts here.)
I would very much appreciate a public apology from @worldcon2018 for rewriting my bio to change my name and my gender.
I have never, ever used "he" pronouns.
After many similar exclusionary actions, this is the last straw, I am honestly not sure I can safely attend. pic.twitter.com/agazsY1rmV
— Bogi Takács PERSON, 100% migráncs (@bogiperson) July 23, 2018
I talked a lot about how this year I am a finalist for 3 awards and I can barely scrape the $ together to attend one.
I chose this one.
The past few weeks have been a continuous proof that it was a bad decision.
A lot of this was behind the scenes bc I didn't make a ruckus
— Bogi Takács PERSON, 100% migráncs (@bogiperson) July 23, 2018
Takács also pointed to undeserved criticism from Worldcon 76 Program Division Head Christine Doyle for going public:
Worldcon's response, screencapped:
"Please talk to me directly about this. It’s your public bio from elsewhere and I am happy to edit it so it reads the way you want it. Again, Worldcon did *not* write the bio."
Uh? pic.twitter.com/mzzJOQQOuN
— Bogi Takács PERSON, 100% migráncs (@bogiperson) July 23, 2018
Takács received an apology from Chair Kevin Roche:
I did get an apology just now.https://t.co/VA0ktt4CTp
I hope @worldcon2018 will also investigate the highly inappropriate communications about marginalized award finalists that I linked above.
— Bogi Takács PERSON, 100% migráncs (@bogiperson) July 23, 2018
Unfortunately, Roche’s general apology was preceded by another one based on some wrong information, leading to this exchange:
Okay, the baldfaced lies are getting ridiculous at this point. There is literally no publicly published bio of Bogi's on the internet that uses he/him pronouns. Your team did not pull an incorrect bio, they pulled a correct one and then DELIBERATELY EDITED IT TO MISGENDER BOGI.
— ?Nibedita Sen, smol potato @ Readercon ? (@her_nibsen) July 23, 2018
I was told in good faith by my head of Program this. She believed this. I am continuing to investigate.
And how exactly is an apology from the chair of the convention "Not Official"?
— Kevin Roche (@kproche) July 23, 2018
Hugo nominee JY Yang voiced concerns for POC as well:
I have never felt as disrepected by a convention as I have by @worldcon2018. And not just me, but also my POC and queer community.
I am seriously considering declining to attend the Hugo ceremony despite being a nominee. What would be the point? We’re clearly not valued there.
— JY Yang ? (they/them) (@halleluyang) July 23, 2018
If this is your reasoning @worldcon2018 you can take me off your programming right fucking now. I don’t want to be there if a fucking HUGO NOMINATION isn’t enough for a new/marginalized writer to be considered of value. pic.twitter.com/MaqdOfGD0m
— JY Yang ? (they/them) (@halleluyang) July 23, 2018
Another comment:
Do not put this on us. Or the many NON finalists who asked to be included on programming and were summarily turned away bc programming was “full”. A community is not just made out of a handful of people FFS. https://t.co/FpnIgEdxjU
— JY Yang ? (they/them) (@halleluyang) July 23, 2018
Yang later wrote another thread (starts here) to make such points as these –
That's why I've withdrawn from programming entirely. I'm not interested in being part of a conversation which shuts out voices based on some arbitrary, insular standard of popularity.
— JY Yang ? (they/them) (@halleluyang) July 23, 2018
Michi Trota, in a thread that starts here, reminded programming why these creators are Hugo nominees in the first place —
(Ok now I’m really going to bed but that giant error in logic was just making my brain itch)
— M. Trota Fieriosa ???? (@GeekMelange) July 23, 2018
In other thread, Trota wrote:
Just a data point but: I’m up for a 3rd Hugo & San Jose will be my 3rd Worldcon but this is the 1ST TIME I’ve ever been included on programming. And that 1st Worldcon? I was attending as the 1st Filipina Hugo finalist but no programming for me til now so ?????? pic.twitter.com/O9dgMf56w3
— M. Trota Fieriosa ???? (@GeekMelange) July 23, 2018
Amal El-Mohtar did this roundup of the issues —
Before going further I want to acknowledge that @worldcon2018’s chair has posted an apology & a commitment to investigate the issues—but I really want to know how this happened, & how to prevent it from happening again.
— Amal El-Mohtar (@tithenai) July 23, 2018
For the record, the email Program Division Head Christine Doyle sent to program participants yesterday said in part:
We had over 2000 people ask to be on the program, and unfortunately there was no way to accommodate everyone. Similarly, we had over 2000 program items submitted, with lots of duplication in some areas, and we couldn’t schedule them all.
We realized that many people didn’t receive our initial communications, because they were either blocked without us getting notice (i.e., earthlink), or filtered into the promotions bin (gmail).
We may contact some people for headshots and bios. If the headshot and/or bio that we have for you is not to your liking, please contact us with suggested edits or replacements. A note about names: for consistency and fairness, we are not using any prefixes (honorifics) or suffixes for your name unless it changes who you are (Sr/Jr/III). That said, we fully expect all of those details to be in the bios. Let us know if we need to edit the bio to get this included.
The present controversy has cost Worldcon 76 some of its best-known participants.
N.K. Jemisin dropped out of Worldcon 76 programming:
FYI for all — I've withdrawn from @worldcon2018 programming, which frees up 2 hours for (hopefully) #ownvoices panels, etc.
— N. K. Jemisin (@nkjemisin) July 23, 2018
Mary Robinette Kowal is going to the con but is getting off the program:
Oh, I'm still going to San Jose and I'll still make sure Hugo and Campbell nominees are celebrated, but as things currently stand, I will have to withdraw from programming.
— Mary Robinette Kowal (@MaryRobinette) July 23, 2018
Several writers say they are dropping off the program to (in effect) leave room for newcomers.
John Scalzi, in “Being Seen at Worldcon”, sums up what he terms to be —
A Twitter thread on the recent contretemps at Worldcon 76, where many newer writers (including some Hugo finalists) were not represented on the initial programming slate
Including this comment:
5. With this year's Worldcon, we're having discussion about who gets to be seen on programming. As someone now who is *definitely* seen, I think it's important that we continue to pay it forward — to give new voices, new people and new perspectives a literal seat at the table.
— John Scalzi (@scalzi) July 23, 2018
David Gerrold said on Facebook:
Re: Worldcon.
There are program items I cannot step out of (specifically the memorial panel for Harlan Ellison), but I have written to the Worldcon Committee and asked them to cancel my reading and slot in a Hugo nominee or a person of color or a woman into that spot instead.
I will be taking a second look at a couple other panel assignments as well.
David D. Levine also offered to vacate his place on Worldcon 76 program.
I haven't yet reached the point of canceling my @worldcon2018 participation, but I would gladly give up my panels if that's what it takes to get marginalized authors a seat on the podium.
— David D. Levine (@daviddlevine) July 23, 2018
(This is unlikely to be an exhaustive list, just the ones I found.)
Worldcon 76 Chair Kevin Roche has announced on Facebook (with a parallel Twitter thread):
(From the Chair)
I directed the Program Division to take down the preliminary program information that was released yesterday evening. There were too many errors and problems in it to leave it up.
I am sorry we slighted and angered so many of the people we are gathering to meet, honor, and celebrate. This was a mistake, our mistake. We were trying to build a program reflecting the diversity of fandom and respectful of intersectionality. I am heartbroken that we failed so completely.
We are tearing the program apart and starting over. It was intended to be a reflection of the cultures, passions, and experiences of Worldcon membership, with room for both new voices and old. What we released yesterday failed to do that; we must do better.
Many of you have offered to help us do a better job. Thank you. We cannot accept all those offers, but yes, we will be turning to some of you to help us do it better this time.
We will continue to reach out to the Hugo Finalists we have missed connections with, to ensure any who wish to be on the program will have a place on it.
Kevin Roche
Chair, Worldcon 76 in San Jose
An additional complaint about how the bios seem to have been created:
I'm just here to have a good time and maybe get some Taco Bell. Like, my public website has a bio and lots of art already there for use? *sigh*
— Fictograph | grace p fong @ Worldcon (@fictograph) July 23, 2018
More dissatisfaction about program from two Hugo nominees.
Suzanne Palmer (thread starts here).
So, I'm a Hugo nominee, I've been a finalist for the Eugie Foster and Theodore Sturgeon Award (twice), won the Asimov's & AnLab Reader's award multiple times, and @worldcon2018 has put me on exactly one programming item: a kaffeeklatch the last day, an hour after hotel checkout.
— Suzanne Palmer (@zanzjan) July 23, 2018
K.M.Szpara (thread begins here)
I really want to see everyone in their favorite convention duds, have amazing conversations, know that folks are being treated well and uplifted, enjoying themselves. I want it to be everyone’s best night. And it is shaping up very much not to be.
?? to you all, friends.
— Kellan ? // K.M. Szpara (@KMSzpara) July 23, 2018
Alexandra Erin responded to the latest social media cycle with these thoughts about the application of lessons from the culture wars to the science fiction community. (Thread starts here.)
The stance of WorldCon2018's programming people has been that, well, "their attendees" just aren't interested in the Hugo nominees or the new up-and-comers or things like #OwnVoices.
— Alexandra Erin (@alexandraerin) July 23, 2018
Furthermore, Alexandra Erin has decided what is needed is a “Queer Rapid Response Team for WorldCon 76”.
So, this is one of those posts that’s going to be mystifying to a lot of people but make perfect sense to others. It’s a busy day and I don’t have the time or wherewithal to go into the background. The short version is: WorldCon 76 is fudging up quite badly in how it treats attendees, up to and including finalists for its crown jewel Hugo Award. Multiple genderqueer, non-binary, and non-conforming members have spoken up about feeling unsafe and disrespected, and WorldCon’s safety team is not inspiring a lot of confidence.
Accordingly, I am taking one of my standing offers at WisCon and expanding and formalizing it for the larger WorldCon: I am forming a Queer Rapid Response Team. Before the convention next month, I will set up an automated channel that will text any messages onward to everybody on the team. The idea is that if anybody in the family needs an escort, needs a friendly face, needs emotional support, or whatever, we can form up on them like queer Voltron.