+<awol:Entry
+ xml:lang="en"
+ xmlns:awol="http://bblfish.net/work/atom-owl/2006-06-06/"
+ xmlns:dc11="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
+ xmlns:rdf="http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#"
+ xmlns:sioc="http://rdfs.org/sioc/ns#"
+>
+ <dc11:title>End Racism in the O·T·W</dc11:title>
+ <dc11:date>2023-05-14T14:13:54-07:00</dc11:date>
+ <dc11:abstract rdf:parseType="Markdown"><![CDATA[
+Fans are protesting the Organization for Transformative Works’s
+complete ineptitude at addressing racism in the fannish communities
+that their infrastructure supports. I think this is a great thing.
+]]></dc11:abstract>
+ <sioc:content rdf:parseType="Markdown"><![CDATA[
+That the [Organization for Transformative Works][OTW] has incredibly
+lax and permissive standards regarding what kinds of fanworks they
+permit on their website, [<cite>Archive of Our Own</cite>][AO3], is a
+fact so welknown among the fans who frequent it that any comment on the
+matter feels like an exercise in stating the obvious. Haven’t read
+their [Terms of Service](https://archiveofourown.org/tos
+"Archive of Our Own: Terms of Service") recently? Here you go :—
+
+<figure>
+
+> **[I. Offensive Content
+> Policy](https://archiveofourown.org/tos)**
+>
+> As provided in part [I.E.3](https://archiveofourown.org/tos#exposure)
+> of the Terms of Service, the OTW is not liable to you for any Content
+> to which you are exposed on or because of the Service.
+>
+> Unless it violates some other policy, we will not remove Content for
+> offensiveness, no matter how awful, repugnant, or badly spelled we
+> may personally find that Content to be.
+
+<figcaption><cite>Archive of Our Own</cite>: <a
+href="https://archiveofourown.org/tos#IV.I.">“Terms of Service”
+§ⅠⅤ∷I</a></figcaption></figure>
+
+As <cite>A·O·3</cite> is one of the largest fan “archives” (fannish
+term of art) and a place a great many people go (or might like to) in
+order to consume fanworks, this kind of blithe, cheerfully dismissive
+stance _ought to_ read as a clear & obvious dereliction of duty. It
+should come as no surprise that many people find the prospect of going
+to a fanspace populated with “awful, repugnant” works (works which, to
+be painfully clear, might suggest, threaten, or otherwise constitute
+bigotry, harassment, or violence towards themselves or their loved
+ones) to be _somewhat undesirable_, and that their presence has a
+chilling effect (to say the least) on who feels welcome and able to
+participate in fandom as a whole.
+
+Of course, getting the O·T·W to actually revise this policy has thus
+far been about as difficult as one might imagine, considering that the
+O·T·W is an incredibly disorganized nonprofit run entirely by
+volunteers and whose board is effectively decided by personality
+contest with little actual meaningful organizational power besides.
+Fans were, through much effort (starting, in a sense, in 2020, but
+ongoing, in a different since, as part of an effort which has persisted
+since the organization’s founding), able to at least get the O·T·W to
+_entertain the idea_ of hiring a Diversity Consultant (temporary; not
+staff) to help them fix some of their problems, although the farthest
+they have gotten in _that_ respect so far (in 2023) is appointing a
+Diversity Consultant Research Officer (a volunteer), whose job it is to
+research _whether_ or _how_ the organization even _wants_ a Diversity
+Consultant (because, evidently, _they just don’t know_).
+
+<figure>
+
+> The Board has been brainstorming the possibility of instating two new
+> officer roles in the OTW: A <i>Paid Staff Transition Officer</i> and
+> a <i>Diversity Consultant Research Officer</i>. The people in these
+> roles would be responsible for overseeing and managing progress on
+> both of these projects, since historically, the OTW tends to struggle
+> to advance long-term projects due to the frequent turnover of Board
+> members. […]
+>
+> […]
+>
+> […] the Diversity Consultant Research Officer would […] research
+> and explore possibilities for diversity consultants and present their
+> findings to the Board, who would then evaluate them and make a
+> decision on how to move forward.
+
+<figcaption>Not a promise to actually hire a Diversity Consultant, just
+to research the possibility; <a
+href="https://www.transformativeworks.org/board_minutes/board-meeting-minutes-11-july-2021/"
+title="O·T·W Board Minutes, 11 July 2021">O·T·W Board Minutes, <time
+datetime="2021-07-11">11 July 2021</time></a></figcaption></figure>
+
+<figure>
+
+> Avenues that we will consider and plan for addressing diversity and
+> inclusion include:
+>
+> - <p>Contracting with an individual or organization to consult on
+> issues of racial bias and inequality within the Organization and
+> its projects. Options for this will be researched by a dedicated
+> Diversity Consultant Research Officer, appointed by the Board of
+> Directors.</p>
+
+<figcaption>Also not a promise to actually hire a Diversity Consultant;
+<a
+href="https://www.transformativeworks.org/otw-vision-statement-2022-2025/"
+>“O·T·W Vision Statement 2022–2025”</a></figcaption></figure>
+
+The current timeline is for the (still hypothetical) Diversity
+Consultant’s work to be “completed” within the next five years, with an
+unknown percentage of that time spent actually getting them in the
+position. Of course, we all know that diversity work _never ends_, so
+what we really have learned is that while the O·T·W doesn’t know when
+they will actually be _hiring_ someone to the job, they certainly _do_
+know when they will be _firing_ them.
+
+[This information has been extremely difficult to
+extract](https://runpunkrun.dreamwidth.org/982132.html
+"Notes from the March 26 OTW Quarterly Public Board Meeting") and this
+schedule is obviously painfully, and unacceptably, slow.
+
+This June will mark the three‐year anniversary of the O·T·W [beginning
+to make some of these commitments][OTW-Statement], and consequently
+some fans have decided to once again raise a fuss to try and get the
+ball rolling a little faster. However, instead of using the usual fan
+tactic of being loud on blogs, social media, and the occasional board
+meeting, they have decided to instead go with **direct action**, which
+I think is _excellent_. They’re calling their movement [“End O·T·W
+Racism”][EndOTWRacism] and have [issued a call to action for the dates
+17–31 May][EndOTWRacism-CtA]. In addition to the usual social media
+campaigning, they hope to get the issue in fans’ faces through the
+voluntary changing of fanwork titles to ‹ End Racism in the OTW ›—a
+tactic which is disruptive _enough_ that people will definitely notice,
+but not so disruptive that it constitutes a T·o·S violation that
+<cite>A·O·3</cite> could reasonably retaliate against.
+
+Now, generally speaking, I am far more interested in antiracist &
+feminist & queer fandom existing _without_ <cite>A·O·3</cite> than
+_within_. As the above probably makes clear, I think that the O·T·W as
+an organization is inept and that the possibility of End O·T·W Racism
+having any of their demands met is slim‐to‐nil. **_Nevertheless_**, I
+whole·heartedly support this action, and I do so for the following
+reasons :—
+
+1. Successfully applying pressure to the O·T·W will result in one of
+ two outcomes :— ① They could show their true colours, retaliate,
+ and demonstrate hypocrisy by refusing to give platform and voice to
+ antiracist fans even as they continue to defend their right to give
+ platform to the racist ones. Or, more optimistically, ② they could
+ respond favourably with change. Both of these outcomes advance the
+ cause, in different ways. The third outcome—the status quo—is that
+ they continue to leave the question open and fail to make any
+ meaningful progress, which is an invitation to apply more pressure
+ because clearly we have not applied _enough_ then!
+
+2. If successful, this action could serve as a template for future
+ feminist & queer radical actions in fandom (in addition to ongoing
+ antiracist efforts). As a lesbian, this obviously matters to me, and
+ I think that any lesbian who cares about lesbian fannish fiction
+ should work in solidarity with this movement because we desperately
+ need to learn how to organize _ourselves_. Even if the action is
+ unsuccessful, it could at least serve as a warning of things to not
+ attempt again.
+
+3. I believe that the organizing potential that these sorts of actions
+ provide is useful in its own right, regardless of any other result.
+ I hope that the people running this programme are learning things
+ and I also hope that we all are able to learn things from them. But
+ I also think that the very fact that they _have_ organized
+ themselves is incredibly valuable, in that it allows these
+ conversations to escape the informal networks of fannish social
+ circles to which they have (mostly) been contained until now. I am
+ certain that I have no idea who any of the people running this
+ action are, and I am also certain that if they had simply, as a
+ group of friends, all decided to do undertake this action on their
+ own (without any further organizational structure or competency) I
+ never would have even heard about it, much less be writing a
+ blogpost on the subject. This _is_ largely how antiracist action on
+ <cite>A·O·3</cite> has progressed so far (blogposts on blogs I don’t
+ follow and author’s notes on fics I don’t read), and the movement
+ desperately needs to escape the limits that this structurelessness
+ has enforced. Even if this particular action is ultimately worthless
+ in terms of its direct effects, simply by existing it provides a
+ cultural reference point for people outside of those cliques and
+ circles to begin to think about further organizing, which is vital.
+
+4. Fans need to _get used to_ seeing other fans organize politically
+ and engage in direct, disruptive, and occasionally confrontational
+ political action. Fans need to get used to seeing it because fans
+ need to be _doing_ it, and until they see it happen they won’t
+ realize that it is a thing they even can do. The O·T·W is a
+ nightmare _in part because_ fans have no idea how to organize in a
+ way which actually gets anything done. Every attempt at maybe not
+ being quite so accommodating to active racists and fascists is seen
+ as “anti behaviour” by some because organized harassment campaigns
+ are _so much_ the only form of meaningful organization that most
+ fans encounter that they have learned to treat “organized action”
+ and “harassment” as equivalent. _This needs to change._
+
+With respect to the action itself, as an author who publishes on
+<cite>A·O·3</cite>, the steps I personally will be taking (beginning
+17 May) are as follows :—
+
+- I plan to set the title of *nearly* every fic I have published since
+ <time datetime="2020-06-10">10 June 2020</time>—the date of [“This
+ Week In Fandom, Volume 149”][TWIF-149]—to ‹ End Racism in the OTW ›,
+ in solidarity. Specific exceptions will made for the following
+ minority of works :—
+
+ - **Joke fic,** where the title & summary is setting up the joke.
+ Example: [<cite>In Hyrule, they don’t say
+ “baka”</cite>](https://archiveofourown.org/works/31751758).
+
+ - **Meta fic,** where the title is necessary for describing the
+ subject of the meta. Example: [<cite>Zelda’s Fingers Could
+ Conceivably Be Longer Than
+ Link’s</cite>](https://archiveofourown.org/works/46556131).
+
+ - **Fic with fictional authorship,** for which changing the title
+ would be breaking the fourth wall. Example: [<cite>Strange Stories
+ from the
+ Surface</cite>](https://archiveofourown.org/works/41041395).
+
+ (**Why make exceptions?** Because these are niche works, because I
+ don’t think leaving a few fics with their original titles will
+ negatively impact the action, and because these are the few instances
+ where changing the title does substantially affect the work itself
+ and not merely how it is presented in <cite>A·O·3</cite>’s
+ interface.)
+
+- I will include a note explaining the previous point at the beginning
+ of every affected fic. The following note text is planned :—
+
+ > This fic, which was first published after the
+ > <abbr title="Organization for Transformative Works">O·T·W</abbr>’s
+ > [“This Week in Fandom, Volume 149” (10 June 2020)][TWIF-149] but
+ > before the implementation of meaningful antiracist policies
+ > anywhere in the organization, has been titled ‹ End Racism in the
+ > OTW › in solidarity with the [End O·T·W Racism][EndOTWRacism]
+ > protest | movement. You can read more about [the original call to
+ > action][EndOTWRacism-CTA] and [my personal take on
+ > it](https://blog.ladys.computer/2023-05-14/end_otw_racism/). I have
+ > no plans to further revise the title of this fic.
+
+ For fics whose titles did *not* change, I am planning a slightly
+ different note :—
+
+ > This fic was orignially published after the
+ > <abbr title="Organization for Transformative Works">O·T·W</abbr>’s
+ > [“This Week in Fandom, Volume 149” (10 June 2020)][TWIF-149] but
+ > before the implementation of meaningful antiracist policies
+ > anywhere in the organization. In solidarity with the [End O·T·W
+ > Racism][EndOTWRacism] protest | movement, the author respectfully
+ > demands immediate action from the Organization for Transformative
+ > Works on this issue. For more, read [End O·T·W Racism’s original
+ > call to action][EndOTWRacism-CTA], or see [my own personal take on
+ > it](https://blog.ladys.computer/2023-05-14/end_otw_racism/).
+
+- I will maintain this policy *indefinitely*, until either :—
+
+ - The demands of the End O·T·W Racism call to action have been
+ satisfied, or
+
+ - Participation in a future action requires me to act differently, or
+
+ - I am banned from <cite>A·O·3</cite>.
+
+ Although the End O·T·W Racism action is currently only planned for
+ 17–31 May, with fan·authors free to set their titles back its end, I
+ _personally_ feel that it is better that the historical context in
+ which these fics were created and published _not_ be erased. I
+ certainly think “this fic was published during a time when the
+ Organization for Transformative Works was grappling, largely
+ unsuccessfully, with the racism of various fans who used its service”
+ makes for a far juicier and more interesting title than than
+ anything _else_ I might come up with. If the O·T·W somehow manages to
+ pull principled action out its arse and address these problems,
+ perhaps at a future date I will see that history as less relevant.
+ As things currently stand, its relevance is *direct* and *immediate*,
+ so I don’t see any reason to scrub it off once the action completes.
+
+**_I invite any other fan·authors who read this post to join me in
+solidarity._**
+
+[AO3]: <https://archiveofourown.org/> "Archive of Our Own"
+[EndOTWRacism]: <https://end-otw-racism.tumblr.com> "End OTW Racism"
+[EndOTWRacism-CtA]: <https://end-otw-racism.tumblr.com/post/716978822501875712/fandom-against-racism-a-manifesto> "END OTW RACISM: A CALL TO ACTION"
+[OTW]: <https://www.transformativeworks.org/> "Organization for Transformative Works"
+[OTW-Statement]: <https://www.transformativeworks.org/statement-from-the-otw-board-of-directors-chairs-leads/>
+[TWIF-149]: <https://web.archive.org/web/20200610165006/https://www.transformativeworks.org/this-week-in-fandom-volume-149/> "This Week in Fandom: Volume 149"
+]]></sioc:content>
+ <dc11:rights rdf:parseType="Markdown"><![CDATA[
+Copyright © 2023 Lady <small>[Aspirational Fannish Organizer]</small>.
+Some rights reserved.
+
+This blogpost is licensed under a <a rel="license"
+href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"><cite>Creative
+Commons Attribution 4.0 International License</cite></a>.
+]]></dc11:rights>
+</awol:Entry>
Lady’s Gitweb / Blog / commitdiff