Outer Alliance makes statement on queer-unfriendly markets

I ran the ad for Crossed Genres the other day (see previous post) as a display of solidarity with its editor who encountered some trouble trying to buy ad space for it in another webzine, due to non-acceptance of The Gay over there. I wasn't at liberty to explain it before since it was still being decided within the Alliance whether there would be an Alliance response to it and what it would be, if so. After a lot of discussion and debate, The Outer Alliance has taken the position that it will let members know when it discovers a publisher that is specifically opposed to the values of the Alliance. Here is the statement on that, with a link to the whole story, if you are interested. This is also what set me off on writing this Region Between post (warning: explicit language/sexual content--unlike Bart's ad for Crossed Genres), which I did before I knew specifically who the unsympathetic publisher is. It is also the subject of this rather more measured and thoughtful new post from Brandon Bell.

I have to say that this is all rather painful to me personally, because I have known the publisher who disappointed us on this subject for a while via Twitter and have always gotten along well with him, even if we do clash on political issues from time to time. This isn't just politics for me, however. It is deeply personal. It's not like discussing a compromise on what kind of health care reform bill or energy plan or tax policy we ought to do adopt. I don't have any space for compromise on this issue. And this does not mean that I want there to be animosity and rancor. I do not. There's too much on Earth already, and I don't want to have it with people who could otherwise be friends. But I need to make it clear where I stand on this, and that I stand with the Outer Alliance on it.

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