I had something to say

I sat down wanting to write an entry, as I haven't in a long time and a lot has happened in the past month--a lot. So much that it's hit that point where there's too much to know exactly where to start.

So, for those who don't know, I've moved from Ithaca, NY to Chaska, MN. Chaska's one of those midwestern small towns hovering between its farm roots and the steady creep of urban sprawl, full of yellow brick buildings and businesses centered in converted homes. You go downtown and it feels a little like the place is waiting to see which way the highways that keep getting expanded will swing, whether they'll go back to county fairs and local festivals or try to become metropolitan. The neighborhood we're in is full of young families with one-point-five kids and a dog. It's nice, in its own way. It's... well, very Minnesota.

That was the end of the month. The two weeks preceding that were dedicated to the Alpha Young Writers Scifi/Fantasy/Horror residential workshop in PA, which deserves an entry all its own, and will have one. It got my head back in the game, as far as writing is concerned, and also helped prime the inspirational pumps. I'm not going to say much as it really does need an entry all its own--just that I got invited to be staff again next year and I couldn't possibly be happier about it. If you're in the 14-19 age bracket and a writer of speculative fiction, you should apply. No question.

I feel like I should have something more interesting to say. I guess I'm still a bit exhausted from it all. Next entry will be thoughts on writing inspired by the song It All Depends by The Paper Raincoat, and after that, probably a download of thoughts on Alpha and the marvelous, brilliant, caring, creative people who run it and attended.

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary

___________________________________________________________
For Immediate Release June 1, 2009

LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, AND TRANSGENDER PRIDE MONTH, 2009
- - - - - - -
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION

Forty years ago, patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn in New York City resisted police harassment that had become all too common for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Out of this resistance, the LGBT rights movement in America was born. During LGBT Pride Month, we commemorate the events of June 1969 and commit to achieving equal justice under law for LGBT Americans.

LGBT Americans have made, and continue to make, great and lasting contributions that continue to strengthen the fabric of American society. There are many well-respected LGBT leaders in all professional fields, including the arts and business communities. LGBT Americans also mobilized the Nation to respond to the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic and have played a vital role in broadening this country's response to the HIV pandemic.

Due in no small part to the determination and dedication of the LGBT rights movement, more LGBT Americans are living their lives openly today than ever before. I am proud to be the first President to appoint openly LGBT candidates to Senate-confirmed positions in the first 100 days of an Administration. These individuals embody the best qualities we seek in public servants, and across my Administration -- in both the White House and the Federal agencies -- openly LGBT employees are doing their jobs with distinction and professionalism.

The LGBT rights movement has achieved great progress, but there is more work to be done. LGBT youth should feel safe to learn without the fear of harassment, and LGBT families and seniors should be allowed to live their lives with dignity and respect.

My Administration has partnered with the LGBT community to advance a wide range of initiatives. At the international level, I have joined efforts at the United Nations to decriminalize homosexuality around the world. Here at home, I continue to support measures to bring the full spectrum of equal rights to LGBT Americans. These measures include enhancing hate crimes laws, supporting civil unions and Federal rights for LGBT couples, outlawing discrimination in the workplace, ensuring adoption rights, and ending the existing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in a way that strengthens our Armed Forces and our national security. We must also commit ourselves to fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic by both reducing the number of HIV infections and providing care and support services to people living with HIV/AIDS across the United States.

These issues affect not only the LGBT community, but also our entire Nation. As long as the promise of equality for all remains unfulfilled, all Americans are affected. If we can work together to advance the principles upon which our Nation was founded, every American will benefit. During LGBT Pride Month, I call upon the LGBT community, the Congress, and the American people to work together to promote equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2009 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to turn back discrimination and prejudice everywhere it exists.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.

BARACK OBAMA

[src: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_pres…

Amazon.com has instituted a new policy for categorization and listing of their books. They’ve stripped titles that contain explicitly GLBT material of their sales rankings. You know, that little number that says how well that book is selling relative to its competition. Why is this an issue? Why does this matter? Most of the reason it matters is because of what those sales ranks are used for.

This article describes it quite succinctly:

“One of the most powerful indicators of how a book is doing sales wise and can be a leading factor for generating or killing interest in a book.”

Search engines use sales ranks to determine what other books buyers might be interested in--the handy lists that show up below your chosen title and direct you to other possibilities. It’s used to determine which books show up when you select search filters--for example, “most relevant” or “most popular.” It helps generate certain online bestseller lists.

In other words, explicitly labeled GLBT material is now excluded from any Amazon search for which the ‘most popular’ filter is used, since it has no sales ranking, and thus cannot be gauged as popular or not. In addition, books that formerly might be considered bestsellers--including the critically acclaimed BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN--are now out of the running.

When I attempted to use Amazon’s advanced search engine to find history books using the key words “homosexuality history” and set the filter to ‘most popular,’ only three titles on the first three pages even came close to my target search: THE HISTORY OF SEXUALITY (volumes one and two) and a book about Harvey Milk. The results did, however include a book titled RIGHT THINKING IN A WORLD GONE WRONG: A BIBLICAL RESPONSE TO TODAY’S MOST CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES, and a quote from page 105 (“Repentence must involve a complete renunciation of homosexual sin.” Just above this, the book says that “Both the condition and the behavior [of homosexuality] are “unnatural” and grievously sinful….”). So, rather than presenting homosexuality in a historical context, I was given general history books and one text on Biblical responses to modern issues. Not exactly a well-targeted search.

According to a letter received by author Mark Probst, Amazon is stripping these numbers “In consideration of our entire customer base,” on the basis that it is adult material and not safe for all viewers.

So why does the children’s picture book HEATHER HAS TWO MOMMIES have no sales rank while PLAYBOY: THE COMPLETE CENTERFOLDS does? (It’s ranked #69,465 in Books as of 6pm on April 12.)

One commenter put forward the theory that it’s a ploy to push the Kindle (the Amazon electronic book reader) numbers; with their paper-copy competition out of the way numerically, the Kindle statistics would be the basis for bestseller lists in certain categories. This makes no sense. Granted, some of the books that have lost their sales rankings in paper copy maintain them for the Kindle copy. But if advertising was the sum total of Amazon’s motivations, then why have books not available on the Kindle been stripped of their sales rank as well?


-The Lavender Scare: The Cold War Persecution of Gays and Lesbians in the Federal Government
-Homosexuality and Civilization by Louis Crompton
-The Dictionary of Homophobia: A Global History of Gay & Lesbian Experience, edited by Louis-George Tin
-Homophobia: A History by Bryan Fone

All of the above have been stripped. In addition, teen fiction titles such as AM I BLUE?, an acclaimed anthology of stories about GLBT issues, and autobiographical books and essay collections like CONFESSIONS OF THE OTHER MOTHER and TWO TEENAGERS IN 20: WRITINGS BY GAY AND LESBIAN YOUTH have lost their rankings.

You know what else still has a sales ranking?

WHERE’S DILDO? AND 99 OTHER MIND-STIMULATING PUZZLES.

And what’s more, you can search inside this book!

Well done protecting your customer base, Amazon.


As a writer of GLBT material, this appalls me. How can they call it “protecting” anyone? How can anyone say this is simple marketing? It’s insidious manipulation of the system to discriminate, discredit, and disenfranchise a growing community of readers and writers, as well as guiding the questioning and confused--including parents of GLBT youth--away from material that could help them.

There has been call to give Amazon a chance to fix this issue. Yes. Give them time to fix it. But don’t stay quiet, and don’t forget that it happened. It’s bigoted behavior of the worst kind--the subtle kind. The almost innocent-looking kind.

This is not okay. This is in fact a big deal. Don’t brush it off or wait for someone else to handle it.

Say something.



For more information on the books that were stripped and the effects of that action (more to come):
http://community.livejournal.com/m… (A list of titles that have been affected)
ETA 1: http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks… (Feminist Romance reviewers)
http://rydra-wong.livejournal.com/… (Further contact information for Amazon)
More news and a template letter to send to Amazon.com
ETA 2: http://dearauthor.com/wordpress/20… (Amazon, alleging that it is a glitch, not a policy, and and information that may argue against that fact.)
http://craigspoplife.blogspot.com/… (A memoir author who has been dealing with this issue since February)
ETA 3: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/ja… (A brief article containing quotes from correspondence with Amazon Director of Corporate Communications Patty Smith)
ETA 4: http://urbzen.com/2009/04/12/makin… (What this could mean for the future of print media censorship)
ETA 5: http://tehdely.livejournal.com/888… (Another theory regarding this entire debacle.)