17 Comments

So disappointed in Lambda Literary. I am so sorry that they could not show more courage. Love your writing. And as a librarian in a tiny town in rural NH I featured your book when it came out. I’ll do the same for Sandra Newman.

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The fact that they caved to Twitter vigilantes is sad and obscene. The fact that their mission statement includes the words “Lambda Literary nurtures and advocates for LGBTQ writers” has made them liars, but their self-destruction doesn’t erase the fact that this is a giant bunch of bullshit and I’m sorry it has happened to you.

You deserve to be nominated for something less pitiful for this letter alone.

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LITHT was the first book I've read that made me feel seen. I think I was in a literary coma before I stumbled across your book; it unlocked something in me, and I know this is true for so many others. If Lambda Lit. truly believed that "LGBTQ lives are affirmed when our stories are written, published, and read," they wouldn't let Twitter influence who they deem worthy of recognition. LITHT is important.

You and your book deserve better.

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I’m sorry. This is fucked up. You wrote a great book. They can’t take that away. Or your integrity. Integrity always has a price. The price still sucks. And hurts. There’s no reason to be stoic about it. It sucks.

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I’m so terribly sorry. Wading into that with the innocent idea that I could just say “hey, I’ve read this. You misunderstand” and being called a TERF and then a kike was truly one of the weirdest fucking experiences of my long weird life. The Men is beautiful and your book is beautiful and just fuck all those people.

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I am really sorry this happened to you. I don’t use twitter so this is new to me. Also incredibly bizarre that an awards committee can turn on a potential winner like they have. Spineless doesn’t begin to describe these folks. One thing I love about you and your writing is your courage. Would be worth doing an expose on just how these committees actually work because this one has gotten twisted on itself.

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OFFS. I'm sorry. That fucking sucks.

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I’m so sorry this happened to you. You are not the first and you will not be the last. They silence women.

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That's fucked up. They caved becasue of Twitter?? WTAF?

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You wrote a great book. I’m sorry this happened to you, that is not right. Did I mention .......YOU WROTE A GREAT BOOK.

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“I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member.” Groucho Marx

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I loved your book so much! It made me laugh and cry. I’ve gifted numerous copies since it’s one of my favorite books ever. Everyone I’ve shared a copy with has adored it. I recently sent a copy to a non binary friend who grew up in a hardcore charismatic church. They felt seen with your book. This Lamdbda decision is insane. I read the tweets. That person is still spewing bullshit and purposefully being antagonistic. How could a literary association take this seriously? I’m so sorry this happened to you. Your writing deserves acknowledgement and praise. Social media is a dangerous place where people hide behind profiles and perpetuate hate. I don’t understand how it makes them feel better and I can’t imagine how awful it is to constantly be under attack. I just read on Twitter and don’t interact.

I did find you on Twitter and your book that way. But, now you’re a NYT bestseller with a known name and hopefully you no longer need Twitter for marketing.

Sending you a big hug. Wish I could hack all the mean accounts and keep them away from you.

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Oh Lauren. I’m so sorry. This is so fucked up. 🥺💔

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I loved your book, and got it for my queer college daughter. A few hundred self described book lovers who are bad at reading can fuck all the way off.

I’m very sorry that your voice was shouted down by a small group. You deserve to be considered for all the awards.

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this may be cold comfort at this point, but having Sandra Newman as a friend and mentor is pretty hot, I think. I don’t know Sandra, but she’s amused and educated me through her work and it does not surprise me to hear that she helped you get your book out.

Also— I’ll say another obvious thing here— any progressive movement that denounces Lauren Hough and Sandra Newman is not healthy. I hope progressives figure that out; it’s this sort of monkey business that convinced me they didn’t want me in their tribe, after I’d been a progressive longer than many of them had been on this earth.

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Hey Lauren. I loved your book and I recommended it a lot. I felt bad that this happened to you and Sarah. As a former bookseller, all of this gives me the creeps. It's another car in flames. Don't give up.

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