Comment on Resignation of OTW Director

  1. EchoEkhi Sun 21 May 2023 11:21PM UTC

    Notably, this is the only resignation announcement in OTW history to not quote a reason for resignation. All previous announcements quoted "personal reasons".

    Does Heather McGuire remain an OTW volunteer?
    Did she give a specific reason for her resignation?
    Is this resignation related to the latest anti-AI and #endOTWracism controversies?

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    1. TexasDreamer01 Sun 21 May 2023 11:38PM UTC

      ^ Given the timing of this, context is going to be important. The only lead-up to this announcement seems to be the recent discussions in the news posts, and there's a lot of eyes now on the visible volunteers of the organization.

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    2. moljn Mon 22 May 2023 01:24PM UTC

      It's not really any of our business if she doesn't wish to give a reason.

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      1. EchoEkhi Mon 22 May 2023 02:57PM UTC

        Of course it isn't, and in previous occasions when the resigning director refuses to give a specific reason, the board always quoted a vague "personal reasons" in the announcement. What I'm interested in is why this time, they are not able to conclusively say that this resignation is due to personal reasons. Is it because the resignation is due to some other reason instead?

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        1. moljn Mon 22 May 2023 05:44PM UTC

          If they forgot to add it, they can, of course. But if she hasn't given a reason, or doesn't wish that reason to be made public, even in vague terms, that's the way it is.

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        2. BitterOldFandomQueen Wed 24 May 2023 03:23AM UTC

          Personal is personal. You may have to just sit with not knowing. Not everything is related to some big controversy—she wasn’t on it long, it’s entirely possible she realized it’s just too much work for her at this time.

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    4. LordiTheRailgun Mon 22 May 2023 03:04PM UTC

      I will admit that I live under a rock because the site is my personal escape so I'm a little out of the loop. But what was the controversy around #endOTWracism?

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      1. Prismatic Bell (PrismaticBell) Mon 22 May 2023 03:58PM UTC

        They said three years ago they were going to address some truly disgusting racism on the site. So far they’ve…added a block button that was already in development when they made that promise. Now they’ve said they’ll hire a diversity counselor “in the next five years.” So eight years we’re making creators of color wait to have their concerns addressed? Unacceptable.

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        1. LordiTheRailgun Mon 22 May 2023 04:01PM UTC

          Uh-huh, I see. Thank you for the answers.

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        2. thewonderofpandora Tue 23 May 2023 01:35AM UTC

          Lol the second they waste money on diversity bs is the second I stop donating.

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          1. PerseusRising Tue 23 May 2023 01:49AM UTC

            Wow. Okay. Thank you for making it very obvious you hate people of color and LGBT people, by calling accommodating them "diversity bs"

            They already have a diversity consultant on staff, by the way, so they already "wasted money" on making sure minorities aren't harassed here. I'm sure they'll survive just fine without a bigot's money.

            Last Edited Tue 23 May 2023 02:00AM UTC

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            1. thewonderofpandora Tue 23 May 2023 02:04AM UTC

              Case in point right here people.

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              1. PerseusRising Tue 23 May 2023 02:07AM UTC

                Again, thanks for making your hatred of lgbt people and people of color like me very, painfully obvious. There is no "case in point", you just hate it when people acknowledge minorities exist and are people too.

                 

                Maybe try spreading your far-right garbage on a site that isn't filled with PoC and LGBT people?

                AO3 is the worst possible site to be a bigot on.

                Last Edited Tue 23 May 2023 02:15AM UTC

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            3. Prismatic Bell (PrismaticBell) Tue 23 May 2023 02:23AM UTC

              It’s fine, I’ve been meaning to sign up for a few years and keep forgetting (This Is Your Brain On ADHD). I’ll be happy to fill the gap.

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              1. PerseusRising Tue 23 May 2023 02:25AM UTC

                Hell yeah, I'll do the same. Two cool as hell people are far better than one bigot.

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                1. Prismatic Bell (PrismaticBell) Tue 23 May 2023 02:31AM UTC

                  I’d hardly call myself cool as hell, but I’ve been in fandom for twenty*coughcoughwhatwasthat* years. I’ll fight like hell before I cede it to that riffraff.

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          3. Prismatic Bell (PrismaticBell) Tue 23 May 2023 02:22AM UTC

            Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.

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          4. FullOfMicroplastics Tue 23 May 2023 02:34AM UTC

            Unironically, this comment made me remember that I should probably sign up for monthly donations now that I have a job and use the archive regularly. Thank you!

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          5. pretty_weird_ideas Tue 23 May 2023 03:01AM UTC

            Reminder to keep donating to OTW if you want proper change and to speak your mind when necessary so that the policies that you want on a site you personally contribute to should be enacted! Also, remember to vote! The entire point of this organization being open to the public was to allow for the fan archive to actually service ALL FANS. It's fine if YOU don't want to center diversity but it's clear that OTW wants to, and has promised to. Even on their previous hiring post, they're asking distinctly for diverse voices and volunteers. You're fighting with OTW instead of for OTW when you fight against and undermine the promises that they make for diversity and inclusion on their website.

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          6. OfMonstersAndWerewolves Tue 23 May 2023 11:04AM UTC

            This isn't an airport, you don't have to announce your departure.

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            1. BritHistorian Tue 23 May 2023 03:00PM UTC

              Moebius, Gardens of Aedena

              I've never heard this before, but I'll definitely be using it in the future. ^_^

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        4. VulcansDarkest Tue 23 May 2023 02:08AM UTC

          It's not a massively rich social media site. I think given how quickly Facebook and Twitter roll things out, people forget that development of software and changing already extremely fragile code takes a lot of time and resources. It's not perfect, but it's a fandom archive, not a billion dollar industry. Expecting quick turnaround times from a board of volunteers that's constantly having to deal with harassment, and holding everything together, is absolutely absurd.

          If you want to change things, volunteer your time. See how complicated and nuanced the issues are. Then find solutions instead of harassing people and complaining about things that they are working to change.

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          1. pretty_weird_ideas Tue 23 May 2023 03:44AM UTC

            While this is true for software issues, I would like to point out that there is no sign of there being any noticeable progress on hiring the diversity consultant for the OTW. Even proof that the person in question is hired as well as a line up of their tasks (none of which should include touching code at all) would be helpful. A single hire from a pre-established firm should not take 3 years (they promised to hire one in 2020, and they have simply only stated that two volunteers were searching for them). The promises start to feel hollow.

            While coding is a massive upheaval for the site, the diversity consultant promise that the OTW in 2020 that are yet to be fulfilled is not coding-based. Asking for something that was promised is not harassment. A single comment that aligns with "Please hire the diversity consultant, we need one. Here's why we need one..." is not at all harassment. And should not be grouped in with such.

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              1. PerseusRising Tue 23 May 2023 05:34AM UTC

                Trans Rights are Human Rights, bigot.

                Last Edited Tue 23 May 2023 05:39AM UTC

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            3. MalcontentCatboy Tue 23 May 2023 05:07AM UTC

              What exactly do you want this "consultant" to do? The demands seem to be angling for censorship. Hell, the activists calling for the "consultant" are actively attempting to harass authors on this site for writing stories that offend them.

              We don't need that.

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            4. (17 more comments in this thread)