In light of experiences at this WorldCon

[james_davis_nicoll]

In light of experiences at this WorldCon, I am amending my panel requirements: No all-male panels, and at least _two_ panelists who are persons of colour.

Comments

[graydon]

No one inviting you to be on a panel is functioning as your friend.

"Until someone knows me and I chose to let them know" can't apply to panel selection. They don't know and don't have time to find out (and probably should not know) anything private, including your private construction of identity. Panel selection necessarily runs on public identity, whatever that might be.

[(Anonymous)]

Graydon, I agree that "panel selection necessarily runs on public identity, whatever that might be", but I'm pointing out that gender and race are not always part of someone's public identity, and shouldn't need to be.

[theresawright]

That's true, but James's position here is intended to support *representation* on panels. If someone on a panel is currently passing as part of the majority, then they're not part of minority representation. James is not saying all members of a panel must divulge their identities to him, he's saying he won't take part in panels that don't represent the broader population.

[(Anonymous)]

Theresawright, you're talking about the opposite situation from the one I've been commenting on. I'm talking about someone who most certainly isn't passing as a member of the majority or a privileged group.

For example, I'm talking about someone who, due to their appearance, is assumed by James to be a woman. But this person doesn't identify as a woman. This person doesn't want to be treated like a representative of women. Maybe you disagree, but I think this particular individual person's gender shouldn't be anyone elses' concern, since this person just wants to be on the panel, without being labeled. But, if the circumstances are as I described in a previous comment, James' public requirements will label that person.

[theresawright]

I'm not out offline. Due to my appearance, I am assumed to be a man. I present as a man and use male pronouns in public. I have labelled myself in public as a man. If I'm on a panel and James regards me as a man, that is entirely due to my choices. That's not James labelling me, that's James reacting to the labels I'm wearing.

If you have a specific concern that you'd like James to take into consideration, you really should contact James directly. Because these hypotheticals you've brought up aren't really resolveable to anyone's satisfaction.

[theresawright]

I'm being more aggressive in these responses than I intended. I'll stand by my position, but I'm going to step away from the conversation so it doesn't degenerate into a shouting match.