Isabel Fall’s short story “I Sexually Identify as an Attack Helicopter” in the January Clarkesworld, the subject of intense discussion on Twitter this week, was removed from the magazine’s website today at the author’s request.

Editor Neil Clarke tweeted:

Isabel Fall's story has been removed from our website at the author's request. A more detailed official statement will follow soon, but I'm still recovering from surgery, so please allow a little more time for that. — clarkesworld (@clarkesworld) January 15, 2020

The story remains available to read at the Wayback Machine.

This roundup illustrates the sources of the discussion within the sff community, and points to some of the more frequently cross-referenced conversations.

IS THE STORY TRANSPHOBIC?

D Franklin challenges numerous passages as transphobic. Thread starts here.

All of that is straight out of the Reddit transphobes' playbook and it doesn't stop being offensive when done with an attempt at a knowing wink. It's still deeply unpleasant. — D Franklin (@D_Libris) January 13, 2020

D Franklin agrees the story should have been pulled. Thread starts here.

I'm glad Clarkesworld agreed to pull Isabel Fall's story. I hope she continues to write and gets better editorial support in future.



I also hope cis people, next time, take a goddamn fucking seat: on all sides! — D Franklin (@D_Libris) January 15, 2020

Another critic of the story as transphobic makes a detailed case for that viewpoint here.

I read the "I identify as an attack helicopter" story and it sucks. It's transphobic, yes, but it sucks in a way that leads me to think the entire point of the story is transphobic messaging. A more detailed breakdown follows. — Publick Universal Effbian (@EffInvictus) January 11, 2020

Lynn E. O’Connacht communicates that “there’s a pretty big difference between “this story makes me uncomfortable’ and ‘this story caused me harm’”. Thread starts here.

(Also: if you DON’T know the story? Yes, it’s the SF one based on a transphobic meme published this month. Yes, I’m subtweeting it.) — Lynn E. O'Connacht (@lynnoconnacht) January 13, 2020

WIDER CONTEXT.

Bogi Takács sheds light on some matters that drive the reception of this story and works by and about other minorities.

First thread starts here.

And a huge amount of the engagement I see is from cis people who have never said anything about trans stories before and/or have said very little.



Out of all trans stories, this is the one they felt they needed to engage with. — Bogi Takács at #ConFusion (@bogiperson) January 13, 2020

Second thread starts here.

This is another aspect of what I was saying earlier:https://t.co/Labb0xL5hd



Which is kind of the reverse of it, that ownvoices is not an absolution from criticisms.



But yes, one can have an ownvoices stance and still internalize various oppressive argumentation. — Bogi Takács at #ConFusion (@bogiperson) January 14, 2020

POSITIVE RESPONSES TO STORY.

Phoebe North supports the story and author in “An Open Letter” at Medium, an autobiographical essay that concludes:

Whatever you decide to do with your story, Isabel, thank you for writing your story. Thank you for making me feel seen and heard. We don’t get a lot of ourselves in fiction. We often only get scraps. This was more than that. A mirror.

Alex Acks says North’s essay “articulates a lot of my own difficult to verbalize feelings” about the story.

Berry Grass believes the story has shortcomings, but aligns more with those who consider it to be thought-provoking. Thread starts here.

The real shortcomings of the story (& of gender abolitionism as a whole!) is that the story's conception of gender as well as its dystopian, AI-driven world, totally eschews indigenous ways of being & thinking. It mistakes power structures of "the West" w/ the ONLY structures — ? Berry Grass ? (@theBGrass) January 15, 2020

The author is apparently asking Clarkesworld to take down the story because of the negative reaction its gotten. I think its an engaging read, even if (& maybe because) I disagree with its conception of gender. https://t.co/cuFCMsQNdH — ? Berry Grass ? (@theBGrass) January 15, 2020

CONTROVERSIAL ART.

Carmen Maria Machado wrote a long, thoughtful thread about provocative stories in the context of art and literature, but while I was editing this together she locked her tweets to all but followers so those are not available to quote.

Malcolm F. Cross criticizes the story as having shortcomings as MilSF, too, but marks out more territory on the art vs. harm map. Thread starts here.

Military Science Fiction is sometimes regarded as meathead right-wing fiction. And yet there are very progressive works of military fiction out there. The helicopter story is military science fiction, and MilSF is one of my favorites. — Malcolm F. Cross (@foozzzball) January 14, 2020

Should I not write that story? Like I shouldn't write the story with a problematic take on the value of women in society? Of course I should write those stories – But I shouldn't throw it at someone so they can't escape it, use it to justify harming them, use it to belittle them. — Malcolm F. Cross (@foozzzball) January 14, 2020

Warren Adams-Ockrassa’s thread seems to say that whatever the writer’s goal was, they should have handled it differently. Starts here.

That’s something more authors might want to consider when they’re taking on a hot topic or “controversial” subject, particularly one they may not be directly affected by:



16/24 — Warren Adams-Ockrassa — Author (@waxis) January 15, 2020

And I’d urge anyone writing something outside their range of experience to ask for feedback — from people in those communities — about what they’ve written.



18/24 — Warren Adams-Ockrassa — Author (@waxis) January 15, 2020

PULLING THE STORY.

Cat Rambo is sorry the story was pulled. Thread starts here.

But for the author to be hurt to the point where they pull the story — where a piece of art is removed from our collective repository because of public reaction — how does that differ from other moments in history where people have been shocked and offended by it? — Cat Rambo (@Catrambo) January 15, 2020

One of several eye-opening comments on Rambo’s thread:

this entire situation is, honest to god, a realization of one of my greatest fears as a queer content creator: a piece that lands, but produces hurt and a schism in my community. — mrs moo madshoe ? (@peonyfoxburr) January 15, 2020

ROLE OF AN EDITOR.

Setsu U finds the discussion about the story connects with many questions and concerns they are responsible for as an editor. Thread starts here.

How do I recognize something resonant and real for others when my own baggage is involved?



How do I create space for messy exploration w/o burning the audience?



What do I need to change about my thinking?



And so on. — Setsu U (they/them) (@scribblesassin) January 15, 2020

ENDNOTES.

Several people have been circulating screenshots of a statement that’s represented as giving background about the story and author. I have neither found the source of the original post, nor confirmation that it is from a Clarkesworld spokesperson, so I am not posting these but you can find a copy here.

Alexandra Erin on why she won’t read the story. Thread starts here.

Cheryl Morgan says she hasn’t read the story, however, offered advice for holding the discussion. Thread starts here. Some of her points are —

2. Trans people can and do suffer from internalised transphobia and can say/do clueless things — Cheryl Morgan (@CherylMorgan) January 14, 2020

3. Equally people trying to be allies can and do screw up — Cheryl Morgan (@CherylMorgan) January 14, 2020

There’s extended discussion at Metafilter. As a whole, I thought I learned more just by searching “Clarkesworld” on Twitter.