One of the most frustrating things about being a public figure is people feel entitled to critique every choice you make and decide if it’s valid or invalid. I wanted to hit some of these critiques head on with a quick blog post.

“She’s attending her panels anyway!"

Yes, because this is my choice. I wanted to go to PAX. Our decision to withdraw is about respecting my team’s wishes. I’ve had difficult conversations with husband if it’s worth it to put our lives at risk standing up to Gamergate. We made choice to speak up. I cannot make the choice for my team to interact with thousands of strangers a day with 46 death threats. Many are parents, one is pregnant.

"It’s a PR Stunt.”

No. This is honestly about safety. I do what I think is right. If you talk to my employees, I deeply care about my team. Also, the logic of skipping a PR event for PR escapes me.

“They couldn’t get a booth, and it’s a stunt."

No. We’ve attended Pax East for the last two years, and were all set to go this year. Withdrawing is a huge pain for us logistically.

"Why aren’t you talking to police?"

I talk to law enforcement constantly. It’s one of the most frustrating experiences of my life trying to get arrests. Look for articles from me soon about the systematic inability of law enforcement to respond to these threats, because it’s complete BS.

Ultimately, it’s up to me to make choices about my team’s safety, not you. Random people on the Internet are not in a better position than me to make my business decisions.