Yes, most people do learn and grow throughout their lives, and their beliefs and attitudes can often evolve pretty dramatically over time, so I agree that there should be some latitude.
However, I've seen nothing over the years indicating that Mr. Gerrold has ever apologized or made amends for his sexist, contemptuous/hostile attitude toward fans -- especially female fans. About the only thing I saw him push back against was homophobia, like when he called out Orson Scott Card a few years ago (a total no-brainer for an openly gay man, though).
And actually, five years ago, when SFWA decided to update its policies after being dragged, rightly, for the sexism/racism in their Bulletin, he signed Dave Truesdale's petition ranting against SFWA's "political correctness" that called it a violation of First Amendment rights (which either indicates neither Truesdale nor his signers had any grasp of First Amendment rights, or they were being flat-out disingenuous). So, not exactly a shining example of an attitude change.
But it's possible he's made amends, and I and others just haven't seen it. If that's the case, maybe someone can link to some documentation, so his Fanlore article can be updated?
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branchandroot
Re: 50 years is a long time
Date: 2019-01-14 09:54 pm (UTC)However, I've seen nothing over the years indicating that Mr. Gerrold has ever apologized or made amends for his sexist, contemptuous/hostile attitude toward fans -- especially female fans. About the only thing I saw him push back against was homophobia, like when he called out Orson Scott Card a few years ago (a total no-brainer for an openly gay man, though).
And actually, five years ago, when SFWA decided to update its policies after being dragged, rightly, for the sexism/racism in their Bulletin, he signed Dave Truesdale's petition ranting against SFWA's "political correctness" that called it a violation of First Amendment rights (which either indicates neither Truesdale nor his signers had any grasp of First Amendment rights, or they were being flat-out disingenuous). So, not exactly a shining example of an attitude change.
But it's possible he's made amends, and I and others just haven't seen it. If that's the case, maybe someone can link to some documentation, so his Fanlore article can be updated?