Saying the horror community has been through the ringer over the last week and a half is the very definition of an understatement. It's been blow after blow - people within the community betraying the trust of those within it, causing divides, but also showing how strong we are when we all come together.
That's what we're asking of you.
We were horrified when we heard about the vandalism at Little Ghosts Books. For anyone who hasn't heard, a woman showed up at the store looking for some books, and initiated a conversation about trans rights/healthcare, and when she realized that she was in an establishment that supports those rights, she verbally assaulted the employee, tossed her coffee at a bookshelf, and left.
Little Ghosts has handled this with a level of grace that I'm not sure I could muster under the same circumstances.
"We would like to say that trans hate and the 'debate' about if/when it is appropriate for trans folks to receive gender affirming care is not discourse. To decide and verbalize that some folks shouldn't have access to healthcare is hate speech. Gender affirming care saves lives, trans women are real women, trans men are real men, everyone deserves dignity and access to healthcare. Little Ghosts Books is a safe space run by trans people and allies and this kind of thing is never tolerated. I super encourage (people) to donate to the organization in their neighbourhood! There are lots of amazing people all over doing great work to make sure queer folks find community and have access to healthcare and resources."
Little Ghosts Books
We got their approval to post this, with the intent of promoting the sales they're holding to try and cover losses, as well as raising money for The 519 (a charity that supports the very people this woman is so against). Books damaged by the coffee are being sold on the Little Ghosts site for 20% off under Hate Crime in their shop, and 50% of sales from Demons & Death Drops will be donated to The 519.
We also ask that you share links to any of your local organizations/charities that support our queer and trans friends out there, either in the comments of this article, or on the posts that will be going out to share all of this.
Please, please, please, do what you can to support such an amazing business in our community. If you can't donate or make any purchases right now, please share the link to this post wherever you can, so people can find all the links. I want this woman's hateful behavior to result in a tremendous amount of donations and awareness that will benefit people who already face such an uphill battle in day-to-day life.
We see you and we're here for you. The Scoop is also a safe space, and if you need help, please reach out to someone. We may not know how to help, but we will dig like hell until we find someone who does. You are not alone.