A few months ago, there were rumblings of accusations against Neil Gaiman. That he abused his power and took advantage of several women through the years. I remember reading that news and feeling disappointed, but refraining from making any snap judgemnts. The Sandman is one of my favorite all-time comic series, but I do not really feel compelled to think much of those who are famous. Some make wonderful art, art that I love but I do not feel a particular closeness to the artist beyond appreciating their depth and creativity.
Last week, more news came out. Cancellations, things put on pause. It seems that the industry is slowly responding to the news. I feel for me, it is time to make decisions on how to move forward with what is going on. The fact that there are reports that he made one victim sign an NDA to be disturbing and an obvious abuse of power. I felt that if it came out later that Mr. Gaiman was innocent, I will happily revisit his work again.
But for me it is time in this situation to not seperate the art from the artist. Mr Gaiman denounces the abuse of women in Calliope (The Sandman #17). He made a public stand while very possibly acting in an opposing manner behind the scenes. Artists, especially those who have a measure of success, are human. And I think we should allow them the grace to make mistakes without ruining their careers. But this is not a simple mistake. SA is not like sending dumbass drunken tweet at 3AM whilst being 21 years old and lacking a fully developed prefrontal cortex.
I decided to donate the books I have. My shelves are sacred to me. My books are a reflection of me, what I love, what I trust, and what I believe in. I will dedicate not even half an inch of my sacred space to anyone who abuses others. There are many beautiful voices, telling their stories. I want to elevate theirs. I want to bring them into my soul and into my life. Regardless of whether they are shallow, deep, funny, introspective. I don't need the voices on my shelf to be perfect, but I want them to have at least a decent heart.
Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.
– Maya Angelou