Curate, connect, and discover
Purity culture has a way of getting into fandom spaces with a strength that's genuinely concerning. Especially in these times we're living, where our very own existences are being threatened by powerful people creating laws based on conservativism and puritanism.
I find it ironic (and very telling) that we're so ready to clutch our pearls when it comes to sexual content, but not anything else.
Dead Boy Detectives fandom, I'm talking to you.
Why are we so scandalized by the mere mention of sex? By people writing or creating sexually explicit art? Why do we think that younger fans of the show are not ready to hear simple words describing sexual activities in a neutral way, or discuss sensitive subjects such as sex related activities?
When I see people being censored or criticized under this "protect the children" rhetoric, I ask myself:
How were these the same fans who watched an entire show which main themes are hate crimes, queer subjects, violence and death, and that also heavily presents sexual assault, family annihilation, colorful and frequent curse words and many more real life, serious elements?
If you are a fan of this show and you were able to understand and connect with even a portion of its canonical content, then I'd assume that you're ready to have a conversation about it, or watch others talk about it. And yet I continue to see people wanting to keep others from conversations that are not any more explicit or sexual or serious in nature than what we see in the show.
Do not lie to yourselves, are we really concerned about other people's safety? Or are we performing some form of shallow wanna-be activism?
Are we celebrating a (cancelled) queer show, or deciding that some queer experiences are more appropriate than others?
See the way our fandom trends reflect what's happening in our very real lives. Do not protect the fake values of conservatism, they want all of us just as equally silent (or dead).