On Wednesday, July 23, Itch.io, a well-loved indie marketplace for games, books, and other digital content, de-listed tens of thousands of adult and LGBTQIA+ works. This came as a massive shock to the community, as Itch had long been a safe haven for these creative works, and on previous occasions stated its commitment to protecting these forms of artistic expression.
We understand that this push for censorship did not begin with Itch. It began with Collective Shout, an Australian organization of TERFs determined to end all representation of sexuality in media under the cover of “protecting women and girls”. This organization pressured MasterCard, Visa, Stripe, and PayPal into cracking down on vendors who sell or allow the sale of adult content. This crackdown is disturbing because payment processors exist to process payments, not to be the morality police. They should not be allowed to control what we are permitted to buy as long as our purchases are legal.
However, this does not absolve Itch entirely. De-listing and in some cases fully removing works from their marketplace with no warning to the creators who rely on Itch for their livelihoods was a despicable move that left many creators very suddenly in the lurch. Not releasing a statement until after hours of massive uproar from the community does not give us confidence that Itch is acting in good faith.
While Weeknight Writers is not in the business of publishing or selling books, we are in the business of supporting authors. We want to make it clear that this definition includes all authors, including authors of adult content, LGBTQIA+ content, and other content puritanical culture may find uncomfortable. If you write your own stories (without AI “assistance”), we are here to support you and your right to creative expression. We strongly condemn the actions of the payment processors, Itch, and other companies bowing to conservative interests.
Our ability to provide material support is limited. We don’t have fancy lawyers or a large supply of money to help impacted creators pay their bills. We don’t have the digital infrastructure to launch a storefront or help writers create the bundles Itch was so well known for.
What we do have is a deep love for freedom of creative expression and small yet vibrant community spaces where that freedom will always be protected. What we can promise is that you will always be welcome in those community spaces, regardless of whether your content is adult or queer or otherwise disliked by religious conservatives, and that we will fight to keep our spaces safe for everyone, not just the people whose works are palatable to puritan culture.
You are welcome at Weeknight Writers, and always will be.