Roxane Gay slams Simon & Schuster after publisher drops Milo Yiannopoulos
After Simon & Schuster announced its decision to cancel a controversial book deal with Milo Yiannopoulos, author Roxane Gay shared some strong words about the publisher.
Gay criticized the company on Twitter and then shared her extended thoughts on Tumblr.
“In canceling Milo’s book contract, Simon & Schuster made a business decision the same way they made a business decision when they decided to publish that man in the first place,” she wrote. “When his comments about pedophilia/pederasty came to light, Simon & Schuster realized it would cost them more money to do business with Milo than he could earn for them. They did not finally ‘do the right thing’ and now we know where their threshold, pun intended, lies. They were fine with his racist and xenophobic and sexist ideologies. They were fine with his transphobia, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. They were fine with how he encourages his followers to harass women and people of color and transgender people online.”
Earlier Monday, Yiannopoulos’s book Dangerous was shelved after clips from an interview surfaced in which the controversial Breitbart News editor appeared to defend pedophilia. Yiannopoulos defended himself in a Facebook post. “I am a gay man, and a child abuse victim. I would like to restate my utter disgust at adults who sexually abuse minors,” he wrote in part. “I’ve reviewed the tapes that appeared last night in their proper full context and I don’t believe they say what is being reported. I do not advocate for illegal behavior.”
When news first broke of Yiannopoulos’s deal with Simon & Schuster, Gay decided to remove her upcoming book Hunger from the publisher. In her Twitter reaction Monday, Gay noted that the company then moved Dangerous to the same release date as Hunger.
Gay concluded, “There are some who will spin the cancellation of this book contract as a failure of the freedom of speech but such is not the case. This is yet another example of how we are afforded the freedom of speech but there is no freedom from the consequences of what we say.”
Simon & Schuster declined to comment on Gay’s assertions.
Gay was among several authors and celebrities, including comedienne Leslie Jones, who spoke out aboutYiannopoulos. Read more reactions below.
Did I mention that Simon & Schuster moved the release date of Dangerous to June 13, the day Hunger is coming out? Oh wait…….
— roxane gay (@rgay) February 21, 2017
When they pulled that move, I took note and said nothing because I was not threatened or pressed.
— roxane gay (@rgay) February 21, 2017
But it was not a coincidence. It was malicious. And that's how I will forever think of Simon & Schuster.
— roxane gay (@rgay) February 21, 2017
You guys are giving him to much energy. I was done the day I blocked him & got his ass banned. Been done and moved on. He has no space here!
— Leslie Jones (@Lesdoggg) February 21, 2017
Steve Bannon's own Alt Right poster boy. Nice work #CPAC. https://t.co/1uXb9V61qm
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) February 21, 2017
Child Rape and Christians? Come on Christian People where is your outrage over this unholy presidency? https://t.co/dQO5ZfRjRE
— Mark Ruffalo (@MarkRuffalo) February 21, 2017
READ THIS. Then read it again. https://t.co/AwxE7IH57w
— Debra Messing (@DebraMessing) February 20, 2017
Milo Yiannoupolis is like if half an idea that Sasha Baron Cohen threw in the trash came to life
— Aparna Nancherla (@aparnapkin) February 20, 2017
Is there a good week ? https://t.co/UanS3A9xdx
— John Cusack (@johncusack) February 20, 2017
How long before Ann Coulter records a "Milo" anthem to the tune of Peter Gabriel's "Biko"?
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) February 20, 2017
Milo (wakes up): Crumpets and jam, I'm TRENDING! (sees why) Buggers and bangers!
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) February 20, 2017
And then, some gloomy days, the sun just appears out of nowhere. https://t.co/GyMKc1q8Iw
— Mark Waid (@MarkWaid) February 20, 2017
You have to feel sorry for CPAC. They booked a perfectly normal Nazi in good faith and then found out he was some kind of *weird* Nazi.
— Damien Owens (@OwensDamien) February 20, 2017
Simon & Schuster have cancelled their book deal with the Ebola virus in the wake of revelations that it is a deadly disease.
— Damien Owens (@OwensDamien) February 20, 2017
So unfair. You do ONE interview where you condone sex with the underaged and suddenly you're "the guy who condones sex with the underaged." pic.twitter.com/YmXCunrkYY
— (((James Urbaniak))) (@JamesUrbaniak) February 21, 2017
remember: lots of publishers passed on Milo book b/c they *realized how disgusting he was.* for some reason, S&S just figuring that out https://t.co/tPGTiykQQp
— Eric Boehlert (@EricBoehlert) February 20, 2017
As a survivor, I can tell you this: survivors don't "joke" about pedophilia. I'm glad they dropped him. https://t.co/lKD0MI12k9
— Rachel Thompson (@RachelintheOC) February 21, 2017
We find his new repugnant positions to be too repugnant as compared to his old repugnant positions which we thought we could make money off. https://t.co/PAlsyevEtY
— Guy Endore-Kaiser (@GuyEndoreKaiser) February 20, 2017
Short answer: condoning the sexual abuse of children was finally – FINALLY – where S&S had to draw the line. https://t.co/bt3Q4vEUR5
— Colleen Mondor (@chasingray) February 21, 2017
Now, @simonschuster is catching grief from far right who are livid about Milo being abandoned.
Karma is a real bitch.— Colleen Mondor (@chasingray) February 21, 2017