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[JEFAN]

Hi,

  I’m new to the Chamber and wanted to give my point of view regarding it.  When I first heard about the Chamber, I was ecstatic.  I thought it was going to be a place for the authors to put their stories in a format that made it easier for readers of Valent to enjoy the stories without interruption by having to scroll through comments.  I also, thought that the Chamber would be an extension of Valent, meaning, that the focus would remain on REG/Evangeline and Talent.

I have to say that I’m disappointed with its makeup at the present.  So REG/Eva isn’t the featured female on the site, OK.

So I thought to myself, well at least it’s featuring other AA women in daytime/primetime and giving their fans an avenue to enjoy stories that are new and/or continued from where their shows neglected them or dropped the ball on their characters. 

Sorry to say I was wrong again.  The site is now open to anything?  To any type of story, i.e. the Backstreet Boys story about homosexual relations, and the one with Christian being Bi-sexual... This is unsettling to me.  I didn’t join this site for that type of material.  I’m sure there are hundreds upon hundreds of sites dedicated to that type of writing, how many sites are dedicated to AA women?  Not many, in fact, I think the Chamber would have been groundbreaking if it had of been promoted as such.

I’m not trying to tell the creators of this site what they should do, by all means, if you want the Chamber to be all inclusive, anything goes, etc. More power to you.  I just can’t be apart of it.  I’m just being honest and sincere about how I feel.

BM, Kendrawriter, Zeta, and others, I have enjoyed your stories.  I appreciate all of you who share your talents for writing with us readers.

I will continue to be a member of Valent and chat with my fellow REG/Eva FF.

Peace,

JEFAN

[BlackMamba]

JEFan,

First off, I just want to let you know that while we understand that you felt that you needed to post your views , the daytime forum is not the appropriate place to post your personal views about the site in general.  It's a haven for those who want to discuss the stories on the site, and since you've made it clear that you don't wish to particpate in any shape or form on the Chamber the post has been moved.

Secondly, The Chamber is about inclusion, not exclusion and freedom of speech not the censoring of ideas.  We welcome all viewpoints (even yours) but will not judge someone's work based upon our own personal moral judgements or in the case of some, biases and prejudices.  There are those out there who would find the focus on interracial fiction on this site offensive, there are those who may believe that a site devoted to black women should feature their black male counterparts as well.  Everyone has a right to their opinion but no one has a right to be judged for it.  Judging the content of someone's story is not what this site is about.  If that were the case, I'm sure that many of the more popular stories featured on this site and others like The Sweetest Taboo and Divas N Luv would never be published, since their graphic violence, language and gratuitous sexual content would likely offend more than the allusion to one man being attracted to another contained in Honey Peach's satiric take on the boy band craze or that an author had the decency to warn her readers that homosexual themes may be involved at some point in a storyline (a fact which you may have known if you had bothered to read the story before judging another person's work). 

On a personal note, I have to say I was extremely disappointed to read your post.  You have always been a devoted reader and member of Valent and to read that you believe that we have slighted Renee or Evangeline in some way is insulting and untrue.  Evangeline is very much featured on the site (she is the only character that has her own skin, and is prominently featured on the daytime skin) however, the site has grown and expanded to include fiction for all black female characters.  For you to insult any of the authors who put their hearts and soul into their work simply because you have some moral objection to homosexuality is small minded, petty and comes from a place of absolute ignorance of the writing process and the vulnerability involved in posting a creative work. 

The authors are not here to make you comfortable with the subjects they tackle or the stories they choose to tell.  They're here to entertain, to make you think, laugh or cry for their characters---root them on when they overcome adversity---and challenge your way of thinking with stories that make you look at something in a way you never thought possible.  That is not accomplished through censorship and pandering---it is done through an open mind---something which I'm beginning to realize not everyone has.

Lastly, I would just like to point out that disclaimers and warnings are there for a reason.  They are not to titillate your interest or inspire outrage that someone would dare imply that a little boy on boy romance was going down inside.  They are there for this very reason---to warn you of what a story contains and allow you the freedom to avoid any material you may find objectionable.  It is just as much your right not to be subjected to material you find offensive just as it is every other reader's right to read it if they do not.

Because we do not want to subject you to any further offense and as per your request your account has been deleted from The Chamber by the administrators and we would appreciate if you would send any further comment or response directly to an admin. 

Best,

The Chamber Administrators

[greatodinsraven]

Wow so I have to say I am very surprised to see this.  I'm sorry that you have not enjoyed your experience on this website.  You are also certainly entitled to feel the way you do about what you enjoy in a story.  There are some stories on this website that aren't my cup of tea and I know that so I don't read them, however I welcome them.  I believe that AA females are the center of this website and that it is extremely groundbreaking in that we get to see AA female protagonists in all sorts of roles.  We also get read all sorts of stories that cover a diverse spectrum of tastes and if I read a story that is not my taste lucky for me I can read something else.  I'm not in any way obligated to continue reading something that I don't love or appreciate.  

I have seen AA female leads in different types of stories on this site that frankly, I don't get to see in Hollywood.  Unfortunately AA actresses are relegated to very limited roles and put into stereotypical boxes, so it's a joy to be spoiled for choice in a variety of stories on this site.  Despite your contention that there are hundreds of sites that have this sort of writing I would love to have that list because I have not found one.  The closest being The Sweetest Taboo and even that is in a way limited because it exclusively caters to stories that are interracial in nature which is not the case here.

Also for me, my interest in diversity is not limited to AA women.  I am someone who has dealt with prejudice and hate, as a female, as an African American and then a whole set of other prejudices as an AA female.  Therefore, I have no room in my heart to cast judgement and exclude others based on something as superfical as sexuality, race, gender, weight, age or any other ism that certain people find justifiable as a means to exclude citizens from this society.  I appreciate and like to see all sorts of diversity so you'll have to forgive me if I have low tolerance for what I perceive to be quasi-homophobic commentary.  I personally would greatly resent being told that because my story doesn't fit into some neatly contained status quo box I would not be welcome to express my creativity in a forum that should ideally be free from prejudice.  I get that everyday, I don't want that on this website.

Divas n Luv is a wonderful website centered on the character of Evangeline, as is the the John and Evangeline Archive.  In fact if you google Evangeline OLTL you will have several choices.  However I find this particular website to be a unique website that defies categorization and I hope that it continues to be that way without cowtowing to pressure to conform.

This is simply my humble opinion.  Thank you for reading.

Peace,

greatodinsraven

[TokenBlackGirl]

You both have so eloquently summed up my feelings on the subject, so I will just say thank you both for your posts and for continuing to share your awesome talents with the rest of us. 

[lovemboth]

It's always sad when someone doesn't enjoy something you're so excited about. I don't like every story on this board or any other board for that matter. For those I don't like, I skip it. Simple as that. I believe there are plenty of stories about Evangeline (my fave) and also plenty of stories featuring only heterosexual relationships.

Even though I'm not a writer, I do know that sharing anything close to your heart leaves you extremely vulnerable. Comments left via the internet can be more hurtful than if you were face to face with your criticizer simply because you can't see their facial expression or hear the actual tone in their voice.

I hope Jefan will reconsider her position and possibly come back because this site is rocking!

Kudos to all the authors. Now, get to updating ladies!

[Minx]

Just to be clear on something. My site: Divasnluv.com is in no way restrictive of authors expressions or talents. And JEFans views have nothing to do with Divasnluv.

I am guilty of not reading all the stories here, but from the Chambers inception I have been 100% supportive of all the authors and creators. Why? Because as an author myself I know what a privledge it is to have a forum that freely allows you to create. And I applaud the effort of it being presented for Black women.

Divasnluv.com has been attacked by racists - non soap fans and other readers. I've been called everything from a child pornographer to a black-man hater due to my stories and the stories of my authors. Last year my site was reported to ABC for copyright infringement. But I've kept the site running so that those that want to express themselves could do so. I've never endorsed or supported censorship and don't take party in homophobia or hate in any form.

I think the Chamber TST and Jovan Archive all can exist together and that readers should be greatful for the mix. Anyone that has a problem should excersize their right to leave, but it doesn't mean that any of the above referenced sites should be forced to apologize or compromise in order to accommodate FAN preference or moral tastes.

I said from the beginning to know your audience. A post like this just gives you a clue as to who some of them are. But since I've put up with the snide comments and slight attacks for just offering free fanfic for two years I've grown thick skin. After reading BM's post it appears she has done the same.   

JEfan's views are her own.

[luckybrans]

JEFAN,
I think you're not thinking about the fact that not all African American women are straight and want to see straight love all the time. Some of us are bisexual, trisexual, transgendered, intersexed and a whole lot of list of other things. Some us like to read slash or like a little kink and don't mind mixing it into our stories. Black people and black women are not a monolith and it's time we showed that.

I'm starting to think that soap fandom is in the place general fandom was in a many years ago when slash and kink started to hit the scene. This next few years are not going to be pretty, people.

[greatodinsraven]

Just to be clear on something. My site: Divasnluv.com is in no way restrictive of authors expressions or talents. And JEFans views have nothing to do with Divasnluv.

Hey Minx I hope you don't think I was suggesting otherwise.  I mentioned your site simply as a forum where many of the stories are focused on the character of Evangeline/ actress REG.  I in no way meant to imply that you or any admins of that website engage in censorship nor that the site condones or supports the views of the OP.