I'm white skinned and I am a marginalized identity (diddicoy Romani on one side, Hispanic on the other) and I wanna talk about the hand-wringing thing about whether or not you're an "artist of color" because I see this... a lot.

First caveat: YMMV, I speak for myself, this is complicated. Identity is complicated. Your experience is NOT mine and that will impact how you see this.

I've been invited into multiple anthologies as an "artist of color" and I've backed out because it feels disingenuous /for me/ to take that space. (Please keep adding to me/for me to all of these statements.)

If I never opened my mouth. If I never spoke up about who I am ethnically, I would never, ever suffer the epidemic racism that impacts publishing everywhere from agents to editors to the big brass in the house itself.

So no, I don't consider myself an artist of color though /technically/ yes, sure, I am

But black skinned Hispanic and Latinx creatives exist.

And black skinned Roma exist.

And they aren't just going to have a harder time getting in the door?

They're going to be pigeonholed.

If they don't present a story that directly tackles the oppression they experience as brown and black skinned individuals, it won't fit the neat sockets publishing is creating for A VERY SPECIFIC NARRATIVE, they'll by something more "relatable."

I have the freedom to write any goddamned thing I want. I dunno, murder sex robots. I could write that and probably get a deal.

But if a dark skinned individual did the same thing, if there wasn't an learning opportunity associated with murder sex robots, it's not "relatable."

(Pretend I have good grammar, too, while we're here. But I'm typing fast to keep the thought train going.)

So, sure, I'm going to include "my people" in my narratives. You'll see Roma people. You'll see Hispanic people. You'll see MI! And Autism! And... my labels!

But I'm not going to do it at the expense of a slot that could and should go to a person sharing my labels who is also dark skinned.

Because I don't /have/ to write you a learning opp to get the deal.

Other folks do. Because Publishing.

I feel strongly that you can, as a person with white passing privilege, embrace your identity as part of a label AND still recognize that you have privilege and it's appropriate to set aside sometimes.

Me saying "nah, I'm not a WoC" is not me saying I'm not Roma or Hispanic.

It is, however, saying that I see the people Publishing chooses not to see, and that I can leverage my privilege in ways they can't, and those contests and those opportunities for WoC? Should be left open for the folks without that leverage.

I've found after LEGIT YEARS of pondering this, my heart knows I'm no less Roma, no less Hispanic, if I make the conscious choice to recognize that my white skin gives me "relatability" opportunities.

I'm not so insecure in myself.