PSA: stop policing ownvoices stories

if someone is writing based on their lived experiences, then you don’t get to tell them that their experience is wrong, even if it doesn’t reflect your experience or your understanding of that marginalizination.

we are not a monolith.

if I’m a Muslim woman writing my experience as a Muslim woman, then that is not falling into a stereotype. I can only ever write my truth.

do I think all Muslim stories should get told? absolutely. should I have to censor my own? no.

it’s not my job to represent everyone.

asking that of ANY marginalized party is asking them to do labor. no one can be the spokesperson for an entire marginalization. it’s not fair to any of us to expect that or to be upset when we write stories that don’t fit into your understanding of how our stories should be told.

you know what? furthermore—stop policing stories that handle topics of abuse in relation to marginalized communities. because newsflash: it EXISTS. pretending it doesn’t does more harm than anything else.

it’s incredibly dismissive to brush it off bc it didn’t happen to you.

I shouldn’t have to publicly declare my trauma to be allowed to write stories that engage w/ abuse in marginalized communities. but clearly that’s what some of us to do otherwise we’re accused of writing stereotypes & misrepresentation when all we’ve ever done is write our truth.

stop policing ownvoices stories