Milan blasted back: “The notion of the submissive Chinese woman is a racist stereotype which fuels higher rates of violence against Asian women,” Milan wrote. We walk with our eyes lowered politely, and may not look higher than a man’s breast.”

The tumult spiralled when Milan said she had been outraged by several sections of Davis’ book, including depictions of “exotic” Asian women (with “slanted almond eyes”) and a passage spoken by the fictional Chinese elder Madam Chin that “we are demure and quiet, as our mothers have trained us to be. “We will strive to uphold the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion in all that we do.” Damon Suede, who had been named president-elect, was made president. “We have lost the trust of our membership and the romance community and we must find a way to rebuild that,” the organization said in a statement. Bryce, Pintip Dunn, Seressia Glass, Tracey Livesay, Adrienne Mishel, Priscilla Oliveras, Erica Ridley and Farrah Rochon all resigned their positions. The organization admitted in an open letter Thursday that the last several days left it at a “turning point.” President Carolyn Jewel, as well as board members Denny S. The outreach group Bookstore Romance Day parted ways with the Romance Writers of America and bestselling author Deanna Raybourn returned the 2008 trophy she won from the organization for penning the Best Novel With Strong Romantic Elements, saying “I want no honours from them.”

Milan was suspended Monday, sparking an outcry from fellow Romance Writers of America members and making #IStandWithCourtney trend.Īuthor Felicia Grossman announced on Twitter that she had resigned her position at the association, saying it had “proven itself inconsistent with my values.” Author Alyssa Day called the decision to punish Milan “appallingly and profoundly wrong-headed.” Added writer Racheline Maltese: “Speaking out against racism is not an ethics violation.”Ī letter from 28 organization leaders in various regional positions on Thursday asked for the resignation of the Romance Writers of America’s president, the president-elect and the executive director, calling “the handling of this situation is shameful.” The dissenting writers said a so-called ”failure of leadership” made them “wonder if there is anywhere to go from here.” The controversy was sparked this summer when Milan in a tweet called Kathryn Lynn Davis’ 1999 book “Somewhere Lies the Moon” an “(expletive) racist mess.” Davis and fellow writer Suzan Tisdale filed complaints.

Unveiled courtney milan read online