We need to talk about how some people have the audacity to call heritage months "performative by companies" with the so called excuse of wanting to read diverse all year long.
You should read diverse books all year long and you should challenge yourself to reflect on what group has little to no representation on your bookshelves all year long. However, claiming you'll skip heritage months is not okay. Those months exist for a reason. We wouldn't need them if the world was in fact inclusive and diversity wasn't as challenging as white cis het stories about people with no disabilities.
There is this app called Pagebound. I was already a bit suspicious considering the two women who are behind this app continue to praise books written by zionists and transphobes... and then they posted this.
Not doing heritage months for some very vague reasons isn't just a choice to simply not participate. It's a statement that you'll leave those marginalised groups to fetch for themselves. Claiming you'll create your own events must be one of the most privileged takes I have seen. Who do you think you are that you get to pick which 4 groups who get to be put in the spotlight AND which ones get to be skipped? Who do you think you are when you, as a cis person, get to (possibly?) organise an event about trans people when trans people already do so on their own during trans remambrance week? Claiming you skip heritage months because you want to be inclusive all year long, makes no freaking sense when you then claim you'll make your own events. You are not God. You don't get to pick who deserves attention and who doesn't.
Also, "special" events?! My trans and queer identity, my chronical pain and illnesses should not be labelled as special. A special event is something you'd call a dinosaur tea party or a How To Train Your Dragon themed evening. Someone's identity should not be labelled as "special". That's exactly how you keep those marginalised groups on the sideline. That's how they remain the outcast. Events meant to uplift marginalised groups should not be labelled as "special". Why are those events special instead of a typical thing you host on your platform?
Oh, it gets worse. I warned people about Pagebound on my story and Pagebound reached out to me with this crappy reply.
Why are you writing "Special Events" with a capital letter? I am sorry, but this is starting to sound like some Limited Edition thing...
Also... claiming you want to put "identities" (wtf, who thinks using the word like that is okay?) in the spotlight apart from heritage months would be okay... but not if you skip those months. These months are hosted and used by the specific marginalised groups you claim you want to help. You are not helping them at all. You are actively silencing them. Why would you skip heritage months and not your precious Special Events? These heritage months help people to focus more on specific authors and books. So when you, as a book platform, decide to remain silent during such a month, you are making it harder for readers to find specific books and you are doing so on purpose. And no, your Special Events won't fix this, because you are the one hosting the events instead of the marginalised groups. You could have decided to make lists and reading challenges during the heritage months and host events on top of that, but nope... you are okay with playing God and putting yourself above those marginalised people. Who is to say they will even host a trans event? Do we get to spin the wheel in the hopes of being picked? Who is to say they will include my disabilities or do I have to wait for 2027 to possibly be part of their Special Events? Disability month has a higher chance of my voice being uplifted than it would be during these Special Events.
Side note: there are more than 4 heritage months and remembrance weeks, so your 4 Special Events will exclude many people and you are deliberately deciding who gets to be excluded.
And the biggest red flag? This statement was made during Black History Month. I am white so I do not get to speak for the Black community, but when those authors keep telling me they are having a very hard time making it within the bookish world and that Black History Month is in fact boosting their work, we shouldn't skip that month. Yes, I absolutely hate how some people will only buy books by Black people during BHM, but Special Events won't make these people suddenly change their attitude, because Black authors are speaking up about this all year long. Their voices should be uplifted. They shouldn't have to wait for you to possibly host a Special Event for them. Again, who is to day which 4 events we ade getting?
All of that is slacktivism at it's best and we as a book community should do way better than that.
I deleted my account and the app. There is no way I will stick around when two people put themselves above others while claiming they are better than Goodreads and praising highly problematic authors. If you want to call companies out for being performative, perhaps start by tackling the zionism and transphobia you centralise on your own platform first.