At WisCon in 2008, a woman named Rachel Moss attended, took photographs and video without consent, and posted online about Wiscon panels in a way that was offensive and harrassing to women who had attended.

Contents 1 What happened 2 Backlash 3 Eating disorders and self-hatred 4 Responses, commentary, follow-up

What happened Edit

Photographs and commentary were posted to SomethingAwful under the title ""WisCon, the Feminist Sci-Fi Convention: A journey of self-hate - Zathlazip journeys into the wide world of fat female fantasy fans and lives to tell the tale."

The post began:

If you are unfamiliar with this con, it is like any other sci-fi con, except that well over half of the attendees are female, about a third of the panels are political, there is no gaming, and absolutely everybody is a huge bitch. This is my second year attending WisCon. I go because I love this. I remember how much I hate my fellow women, and then I go the whole rest of the year thankful that normal life is never this horrible.

Ms. Moss's attacks were directed at:

• Transgender people
• Fat people
• Disabled people

Transcripts/screenshots of what was posted:

• What Rachel Moss did (Angry Black Woman)

Accounts by people involved:

• Wiscon troll attacks: a first person experience
• A response to hate

Backlash Edit

There was a backlash against her, and some members of the Wiscon community threatened to have her disciplined under the University of Wisconsin's harrassment policy (she was a student there).

• Trolls being trolled

An anonymous commenter on SA wrote, "If your post on Something Awful is still up on Wednesday, I'll contact Dr. _____ of the Department of Environmental Chemistry and Technology, explain the problem, and ask him to ask you to take it down."

Moss told SomethingAwful about this and attempted to have her offensive post removed, only to find that the other members of that community (and SASS) turned on her, and would not support her. She also claimed that she was being harrassed and receiving death threats.

• Crying "real life, foul!" is a tad hypocritical
• Some words about the issue with the photographer at WisCon this year.

"She is now saying that she is receiving threats of violence. I have one thing to say about that, and one thing only: If it's you, cut it the fuck out."

• Stop posting or sharing personal information about others.

"as a community, we have a right to ask our members to behave in certain ways. Here are three: Do not come to the convention for the sole purpose of mocking your fellow congoers. Do not make threats of physical violence. And do not share other people's personal contact information for the sole purpose of harassing them."

Eating disorders and self-hatred Edit

It was later posited that the troll herself was fighting with eating disorders, which may have influenced her behaviour and hatred toward fat women.

• Real solidarity attempt by Liz Henry

"I still feel angry with her but I feel infinitely sad also, I also feel that might be condescending of me, if so, I'm sorry. This is an illustration of how the people who hate us often are us, and need our help."

• Wickedqueen.net responds

"However, having an eating disorder and being an asshole are not the same problem... I definitely know that voice. I have done the “fatter than me” count in a room more than once. But the thing is, I don’t agree with it. I know the voice is fucked up and wrong."

Responses, commentary, follow-up Edit

• Sharpen the knives! A science fiction convention happened AND SOME FAT PEOPLE CAME! (Jezebel)
• A retired troll is unsympathetic

"If you are surprised that some of these angry people will take their complaints to your workplace, to your boss, to your employers, then you are stupid or arrogant or both. Pretending that the folks you just poked with giant sharp sticks are the problem for overreacting is a tactic doomed to failure. You cannot ever count on sympathy from the folks you just poked, who caught you with the poking stick in your hand, and an evil grin of glee on your face."

• An open letter to Rachel Moss and the rest of Wiscon 32
• A report on an anti-fat, anti-trans Wiscon report (Alas, a blog)
• Wiscon and Rachel Moss (A Secret Chord)
• Rachel Moss (Modern Mitzvot)

"her problem is that they dare to define themselves instead of accepting the dominant culture’s definition of them. If you look white, you must be white. If you’re fat, you must be lazy and self-absorbed. If you’re not coughing, you must not be sick, and if you look like one gender, you must adhere to that label. If you say otherwise, then by God, you must be lying! And this is precisely how oppression works: by denying that oppressed people are oppressed, so that you can go on oppressing them with a clean conscience."

• Another reaction to Rachel Moss (Mucking)
• And lo, I have returned with the startling news that there is asshaberdashery on the internets (wickedqueen.net)
• Three quotes on the Wiscon drama (Shapely Prose)
• Rachel Moss and the Wiscon Drama (The F Word)