Book event disinvites queer author because his disability aid makes others “uncomfortable”

Queer, autistic, erotic sci-fi author Chuck Tingle accepted an invitation from the Texas Library Association (TLA) to speak at its annual conference this April. However, the TLA recently rescinded their invitation because the group refused to let Tingle speak while wearing his trademark mask — a pink, pillowcase-like hood that covers most of his face. The TLA told his publisher that they worried that his mask might make attendees feel uncomfortable.

Tingle — who has become famous for writing short fiction with such titles as Space Raptor Butt Invasion and Unicorn Colonel Haunts My Ass — wrote a public post about the TLA’s actions, explaining that his mask is a disability aid to ease his autistic and chronic pain symptoms. After his post gained social media attention, the TLA re-invited him. However, Tingle has publicly refused their re-invitation, citing worries that the conference may not accommodate his other disability needs.

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“Do you like saying you’re for small government then building a hate-based platform around exerting power over other people whose lives are none of your business? I do too!” the website states.

The TLA had invited Tingle to participate as a panelist at its Evening with Authors event. But when they rescinded his invitation, Tingle wrote a public post calling the dis-invitation “rude” and explaining that the mask helps him express his “neurodivergence in a safe, healthy way.” Its pink color also expresses his “gender journey,” he added.

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“THE PINK BAG is never really a problem when making appearances,” Tingle wrote, adding that he has conducted TV interviews and talks at other book events in the mask. Its presence rarely alarms people, he said, because many fans recognize his iconic head covering and photos of his hooded face are often printed in event programs to alert attendees of his presence.

“TLA not letting an autistic author wear the face cover theyve set up to express their neurodivergence in a safe, healthy way is–for lack of a better term–NOT A GOOD LOOK,” Tingle wrote. “Their explanation was that people who paid [to see authors in a panel] should have the option to not see chucks ‘scary neurodivergence aid.'”

Tingle encouraged his fans not to vilify the entire TLA for the actions of a few and said that moment was a way to “shine a light and prove love is real.”

He noted the TLA’s prohibition against masks had no basis in the group’s written policies and even seemed to violate the TLA’s own Code of Conduct, which promises a “harassment-free environment” for all attendees regardless of disability. He also noticed a previous TLA conference guest speaker wore a niqab, a Muslim headless that almost entirely covers the face, and he wondered if she was forbidden from wearing it on her panel.

“Why is Chuck’s preferred physical presentation valued SO little by the TLA that a THEORETICAL complaint is worth more?” Tingle wrote. “Is my neurodivergent expression so awful? is my own safety as a queer activist such an afterthought?”

Tingle’s post gained greater social media attention after queer ally and renowned fantasy author Neil Gaiman reposted it on the blogging platform Tumblr. In response, TLA’s executive director Shirley Robinson wrote a public letter calling the rescinded invitation “a misstep that we regret,” which contradicts the TLA’s mission to “unite and amplify voices… through intentional equity, diversity, and inclusion.”

Robinson said the TLA apologized for its dis-invitation and added, “TLA has spent the last two years fighting for the freedom to read and freedom of knowledge in school libraries, and we are always on the side of authors. We set a high standard for ourselves, and in this instance, we did not meet it.”

However, Tingle responded by writing a public post on Thursday explaining why he declined the TLA’s re-invitation. In his post, he said he found the TLA’s apology “a little unsatisfying.”

“The fact that it took this much effort, social media backlash and discussion to let me simply exist physically in a way that is authentic to myself is not a good sign,” he wrote.

“This is clearly not a safe space to trot for those who require additional accommodations,” or for marginalized groups who don’t “wear the metaphorical suit and tie,” he added.

“Regardless of any apology, their actions have shown that people who appear unusual or unique are not welcome at this event on a subconscious level,” he continued. “I believe the TLA has some serious inner work to do beyond this apology. And I believe this inner work will involve actions more than words… It is easy to show diversity when you only take on the voices that aren’t too strange.”

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