Hello. My name is Zach.
Before all else, if you have not done so already, please read Mandy’s post. If you are a sensible person, you will not need to read the rest of this post. You will immediately go to the nearest social media account you own, post what needs saying, and then enjoy the rest of your evening. There is a link here. CW: Sexual assault, abuse.
I write roleplaying games. I have interacted with Zak a few times over twitter and discord. We both have spoken politely to each other and argued. My relationship with Zak has not been publicly antagonistic before this post. I have spoken in public and private in his defence. Until this morning, I thought he was a bit of an asshole who had trouble displaying himself on the internet.
I do not support Zak with my wallet. I never have. From conversation with him, he informed me that if I think he is an asshole, I should not buy his books. That was on a tweet somewhere. Since that day, I have sat politely on the fence, watching a series of internet arguments and deciding not to get involved.
I was on the fence. I shouldn’t have been. This is no longer a position any person within our community can be allowed to continue. We have a responsibility as a community to be more vigilant against these people.
If you have worked with Zak on a project, you have a responsibility to condemn him. If you reviewed him or promoted on social media, you have a responsibility to condemn him. If you have purchased his products, you have a responsibility to condemn him. If you want me to continue to use and purchase your products, you have a responsibility to condemn him.
Harassers and sexual abusers have no place in our community. He should be cut out.
I do not have the energy to respond to comments on this thread. I do not have the energy for debate.
If I follow you on patreon, I expect you to denounce Zak on twitter or similar and cut ties with him. I respect your right to wait for his public statement, but I struggle to imagine anything on there that could change my opinion. You will have 24 hours to soul-search or read it, then I will cut my pledges. If you want to work with me in the future, I would recommend doing so as well. I recommend that you contact every person you know who has not yet made a statement, and request they do so. I request you contact your friends, and do the same of people they support. We should not continue to support companies or people who enable him with their silence or inaction.
Silence cannot be the response.
Thank you and goodnight,
Zach, JellyMuppet
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