My parents are both from Wyoming Valley, and I was born there. I still have a lot of family in that area, including my grandmother and a ton of aunts, uncles and cousins. Though I haven’t lived in the area since I was a young child, I still feel very attached to it.
So it was with great disappointment that I heard about this recent witch hunt of romance author Judy Mays, who, under her real name, has been a high school English teacher in the area for more than twenty-five years. Mays, by all reports (including the one that is outing her!), keeps her writing life completely separate from her work in the school, and the appalling muckrakers who sought to have her disciplined/fired had to perform amazing feats of Google-fu to link her image to an obscure You Tube video of Mays in author guise being interviewed at a romance writer’s conference.
The predominant theme of the unbalanced and potentially slanderous “news segment” is how the woman’s secret profession that was unknown to anyone before these brain donors dug it up might somehow be corrupting the children. That’s right — the point of the news segment is pretty much: “No one knew about this until we went and found it out and are now telling you, and now that everyone knows, well, the kids are going to be affected by this knowledge!”
Disgusting. Appalling. In the news segment, one concerntroll parent even indulges in the baseless and highly damaging accusation that the teacher is a pedophile. There is not a single positive or even neutral person quoted in the entire segment, just a group of parents who have banded together (the segment features shots of them sitting together in one’s backyard, presumably plotting their next dastardly move against an innocent public school teacher) in outrage over something that has not the slightest effect on their children or the teacher’s ability to teach them.
Guess what, folks? Mays is fully aware that the writing of sexy, *adult* novels is not an appropriate topic of conversation for the children in her class. That’s why she never mentioned it to the children in her class! She took a pen name! She kept her day job and her writing work COMPLETELY SEPARATE. If you’re so worried about what will happen to your kids now that they know their English teacher has written about sex, then WHY DID YOU MAKE SURE THEY KNEW?
If any Valley folks are reading this, please write to WNEP and complain about their horrible reporting. The reporter’s name is Kena Vernon and she definitely needs to learn a few things about the difference between journalism and muckraking. You can also support Ms. Mays on Facebook, or better yet (if you’re an adult) you can buy one of her books.
I write fiction under my real name, but I know many authors who do not for personal reasons just like this. They might wish to separate their writing persona from their daily life, either to protect their jobs or their families, or, as in Ms. Mays’ case, the young minds of her academic charges. Shouldn’t she be applauded for managing to hold two challenging jobs at once and not letting one distract her from another? Shouldn’t she be held up as a shining example of an industrious American worker?
Keep it up, Miss Mays. You just got yourself at least one new reader.
April 28th, 2011 at 7:03 am
It is my understanding, from another friend who does write under a pen name for similar reasons, that the WNEP was deleting (as of last night) all comments of support on their FB page.
I’ve commented to quite a few friends that I’m going to buy a few of her books in support as well. Freaking witch hunters. I’m ashamed this happened in my state.
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April 28th, 2011 at 10:16 am
A grown woman being interested in romance and sex? Surely not! It’s a good thing there are parents out there–who have neither had nor are interested in sex–protecting their children from other adults who engage in this kind of unnatural behaviour!
…Wait…
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April 28th, 2011 at 11:10 am
Wow…just…wow. And people wonder why I took a pen name. I don’t do anything in “real life” that has to do with children, but it’s incredibly scary reading something like this.
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April 28th, 2011 at 11:12 am
Wow, this is horrifying. I’m a freelance writer who’s written under a pen name for years. I’m literally on the cusp (days away) from writing under my own name, and this kind of thing scares the yams out of me. I’d already wrestled with the nerves and “stage fright” involved with stepping into any kind of spotlight, and this makes me quake and question myself further. However, it scares me (and enrages me) even without my own personal bias. It’s a very weird, skunky thing to do, and as you’ve already perfectly stated, the info. wouldn’t have surfaced organically, it was hunted down and trumpeted in a very calculated way.
Love the term “google-fu”, it’s flippin’ perfect.
And Emily, I love your comment.
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April 28th, 2011 at 11:20 am
Outstanding post, Diana. You communicate what we are thinking so clearly. Thank you for doing so.
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April 28th, 2011 at 11:33 am
I read about this yesterday and was very angry. It’s just such a joke! Where do people get off thinking they can nose around in someone else’s business? If she was doing something criminal, I would understand. However, this is the equivalent of going after a teacher who say likes to tattoo for extra cash or a hobby and then making the claim that he might somehow influence their children to get tattoos. It’s a joke. If Judy loses her job, I hope this attention at least brings her enough book sales to make up for the lose financially. Except, I’m pretty sure she was teacher for reasons other than money and that kind of lose is something that more book sales couldn’t make up for.
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April 28th, 2011 at 12:03 pm
Disgusting. It’s disgusting that she can’t go and have two friggin’ jobs without people complaining.
But what’s even more disgusting is the underlying prejudice against romance novels. I don’t think anyone would have a problem if she wrote sci-fi, or YA lit, or even war or crime novels. What’s really horrifying here is the inherent bias of the parents that anything to do with exploring sexuality and romance must be corrupting for their kids. It’s disgusting and small-minded…these are probably the same parents who try to ban every book that deals with anything related to sex, violence, social disobedience, or any religion not their own.
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April 28th, 2011 at 12:31 pm
Amazing and sad that people go to such lengths to harm others. It is almost impossible to keep real name and pen name separate in this day and age. How many of these accusers would hold up to microscopic scrutiny?
Now, I’m off to the book store.
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April 28th, 2011 at 1:28 pm
Check out the list of “Challenged Books” from the American Library Association. It includes greats from Huckleberry Finn to I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings to Judy Blume.
People fear what doesn’t conform to their ideals. One would hope that journalists would take a more objective approach …
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April 29th, 2011 at 2:51 pm
[...] See more here: Diana Peterfreund Blog | Romance Writer Witchhunt [...]
April 29th, 2011 at 3:33 pm
[...] Teacher Harassed for Being Erotica Author Vivi Andrews: New Levels of Asshattery Diana Peterfreund: Romance Writer Witchhunt (Thanks for the links, Leah. ) Saltekoff’s Writings: Support Your ‘Local’ [...]
May 1st, 2011 at 6:54 pm
Diana, I was so upset when I heard this story reported on the news!! These parents make me sick to my stomach! I was at the lab getting bloodwork done when it was reported on their TV, the room was full of other patients and I made my opinion known to every patient that was in the lab that day!
Thank you for putting this issue on your blog. It actually means more to me than you’d know.
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May 9th, 2011 at 1:13 pm
I believe this teacher should be removed. We send our children to be educated, not to be molded in to another perverse “romance” writer.
The first amendment is not absolute, I do believe however it should be proected in most cases. While it is an authors right to pen as they please, it is also their duty to be a role model as an educator. If she chooses a life of perversion disguised as “romance”, then step away from our kids, and keep your devils work to yourself.
-Sam
Tampa Florida
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May 9th, 2011 at 2:03 pm
Sam, what makes you think that this teacher is “molding” anyone into a romance writer? The curriculum a public school teacher teaches is decided by the state board of educators, not by an individual teacher. She’s not teaching her texts. She’s not TALKING about her texts.
I have no idea what this has to do with the first amendment, either. In case you are not aware, the first amendment protects people from THE GOVERNMENT censoring what is published. The government is not trying to prevent the publication of ANYTHING in this case, so your reference to 1st amendment rights is nonsensical.
And I’m also not sure in what way she is not a role model as an educator. Could you please point to any instance in which the English education of her charges is thought to be lacking? Are their standardized test scores dropping? are they performing poorly on their exams? Are they illiterate? If you are aware of such issues that make her a bad educator, please let us know!
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May 9th, 2011 at 3:04 pm
Sam, how about removing your city/state next time…you’re embarrassing the rest of us who live here.
She doesn’t talk about her books in class. She writes under a pen name. She is a dedicated teacher for 35 years whose outside job, be it a romance writer or working at McDonald’s, doesn’t have anything to do with her effectiveness as an educator. Your comment is ridiculous.
For the entire eight years that I was a teacher, I wrote romance novels. I was not published, but I was still writing them, still reading them, still entirely dedicated to becoming a publishing profession. I can assure you that my students were in no way negatively effected by my hobby. In fact, they were helped because they had a working writer with a personal investment in storytelling teaching them about literature, writing, grammar and history.
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May 9th, 2011 at 3:51 pm
So, just wondering… Why the pen names? If I engage in activities I am proud of, I let it be known. Your writings are a window to your soul, and a soul I DO NOT want around my children. You cannot write about which you do not know, so you too are perverse and you do not belong in the schools.
Sam Hartman
TAMPA,FLORIDA
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May 9th, 2011 at 3:57 pm
Sam, just wondering, if you are engaged in an activity you are proud of right now, then why are you using a fake email address in your comments to me? Why are YOU hiding behind a fake name?
I am NOT using a pen name and neither is Julie.
You can’t have it both ways — either she’s being deceptive by NOT telling the children about activities that do not concern them, do not harm them, have nothing to do with them, or she’s corrupting them if she does? Make up your mind.
Additionally — you CAN write about things you don’t know. It’s called research. I write about unicorns. There are no such things as unicorns.
Your problem, apparently, is that this woman writes sex scenes and has knowledge of sex — guess what. So does everyone who has children. That’s kind of the POINT, isn’t it? By your argument, the very knowledge which made you capable of having children has rendered you too perverse to be around them.
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May 9th, 2011 at 4:10 pm
“Sam” you are a troll.
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May 9th, 2011 at 4:13 pm
“the very knowledge which made you capable of having children has rendered you too perverse to be around them.” REALLY, the bible encourages sex and having children. It does not however speak of multiple partners, having sex with aliens, incest, brutal sex, or aliens. Please fill me in on “research” of any of these topics… It must first be in the mind to be “created” on paper, as sick as all this must be. The last point, what is the point of erotica? To encourage what type of behavior???? Love making between two consenting adults is beautiful, but you people twist it and make it in to something impure.
Sam Hartman
TAMPA FLORIDA
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May 9th, 2011 at 5:35 pm
“You people”… hmmm, I think Julie might be right, Sam. You must be a troll. You certainly aren’t visiting this blog out of any familiarity with my writing.
Also, newsflash: aliens aren’t real. The Bible doesn’t talk about it at ALL.
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