Plushie Dreadfuls Pansexual Controversy TLDR
If you’ve just come across claims that I’m anti-LGBTQIA+ or that I called pansexuality “a phase,” here’s what actually happened.
What I said. On August 2, 2023, in the Plushie Dreadfuls Discord, fans asked about redesigning our Pansexual Rabbit. I said interest in pan-themed rabbits had been a phase, because the topic had trended hugely on TikTok and then dropped off. When someone objected to my phrasing, I explained in that same conversation that I meant a trend of interest, not an identity. Google Trends shows the spike exactly as I described it.
The context nobody shows you. For weeks before that day, a small group had used our Discord to harass staff and organize attacks on the business, including a bot-driven add-to-cart campaign that cost us about $20,000 in ad spend and coupon scams that cost thousands more. The person who objected was part of that. After weeks of it, I pushed back once and said I’d ban them if it continued. I didn’t ban them. In the same conversation I said the Discord was stressing me out. That pushback was about a lot more than what the screenshots and false framing would lead you to believe.
How it became a “controversy.” About a month later, screenshots were posted to Reddit’s /r/plushies under the headline “Plushie Dreadfuls Creator Calls Pansexuality a Phase.” The clarification was in the same screenshots, but most people only read the headline. Over time the story grew into claims that I’m anti-LGBTQIA+.
Who we actually are. I’m pansexual. Many people on our team are queer. Plushie Dreadfuls makes LGBTQIA+ pride and mental health designs and donates to related causes, and we have from day one.
What’s happened since. I apologized, stepped back from public-facing roles, and shut down the Discord. The attacks continued anyway. Three years on, my team still receives death threats, and fans who post about our products get harassed. Some of the loudest voices profit from reselling our plushies secondhand. The lead moderator of /r/plushies runs a competing plush business, and we’ve sent a legal letter about how that subreddit has been moderated.
What I’m asking. Look at the source material before you share the story. Don’t amplify it. And if you see our fans being harassed, stand with them.
