Last Friday, MOVE published two columns that have received negative attention on social media websites in the last few days: [“Grindr lovin’, had me aghast” by Emma Woodhouse](http://move.themaneater.com/stories/2012/3/2/grindr-lovin-had-me-aghast/) and [“Jane Eyre: Prude ‘n’ proud” by Claire Landsbaum](http://move.themaneater.com/stories/2012/3/2/jane-eyre-prude-n-proud/). MOVE Magazine and The Maneater were criticized for publishing these columns, which were deemed offensive to the LGBTQ community and an example of “slut-shaming,” respectively.
It is first necessary to acknowledge why these columns were published: We do not censor our columnists’ content, unless it is on the grounds of length, style, fact-checking or hate speech. MOVE columnists do not represent the opinion of MOVE Magazine. They are hired based on their strength with words and creativity, as well as their ability to write columns that MU students can relate to. (Claire’s column, specifically, is meant to take books she believes to be of a good quality and to relate them to college life and encourage readers to check them out in the process. Emma’s is intended to be a romance column told through her quest to have her very first kiss.) We edit these columns for style and length. If we were to censor them based on content, there would be little point in having columnists at all, as we would be projecting our own views onto the columns. Readers have the right to disagree with our columnists and are encouraged to provide feedback. However, as stated, these columnists have the right to voice their opinions. (It is their job, after all.)
That’s not to say it is to our benefit — or anyone else’s — to be offensive in the process. Emma and I have discussed the column and, in retrospect, we understand why it is offensive and regret that it was published the way it was. It perpetuated stereotypes of the gay community, and even though her examples were based off real life incidents, when presented in this context, they become an overgeneralization of the entire gay community. Furthermore, the column objectified gay men by compartmentalizing them.
Like I said, it’s not that I, as MOVE editor, should have censored Emma’s column. Rather, I should have made sure Emma was aware that we were running a column that could offend. Emma and I regret not coming to this agreement (and again, we do agree that it was offensive) until after the article was published. Again, she fully has the right to express her thoughts as a columnist, and her writings don’t represent MOVE’s beliefs, but that’s not to say we couldn’t have employed some self-editing in the process.
We apologize to anyone who was offended by this column and want to clarify that this offensiveness stemmed from poor judgment, not from hatred or bias.
In regard to Claire’s column, I feel there is a different issue. Arguments against this column seem to take offense with the apparent stance of the columnist rather than, as with Emma’s column, characterization of a demographic. Therefore, I must again present the reminder that a columnist is an individual expressing his or her opinion, not a representative of the magazine’s beliefs.
As these columns are the opinions of the individual columnists who wrote them, we decided it would be best to let both aforementioned columnists give their stances on the public outcry. You can read advanced publications of this Friday’s columns from both Emma and Claire [here](http://move.themaneater.com/stories/2012/3/6/time-get-serious/) and [here](http://move.themaneater.com/stories/2012/3/6/prude-n-proud-revisited/), respectively.
I encourage anyone with further issues or questions on these topics to send me an email at bfoster91@gmail.com or to write us a letter to the editor. We appreciate your feedback. Columns are intended to create a forum, which cannot exist without response from readers. I truly appreciate the fact that people are willing to stand against something they believe to be offensive, so that we can have these necessary discussions.
For a point of reference and transparency, this is not the first time The Maneater has had to deal with an incident like this. You can see [here](https://www.themaneater.com/blogs/the-newsroom/2009/2/20/why-we-published/) how The Maneater handled a similar incident in the past: complaints against Sean Nahlik’s 2009 column, “Put down your beer and volunteer.”