Cancelled By Kickstarter

Live Now on FUNDMYCOMIC.COM

A fictional depiction of the thought police suppressing science, truth, and reason, became a reality earlier today as Kickstarter cancelled a fully funded project, The Wise of Heart, just days before the campaign would have successfully closed. Inspired by the real-life history of the Scopes Monkey Trial, The Wise of Heart tells the story of a high school biology teacher who gets more than he bargained for when he agrees to challenge a state law forbidding the teaching of the biology of sex and mandating unquestioning gender affirmation. The story is currently being serialized both on Substack and Arktoons.

Reviewed and approved by Kickstarter before launch, The Wise of Heart crowdfund campaign was fully funded at the original $3000 target, well on the way to a $6000 stretch goal, with less than a week from closing. Here’s how the project stood earlier today.

Then, the “Trust and Safety” Team at Kickstarter changed their minds and tried to cancel the project.

They will not succeed.

Kudos to FUNDMYCOMIC.COM for agreeing to provide a new home for this project. Go to the new Wise of Heart crowdfund homepage, and help me make back lost ground by backing at whatever level you’re comfortable with.

Why Did Kickstarter Cancel The Wise of Heart?

I can only speculate. The generic note I was sent included an extensive list of calumnies from which I could pick if I wanted a “reason.”

It’s sad that Kickstarter lacks a sufficient spirit of diversity and inclusion to be willing to tolerate an objective look at the scientific and political issues surrounding transgenderism as presented in the context of a courtroom drama. I infer they received a complaint, the substance of which I was not privy to and took unilateral action without allowing me any input. No due process, no ability to face my accusers or even to be informed of the nature of the accusation. The fact that Kickstarter waited until after the project was already fully funded and nearing a close is a more disturbing trend. Creators would be wise to to deal with platforms more worthy of their trust.

The conduct of Kickstarter in particular and big tech companies in general raise broader issues of how the rule of law has devolved in an online context to sanction injustices that would not be tolerated in a more conventional setting. A contract that allows one party to unilaterally withdraw from the deal already agreed to after the other party has detrimentally relied upon their assurances would not typically be enforceable. But this is a topic for another time.

Where Do We Go From Here?

If you are already a paid subscriber on Substack, thanks again for your support. If you are new here, consider signing up for a free subscription to receive weekly episodes of the story and updates on the progress bringing the story to life.

I set the goal for this revised crowdfunding campaign to $6000. We appeared on track to hit that target, and that amount will be enough to allow me to produce an audiobook version of The Wise of Heart. If we hit the $6000 goal, I will add an option to allow you to purchase an audiobook version of the story for only $10. Many readers these days prefer the convenience of an audiobook to listen to in the car or while engaged in other activities. The dialogue-heavy nature of this courtroom drama lends itself well to that format.

“The ride never ends,” the Gamergate veterans taught us.

Thanks for joining with me on this adventure, and helping send a message that cancellation only makes us stronger.

Truly yours,

Hans