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Author: Elizabeth Little, Lecturer in Education (Literacy and Language), Deakin University
Original article: https://theconversation.com/five-fans-have-made-allegations-against-neil-gaiman-when-it-comes-to-stardom-what-do-sex-consent-and-morality-mean-247346
An explosive New York magazine cover story details accusations of assault, coercion or abuse against Neil Gaiman by eight women. Four of them were among the five who previously detailed their experiences on a UK podcast last year. Included are two employees, one a former nanny who was in her mid-20s at the time of the first incident, and five fans – one just 18 when she met the star fantasy author.
Gaiman, through his representatives, told the magazine these were all consensual encounters. Today, in an online statement, he denied the allegations and said, “I have never engaged in non-consensual sexual activity with anyone”. He continued: “some of the horrible stories now being told simply never happened, while others have been so distorted from what actually took place that they bear no relationship to reality”.
People who flock to fantasy conventions and signings make up an “inherently vulnerable community”, one of Gaiman’s former friends, a fantasy writer, told reporter Lila Shapiro. They “wrap themselves around a beloved text so it becomes their self-identity”. These fans’ connection to the writer through their work means when they meet them in real life, a meaningful relationship may already exist.
I have researched teenage fans of romantasy author Sarah J. Maas, and her series A Court of Thorns and Roses. I spoke to six young women several times over the course of a year about their experience of reading the series, and was struck by how intimately they felt they knew the author. Readers often feel a very strong connection to authors of series they love.
The latest accusations against Gaiman, which come months after stories first began circulating in July 2024, raises the question: what moral and ethical responsibilities do authors have when engaging with fans? And what does the unequal power relationship between author and fan mean for consent?
Consent, power and #MeToo
Gaiman, whose bestselling books include children’s horror fantasy Coraline (2002) and the Sandman graphic novels, has had a dedicated following for years. He has sold more than 50 million books, and has long been a fan favourite, particularly among women. He has almost three million followers on X. Shapiro tells how one woman “fell to her knees and wept” when she encountered him at a convention.
David Maung/EPA
All this gives him extraordinary power in the fantasy book community. A key aspect of the #MeToo movement, which began in 2017, has been acknowledging how unequal power relationships change a person’s ability to consent to sex.
When one person has more power than the other because, for example, they are an award-winning author, consent is not clear-cut. It is the responsibility of the person with that power to acknowledge it and act accordingly. Research shows young people understand that unequal power implicitly influences their ability to consent freely. But even then, this isn’t always recognisable in the moment.
Since #MeToo, and the wide cultural recognition of the need for enthusiastic and informed consent it has brought, the need for authors to act responsibly with their fans is clear.
One of Gaiman’s former friends, a fantasy writer, told Shapiro if “you have morality around” dealing with fans, “you say no”. There is even a lengthy Reddit thread for and by authors on dealing with fans who cross boundaries.
Other fantasy authors
Gaiman is not the first fantasy or science-fiction author to be the subject of serious allegations.
In 2014, Moira Greyland, the daughter of bestselling late fantasy author Marion Zimmer Bradley, accused her mother of having abused her as a child, calling her “cruel and violent”.
Greyland told the Guardian she hadn’t spoken out earlier “because I thought that my mother’s fans would be angry with me for saying anything against someone who had championed women’s rights and made so many of them feel differently about themselves and their lives”.
In 2018, blockbuster author James Dashner, author of the young adult Maze Runner science-fiction series, was dropped by his publisher as a result of harassment allegations.
Fandoms have faced moral dilemmas over their favourite fantasy worlds in other contexts, too. Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has been “cancelled” by some for her views on trans women and feminism. Some Harry Potter fans have argued for separating for the artists from the art, while others have chosen not to.
Gaiman fans face the same dilemma now – and have since the allegations first surfaced.
How fans read
Gaiman’s writing has also been criticised for the way it depicts romantic relationships. Shapiro cites the protagonist of Sandman, Madoc, a man who sexually assaults his muse (and, it should be acknowledged, is punished for it). The genre of fantasy more broadly is often criticised for the way it minimises abuse in romantic relationships.
Young adult fantasy literature has been criticised for its depiction of coercive control and how this may influence readers.
Studies have shown representations of sexual intimacy provide a behavioural script for young readers, which are put to use during their own sexual encounters.
Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight series began more than 20 years ago. At the peak of its popularity, many were concerned about how its depiction of relationships would affect young people. Women’s studies lecturer Danielle Borgia claimed the fantasy series glamorised negative behaviours such as stalking and emotional codependency, in ways the public would only accept “veiled in the cloak of the supernatural”.
But other research – including my own – shows readers are much more savvy, and can easily identify the difference between the real world and the fantasy of the text.
The teenage girls I spoke to, all fans of romantasy author Sarah J. Maas, indicated they could see the difference between life in the novels, and how real life should be.
MeToo has created a space for victims of sexual assault to tell their stories – sometimes, as in the Harvey Weinstein case, despite signing non-disclosure agreements, or NDAs. Two of Gaiman’s accusers have also broken NDAs to tell their story.
If there’s anything this latest literary controversy confirms, it’s the need for continued consent education and cultural transformation that empowers women to call out abuse.