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Fanfare, v. 1, issue 4, October 1940

Page 11

FANFARE                                                             11
         THE MAKINGS OF A MISOGYNIST
                 by
               Joseph P. Gilbert

   For those gentlemen who protest with much wailing and gnashing of teeth, that "Women run everything", the fan field would doubtless be a veritable paradise. It may be a woman's world elsewhere, but the fan field has remained inviolably male, and seems destined to remain so. 
   The Queens Chapter of the Science Fiction League has a Ladies' Auxiliary. Unfortunately, it is a funny -- if hollow -- joke. While the boys downstairs are damning Hamilton and calling down the wrath of Ghu upon the collective heads of Ziff-Davis, the Ladies are absorbed in such true blue fan discussions as each other's hats, that cute new soda jerker down at the corner drugstore, and Tyrone Power. As one girl fan said: "They vaguely realize who Weinbaum was, know that the Futurians were made to be hated, and think that STARDUST is the name of a popular song."
   This is not a censure of the girls themselves. From all reports, they're a swell bunch. But they are not -- definitely not -- fans. They don't read the pros, their one effort at any sustained fan activity, THE FEMININE FAN, went to pot, undoubtedly because its publishers were not genuinely what the title of the publication would indicate. The fact that they are in the Queen's Chapter at all, is a result of their personal relations with members of that group, and not because of any true interest in its activities.
   Leslie Perri has done some art wok for several fanmags, is connected with the Futurian organization, and has done a bit of fan writing; but it has not been extensive enough to entitle her to the position of fan.
   This leaves two girl fans who deserve the name. Only two.
   Out on the West Coast there is a state known as California. In this state there is a town called Los Angeles. Here there is a science-fiction chapter presided over by one Forrest J Ackerman. Also in this hamlet is a lady by the name of Myrtle R. Douglas, better known as Morojo. Whether or not Morojo reads the pros is a question that the writer cannot answer. She probably doesn't. It makes not the slightest difference. Morojo is a fan in the true sense of the word. Most of her activity is directed towards assisting 4e, but no fan needs assuring that such assistance is a light or inconsequential task. Decidedly the contrary.
   That leaves one.
   She came into the fan field through the activities of her brother, who is a prominent fan in his own right. Together they put out what became one of the finest fan fiction publications ever issued -- COSMIC TALES. Her participation and genuine interest in fan activities, her letters, and her delightful satirical stories that poked fun at the fan world and its members, have won her a deserted place in the inner circle. She is a fan in every sense of the word, and is probably the only girl in the field who reads the pro and fan publications.
    in the latter respect, she is unique indeed.
    Her nameL Gertrude Kuslan. (Gasp, Everybody--es)
    Why this poor representation of the fair sex in fandom? There is

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FANFARE 11 THE MAKINGS OF A MISOGYNIST by Joseph P. Gilbert For those gentlemen who protest with much wailing and gnashing of teeth, that "Women run everything", the fan field would doubtless be a veritable paradise. It may be a woman's world elsewhere, but the fan field has remained inviolably male, and seems destined to remain so. The Queens Chapter of the Science Fiction League has a Ladies' Auxiliary. Unfortunately, it is a funny -- if hollow -- joke. While the boys downstairs are damning Hamilton and calling down the wrath of Ghu upon the collective heads of Ziff-Davis, the Ladies are absorbed in such true blue fan discussions as each other's hats, that cute new soda jerker down at the corner drugstore, and Tyrone Power. As one girl fan said: "They vaguely realize who Weinbaum was, know that the Futurians were made to be hated, and think that STARDUST is the name of a popular song." This is not a censure of the girls themselves. From all reports, they're a swell bunch. But they are not -- definitely not -- fans. They don't read the pros, their one effort at any sustained fan activity, THE FEMININE FAN, went to pot, undoubtedly because its publishers were not genuinely what the title of the publication would indicate. The fact that they are in the Queen's Chapter at all, is a result of their personal relations with members of that group, and not because of any true interest in its activities. Leslie Perri has done some art wok for several fanmags, is connected with the Futurian organization, and has done a bit of fan writing; but it has not been extensive enough to entitle her to the position of fan. This leaves two girl fans who deserve the name. Only two. Out on the West Coast there is a state known as California. In this state there is a town called Los Angeles. Here there is a science-fiction chapter presided over by one Forrest J Ackerman. Also in this hamlet is a lady by the name of Myrtle R. Douglas, better known as Morojo. Whether or not Morojo reads the pros is a question that the writer cannot answer. She probably doesn't. It makes not the slightest difference. Morojo is a fan in the true sense of the word. Most of her activity is directed towards assisting 4e, but no fan needs assuring that such assistance is a light or inconsequential task. Decidedly the contrary. That leaves one. She came into the fan field through the activities of her brother, who is a prominent fan in his own right. Together they put out what became one of the finest fan fiction publications ever issued -- COSMIC TALES. Her participation and genuine interest in fan activities, her letters, and her delightful satirical stories that poked fun at the fan world and its members, have won her a deserted place in the inner circle. She is a fan in every sense of the word, and is probably the only girl in the field who reads the pro and fan publications. in the latter respect, she is unique indeed. Her nameL Gertrude Kuslan. (Gasp, Everybody--es) Why this poor representation of the fair sex in fandom? There is