Thank God for it, too.

nothingmuch is very very very very very very very very very very—

ahem.

—very offended at a post in cf_debate that DARES to ask why a limit on the number of cats is okay, but not limiting the number of kids, or something.

So she posts telling everyone about it.

The community members try to reason with her, which is about as effective as bashing their heads into a brick wall, because after all, as nothingmuch says, "Any time you roundly insult all children, you insult my child."

. . . right . . .

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This seems almost like a case of life imitating fandom... I put it here because I'm not exactly sure which one it is.

JT LeRoy managed to escape his hellish life as a teenage prostitute, and become a writer acclaimed by all - reviewers, writers, various actors. Rescued by a therapist, he now lives with a couple of musicians, Laura Albert and Gregory Knoop, in San Francisco. JT is mentored by edgy gay writer Dennis Cooper. A movie, The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things, was recently made of his semi-autobiographical short-story collection. His traumatic early life has left him shy and reclusive; he mostly communicates with (celebrity) friends and fans online or on the phone. When he does readings, he often has an actor read, while he looks on in disguise.

People get suspicious, first quietly, then not so quietly. New York Metro magazine runs an article about the gathering doubts. JT LeRoy says he's for real. The Washington Post chimes in.

Today's New York Times basically reveals JT LeRoy as a character portrayed by Savannah Knoop (half-sister of the roommate Gregory); it's widely believed that Laura Albert does the writing (although nobody knows for sure).

(Use www.bugmenot.com to get a generic NYTimes registration, or just

read ( inside the cut )

Some people who believed in him are upset; others say there's nothing wrong with a writer using a pseudonym or a fictional identity.

But wouldn't this be a great role for Elijah Wood?

ETA: More on JT LeRoy. This was a front-page story in today's San Francisco Chronicle!

New clues in mystery story of elusive S.F. author JT LeRoy
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/01/10/MNGBHGL0F61.DTL

LeRoy and the art of getting editors to work for free
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/01/10/MNGBHGL0E81.DTL

Photo gallery
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/object/article?f=/c/a/2006/01/10/MNGBHGL0F61.DTL&o=4

(I'm not sure posting a photo of someone's house number under a caption of their
street name is really ethical here...)

Thanks to capsulekei for the heads-up on that.

Another ETA: A very good article from Susie Bright, a sex writer who published JTL for the first time (thinking he was a pitiful teen) - they had many late-night phone conversations and emails, she helped him with his editing, introduced him to good people - turns out she KNOWS the woman doing the writing, and has WORKED with her. Whoops. Lots and lots of good comments follow, many from other writers whose lives have been touched by JTL.

http://susiebright.blogs.com/susie_brights_journal_/2006/01/my_name_is_susi.html

Thanks to moonjaguar for pointing that one out.

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