Difference between revisions of "Lee Hoffman Hoax"
Lee Hoffman Hoax
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{fancy2|text= | {{fancy2|text= | ||
| − | was not really meant as a hoax. When [[Leeh]] entered [[fandom]] she didn't bother to state her sex, which many assumed on the strength of the first name and the well-known predominance of he-fans to be male. Not till she appeared at [[Nolacon]] was the truth generally realized. | + | was not really meant as a [[hoax]]. When [[Leeh]] entered [[fandom]] she didn't bother to state her [[sex]], which many assumed on the strength of the first name and the well-known predominance of he-fans to be male. Not till she appeared at [[Nolacon]] was the truth generally realized. |
}} | }} | ||
| − | + | If not actually a hoax, it was a deliberate obfuscation. | |
| + | Hoffman, whose [[nickname]], Lee, was short for Shirley, went to some trouble to keep her gender a secret, reportedly going so far as to tell people that the then-current Korean War draft had not been a problem “because I couldn't pass the physical,” leading people to think she was crippled or ill. | ||
| + | |||
| + | She [http://www.fanac.org/fanzines/Fanhistorica/Fanhistorica01-10.html recollected] in ''[[Fanhistorica]]'' 1 (May 1976, p. 10): | ||
| + | Lee is an ambiguous name. Non-committal. Throughout my first year of [[fan]] [[pub|publishing]], I made a point of never making a point of being female. This was, indeed, on purpose. It wasn’t too difficult. I was in an isolated section of the country, in face-to-face contact with only a couple of other [[fans]]. I swore a few close associates, like [[Shelby Vick]], to secrecy. I let the rest of ''[[Quandry|Q]]’s'' readers draw their own conclusions. In typical male chauvinistic manner, most concluded that the [[editor]] of a successful [[fanzine]] must be male. | ||
| + | |||
| + | |||
| + | {{Fanhistory}} | ||
[[Category:fancy2]] | [[Category:fancy2]] | ||
[[Category:hoax]] | [[Category:hoax]] | ||
Revision as of 23:54, 28 November 2020
| From Fancyclopedia 2, ca. 1959 |
| was not really meant as a hoax. When Leeh entered fandom she didn't bother to state her sex, which many assumed on the strength of the first name and the well-known predominance of he-fans to be male. Not till she appeared at Nolacon was the truth generally realized. |
If not actually a hoax, it was a deliberate obfuscation.
Hoffman, whose nickname, Lee, was short for Shirley, went to some trouble to keep her gender a secret, reportedly going so far as to tell people that the then-current Korean War draft had not been a problem “because I couldn't pass the physical,” leading people to think she was crippled or ill.
She recollected in Fanhistorica 1 (May 1976, p. 10):
Lee is an ambiguous name. Non-committal. Throughout my first year of fan publishing, I made a point of never making a point of being female. This was, indeed, on purpose. It wasn’t too difficult. I was in an isolated section of the country, in face-to-face contact with only a couple of other fans. I swore a few close associates, like Shelby Vick, to secrecy. I let the rest of Q’s readers draw their own conclusions. In typical male chauvinistic manner, most concluded that the editor of a successful fanzine must be male.
| Fanhistory |
| This is a fanhistory page. Please add more detail. |
