Bigots, Homophobes, Transphobes, Antisemites, Islamophobes - Paragraph Pulling Away any CC License, Etc.
4/19/25
Warning: IANAL but I’m lawyer-aligned. Here’s something for your stories, if you are an author:
Legalese:
This license is granted only on the condition that the licensee is not, and does not publicly present themselves as (in earnest or in support of those views), racist, homophobic, transphobic (including but not limited to gender-critical or so-called “TERF” ideologies), antisemitic, Islamophobic, or sexist, nor produces derivative works that depict my original characters or narratives in a way that glorifies or affirms such views. Depictions intended to critically examine, reject, or overcome these views are permitted. Violation of this condition, in any work by the licensee, voids this license ab initio and revokes any rights otherwise granted under this or any other license I have issued.
Plain English:
You may only use this work under the terms of the license if you are not racist, homophobic, transphobic (including TERF-aligned), antisemitic, Islamophobic, or sexist — and if you don’t use my characters or stories to promote those ideas. It’s okay if your work includes those views in a way that clearly rejects or challenges them (like showing a character learning or being wrong). But if you support or celebrate those views in any of your work, then you lose the right to use this or any of my other stories, no matter what the original license said.
(I do not know if this is enforeceable, but if Creative Commons licenses are, this may be.)
A Note for Creators Adding This Clause
This clause is written as a condition precedent, meaning the license only applies if the condition was met from the beginning. In simple terms: if someone is racist, homophobic, transphobic (including TERF-aligned), antisemitic, Islamophobic, or sexist — or if they use your characters or stories to promote those views — then they were never granted the right to use your work in the first place, even if they thought they were acting under an open license.
If you’re adding this clause now to work that was previously shared under a more permissive license, be aware of the legal limitations:
- If your original license allows for termination or includes moral use conditions (like Creative Commons licenses), this clause can help you revoke rights from those who violate its terms — potentially allowing you to issue takedown notices or otherwise block use.
- But if you used a license that is explicitly irrevocable (e.g. CC-BY, CC-BY-SA), or if you released the work into the public domain (e.g. via CC0 or The Unlicense), you cannot legally revoke those rights now — even if the user later promotes bigoted views.
- In those cases, this clause still serves as a public moral statement, and you can call out misuse and ask platforms to take action, but you may not have legal enforcement options.
Going forward, this clause strengthens your control: anyone violating these moral terms loses any claim to use your work under your license — not just for this project, but for any of your stories under similar terms. It may not stop bad actors entirely, but it gives you clearer standing to speak up, push back, and protect the spirit of your work and the communities it’s meant for.