Thomas F. Monteleone Statement

The Board of Trustees for the Horror Writers Association does not condone hate speech in any way, shape, or form. We stand in support of our members’ right to feel safe, welcome, and above all else, respected. The Horror Writers Association condemns the recent words and actions of Thomas Monteleone and in accordance with our anti-harassment policies, The Board of Trustees has voted to ban Mr. Monteleone from attendance and participation in StokerCon 2023.

Furthermore, in respect to those same policies, the Board of Trustees has voted to ban Mr. Monteleone from attending our future events.

Lastly, the Board of Trustees has voted to expel Mr. Monteleone from membership in the Horror Writers Association, thus revoking the benefits of his Lifetime Achievement Award, per Horror Writers Association Bylaws Article III, section 24:

“The Board may, by a vote of 80% of the officers and trustees then in office, expel any member for good and sufficient cause. For avoidance of confusion, 80% of the officers and trustees then in office must vote to expel the member in order for such expulsion to be effective. In the event of expulsion, the expelled member’s dues, if paid, shall be refunded on a pro-rata basis. An expelled member shall be reinstated if the Board shall receive a petition for reinstatement signed by a number of Active members equal to no less than two-thirds of the Active membership as of the date of receipt.”

Members of the Board of Trustees were unanimous in this decision-making process and are also pursuing other options available under the bylaws of the organization.

We are dedicated to making our StokerCons, other HWA-sponsored events, and official HWA online spaces safe and comfortable for all participants, as per our anti-harassment policy available at horror.org/hwa-anti-harassment-policy/.