Comments on: Celebrating GLBT Literature – Part Two

By: Three Dollar Bill Reviews » Blog Archive » Celebrating GLBT Literature – Part Three

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:22:30 +0000

[...] great discussion already. Past weeks have reader Tam offered insight into m/m romance, and author Jules Aedin wanting to see more diversity. This week we have a new author and long time reader to share their thoughts in the dual role of [...]

By: Jules

Jules — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 15:14:24 +0000

Heh, thanks! I think I have to credit Jesse Wave with first setting me on the train of thought that the “But I’m white! I don’t understand the experience!” excuse is just pathetic when it comes to women who write m/m romance.

By: Jules

Jules — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 15:12:12 +0000

Yeah I definitely don’t want to sound like I’m knocking m/m romance – especially when you consider where most of my writing falls! – but as one of the fic communities I belong to noted, “Queer people are Queer all the time, not just when we’re having sex. Queer gen-fic is important, too.” I think that really got me to thinking about how much a non-heteronormative identity gets defined by bedroom activities — and it even carries over into legislature, when you hear a Congresswoman from New Hampshire trying to outlaw same-sex marriage on the grounds of her thinking that anal sex is gross, which is inappropriate and ridiculous.

…Oh sorry, I soapboxed. *grin* Anyway, thanks for allowing me the space to speak up.

By: Jules

Jules — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 15:09:18 +0000

Thank you! And thanks for commenting.

By: Jules

Jules — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 15:08:46 +0000

Thanks, Tam. Yeah, I tend to think “white” too, although when I went back and approved edits on one of my short stories that’s coming out this month, I realized that one of my main characters could be read as Black or Latino, because I never really specified anything that would preclude that. That kind of made me happy.

A lot of my coursework in college focuses on social relationships, especially between privileged and oppressed categories of people, so I’ve started to become more conscious of this, and I guess I’m trying to pass along some of that consciousness to others. Thanks for reading and commenting!

By: Val Kovalin

Val Kovalin — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 16:48:01 +0000

Very interesting! We need more diversity in the GLBT fiction (and the m/m fiction), no question. I totally agree.

This is a great point to make here: “I hear white authors talk about how they don’t know enough about what it’s like to be a person of color to write these characters, but I remind them: Many of them are straight women writing gay men.” Very true, ha, ha!

By: Kassa

Kassa — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 15:53:31 +0000

Thanks for taking the time to write this Jules. I agree that there is so much more to the genre than just m/m romance, although I don’t knock that either. It’s nice to get some perspective and viewpoints on those other letters in the alphabet soup.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 15:46:50 +0000

Excellent post, Jules. Thanks for sharing!

By: Tam

Tam — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 15:25:46 +0000

Great post Jules. I swear sometimes it’s deja vu time on the internet because someone who’s blog I followed today just did a post about racism within the gay community and fighting both homophobia AND racism at the same time. Who’d have thought I’d find similar thoughts on the exact same day.

I agree with more diversity, in everything I guess. Being white I probably tend to think “white” in my mind of characters but authors can push the limits of their perceptions and should feel free to make us readers push our limits, give us characters who are a bit outside the norm and make us care about them.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.