Why Can't GLBT and Straight Romance Go Hand in Hand?
A little late, as the entry was posted on the 22nd, but I think people who missed it might find the post and ensuing discussion interesting anyways.
Author KT Grant reacts to a review that she received for her lesbian romance Lovestruck.
Excerpt:
When discussing romance, there's mentions of sub-genres such as historical, contemporary, urban fantasy and so forth. But when it comes to GLBT romance, it's treated an entirely different genre all together. And that's where I'm confused. Why when it comes to GLBT romance, it's a whole different type of entity and must be treated separately from the romance genre as a whole?
I love reading and writing GLBT stories as well as straight ones. [...] And honestly, whenever reading a straight romance, you never see the hero or heroine having these long conversations together or deep internal musing about being heterosexual. But in GLBT romance, at least from my point of view, there's such an emphasis on the characters' sexuality and sexual preferences. Is this supposed to be the true focus of GLBT literature, especially in romance?
Be sure to check out the comments too. Here's one, posted by Mala:
The thing is, it's a PART of who they are that does need to be acknowledged and handled with care. Sure, gay romance doesn't all have to be angst and coming out stories, but there are gender and sexuality dynamics that do set them apart from straight romances. For instance, the idea that "someone is the man and someone is the woman" is one that often pervades gay romance written by straight authors. That's a trap that needs to be avoided. Otherwise, what's the point? You might as well just read a story with a man and a woman.
If all you have to do is a "find" and "replace" and swap your he/she with she/she or he/he, you are missing something fundamental, something unique to same-sex romance and the LGBT perspective.
Find the full entry and comments here: http://kbgbabbles.blogspot.com/2010/07/why-cant-glbt-and-straight-romance-go.html
Author KT Grant reacts to a review that she received for her lesbian romance Lovestruck.
Excerpt:
When discussing romance, there's mentions of sub-genres such as historical, contemporary, urban fantasy and so forth. But when it comes to GLBT romance, it's treated an entirely different genre all together. And that's where I'm confused. Why when it comes to GLBT romance, it's a whole different type of entity and must be treated separately from the romance genre as a whole?
I love reading and writing GLBT stories as well as straight ones. [...] And honestly, whenever reading a straight romance, you never see the hero or heroine having these long conversations together or deep internal musing about being heterosexual. But in GLBT romance, at least from my point of view, there's such an emphasis on the characters' sexuality and sexual preferences. Is this supposed to be the true focus of GLBT literature, especially in romance?
Be sure to check out the comments too. Here's one, posted by Mala:
The thing is, it's a PART of who they are that does need to be acknowledged and handled with care. Sure, gay romance doesn't all have to be angst and coming out stories, but there are gender and sexuality dynamics that do set them apart from straight romances. For instance, the idea that "someone is the man and someone is the woman" is one that often pervades gay romance written by straight authors. That's a trap that needs to be avoided. Otherwise, what's the point? You might as well just read a story with a man and a woman.
If all you have to do is a "find" and "replace" and swap your he/she with she/she or he/he, you are missing something fundamental, something unique to same-sex romance and the LGBT perspective.
Find the full entry and comments here: http://kbgbabbles.blogspot.com/2010/07/why-cant-glbt-and-straight-romance-go.html