Rainbow Awards

[queerlyobscure]

I completely and totally meant to bother everyone with strange and exciting facts about history (Friday, promise - hold me to it!), but, round 7 of the rainbow book awards is on! (... I missed rounds 1-6 because I am ill-informed).

I mention this because the cover of The Sartorialist is up this month. For those who have not seen it:

Comments

[apple_pathways]

Back again, with more observations:

Once again, where are all the lady queers? I counted, like, 3. /rhetorical question is rhetorical

WTF:

[queerlyobscure]

You know, you laugh, but Frat Boy and Toppy is meant to be a brilliant comedy. I have a copy but am yet to read it.

I feel like 'Gay Pride and Prejudice' would have all the artistic integrity of 'Pride and Prejudice and Zombies', and half the entertainment value :/ - that said, I kind of want to read it myself, because I'm not sure I can think of a period in time at which two people who identify as and were raised as male could quite fit in to those character roles. I would like to see if it's just pasted on cocks, or there's actually some fitting in involved.

[apple_pathways]

that said, I kind of want to read it myself, because I'm not sure I can think of a period in time at which two people who identify as and were raised as male could quite fit in to those character roles.

Oh wait, all the characters are replaced with men? Boo. I had pictured a lesbian Lizzie. (I haven't read P&P&Z, but I gave Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters a try, and couldn't get through it.)

Let me know how Frat Boy and Toppy turns out! I could use a good laugh.

[queerlyobscure]

I don't know what's going on with *all* the characters, but I assume gay means two penises are involved. There's another version with a much uglier cover that seems to involve surfers.

[apple_pathways]

*stares*

And I was so excited when I saw the first cover!

Also: does gay always mean dudes? I mean: I know that's the most likely conclusion. But sometimes girls can be gay, right? /out of the loop. Again.

[queerlyobscure]

I think gay tends to mean dudes in romance? I like gay as a gender-neutral term, personally, because I think lesbian is a really ugly word (I mean literally an ugly word, not because of past/present meaning or anything), but I guess it helps to be super-clear in written communication?

I have decided that everything is queer, now. It saves time and fuck people being confused, I'm not their babysitter.

[apple_pathways]

You're likely (definitely) right about romance: gay means dudes. But I, too, like it as a gender-neutral term, and tend to think of it that way, unless it's referring to a specific person/people. Which is why I read "Gay Pride & Prejudice" and didn't immediately think "Pride & Prejudice with dudes".

I'm trying to picture how that story would work with dudes, because as you said: it's hard to imagine men fitting into those roles.

Queer is such an awesome and useful word, and yeah: screw the fact that no two people can agree on what it means! I know what I mean when I use it, and: yeah. It saves time and fuck people being confused, I'm not their babysitter. This! :P

[elisa_rolle]

maybe it was a retoric question, but I'd like to answer

[queerlyobscure]

Thank you for swinging by to point them out! And, y'know, for running the awards. Cover artists are woefully under recognised and they really deserve it. So, thanks, while I've got you here <3

[elisa_rolle]

you are welcome, it's one of the most pleasurable side of this contest

[apple_pathways]

That is a good number of lesbian covers! Of course, I made my comment when I was only about 1/3 of the way through: I did notice many more as I kept scrolling.

Also, I didn't mean the observation as a criticism: the contest you're running is fantastic! No, it was just taking note. Having grown up in fandom, I've always marvelled at the popularity of "slash", and now as a writer of f/f romance, I marvel at the popularity of m/m romance over my genre. (Biased? Me? Never!)

Of course, people like what they like, and I am happy to celebrate fiction representing all the GLBTQ flavors. (I will, however, continue to complain that more people should be into what I'm into, dammit! Though perhaps QO would prefer I do it elsewhere... ;)

[queerlyobscure]

Though perhaps QO would prefer I do it elsewhere... ;)

Pfft. If I haven't cultivated an environment of rampant hedonism, then I am doing something horribly wrong.

But, y'know, you can always do (a variation of) what my dad keeps telling me to do: just find/replace one of the names to a male one and change the pronouns/equipment around. Then you'll be rich.

[elisa_rolle]

The strange thing is that, when i'm browsing for books on amazon, there are a good numers of lesbian books, but then less Than one third, one fourth of the total submissions are lesbian. I wrote to many publishers of lesbian fiction but only bold strokes books replied. If you know some group where you can share the news of the awards we would love to have more LBT titles, the jury is kicking for more books.

[apple_pathways]

I will ponder on the issue, but I'm sure you're much better connected in these things than I am! I'll do what I can to spread the word, though.