I'm a new fan of m/m romance and want to write in the genre.
I am trying to think through what it means to be a straight female writing about male relationships. If I find an audience, I know it is likely to have a large female readership as well.
Could it someday be viewed as cultural appropriation?
There are a lot of things that appeal to me about romance with a gay focus right now. We're in an important time of change. For me, and probably others, it hits me harder in the gut to see the soldier kissing his man in port in the pics on fb. Even though the het variations of the scene can still get me teary too.
Does it make a difference that many QUILTBAG types are fighting for inclusiveness—not erasing their identity—but wanting many of the things heterosexuals find easy to acquire? I read an essay by an author who ventured into m/m romance in an attempt to shift opinions among the kind of middle America readers who might not have examined their beliefs before.
I'm not attempting to write anything sweeping or important about the gay experience. Mostly to bring a smile to readers' faces as they imagine people they support finding the kind of happy endings romances are known for.
Thoughts?
I am trying to think through what it means to be a straight female writing about male relationships. If I find an audience, I know it is likely to have a large female readership as well.
Could it someday be viewed as cultural appropriation?
There are a lot of things that appeal to me about romance with a gay focus right now. We're in an important time of change. For me, and probably others, it hits me harder in the gut to see the soldier kissing his man in port in the pics on fb. Even though the het variations of the scene can still get me teary too.
Does it make a difference that many QUILTBAG types are fighting for inclusiveness—not erasing their identity—but wanting many of the things heterosexuals find easy to acquire? I read an essay by an author who ventured into m/m romance in an attempt to shift opinions among the kind of middle America readers who might not have examined their beliefs before.
I'm not attempting to write anything sweeping or important about the gay experience. Mostly to bring a smile to readers' faces as they imagine people they support finding the kind of happy endings romances are known for.
Thoughts?