LGBT romance

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LGBT romance is a genre within gay literature and romance fiction focused on same-sex characters who fall in love and have a homosexual or homoromantic relationship. The genre has met with increasing acceptance and sales from the 1980s onward. [1] Bussel, in Publishers Weekly , notes that as of 2020, presses that specialize in LGBTQ romance, mainstream publishers, and booksellers are expanding their offerings and inviting a more diverse authorship. [2]

Contents

M M romance genre

Term

This genre of gay romance was originally called "M/M Romance" (from slash fiction, meaning male-on-male not mass-market), but is now often called "M M Romance" or "mm romance", and features queer men falling in love.

The term was in use on fan fiction sites by 2004. [3] By 2008, hundreds of such novels were being published. [4] [5]

History of genre

A 2009 article in the gay newspaper The Liberty Press stated that the genre was emerging: ""slash' fiction has been around for decades. Women were writing 'Kirk/Spock' romances long before the Internet even existed. But up to now, none has been published by mainstream presses and stocked next to the bodice rippers." [6] Also in 2009, the first mainstream review of a novel marketed as "an M/M Romance" appeared, announcing that "male/male romantic historical fiction is the newest publishing trend." [7] In 2010, Rolling Stone Magazine and Out magazine named M/M romance one of the hottest developing literary trends. [8] [9] In 2011, Library Journal described the genre as "male-on-male, or M/M romance" and mentioned that it was "mostly written and read by straight women." It speculated that Queer as Folk and the 2005 Brokeback Mountain drove the genre's expansion but that its origins were "in the slash fiction genre of the 1990s in which erotic fiction about television, book, and movie characters found a lively audience online." [10] Library Journal also noted that yaoi graphic narratives, popular with Japanese women since the 1980s, were an influence on the M/M genre.

Since January 2010, the genre of M/M Romance has tripled in Amazon's online Kindle Store. [1]

Emerging from the margins, best-selling romance authors began to write M/M romance novels. [11] The Lambda Literary Award for Gay Romance was first awarded in 2007. In 2015, M/M romances were nominated for RITAs for the first time. [11]

Sub-genres

Some of the sub-niche categories are coming out, "gay-for-you" and "first-time gay." Some M/M romance novels feature transgender or asexual protagonists. [11] Some feature Christian characters or are in the Amish romance genre. Some are m/m/f romance novels, featuring polyamory, pansexuality, and bisexuality.

Publishers

Dreamspinner Press (founded in 2007), Less than Three (2009), Running Press, Loose Id (now closed), Carina Press, InterMix, MLR (ManLoveRomance), and Riptide Publishing (2011) were founded to publish gay romantic fiction almost exclusively. Others, such as Decadent Publishing (2010), began as traditional romance imprints and shifted their focuses toward inclusive pairings, including gay romance, in recent years. [12] [13]

Authors

Some of the founding authors,[ original research? ] writing in the early aught years of M/M Romance fiction were Victor J. Banis, Laura Baumbach, Alex Beecroft, Rob Byrnes, Charlie Cochrane, Johnny Diaz, Erastes, Donald Hard, Sean Kennedy, J. L. Langley, Josh Lanyon, Tere Michaels, M. J. Pearson, Jordan Castillo Price, Lee Rowan, and Marshall Thornton, most of whom were British or Australian. [14]

Later authors writing in this genre include Andre Aciman, Becky Albertalli, Jay Bell, Brad Boney, Eli Easton, Rhys Ford, Andrew Sean Greer, Ginn Hale, Alexis Hall, Shaun David Hutchinson, T. J. Klune, Bill Konigsberg, Casey McQuiston, C. S. Pacat, Roan Parrish, Neil S. Plakcy, Rainbow Rowell, Paul Rudnick, and Adam Silvera.

Controversy

The majority of gay romance novels are written by and for women. [1] The issue of whether women should write books featuring gay men has been a frequent topic of popular and scholarly discussion. [15] [16] [17] Foster suggests that the heteronormative assumption that the readership of this genre is completely straight might be inaccurate [18]

Lesbian romance genre

Lesbian romance is a genre within gay literature and romance fiction. Scholarship on this genre dates back to the 1980s, but only became common in the 1990s. [19] [20] [21] [22]

Scholars have defined the tropes of this genre: "Like the classic Greek romances, the themes of removal to a distant place, captivity, isolation, escape, search, and pursuit characterize the lesbian romance novel. Typically, the smooth progression of the budding romance is jeopardized by some obstacle to love. The subsequent separation or threat of separation stimulates the lovers' (and readers') concerns over whether the longed for union will be achieved. Once the pair overcome the age, class, or race barriers and is united, they supposedly live happily ever after." [23]

Authors in this genre include Sarah Aldridge, Georgia Beers, Andrea Bramhall, Jae, Karin Kallmaker, Lori L. Lake, Claire O'Dell, Radclyffe, and Merry Shannon.

Some publishing houses, such as Bella Books, Bold Strokes Books, Regal Crest Enterprises, and Spinsters Ink, focus on lesbian romance novels. [11]

Related Research Articles

<i>Yaoi</i> Homoerotic fiction genre

Yaoi, also known as boys' love and its abbreviation BL, is a genre of fictional media originating in Japan that features homoerotic relationships between male characters. It is typically created by women for women and is thus distinct from bara, a genre of homoerotic media marketed to gay men, though yaoi does also attract a male audience and can be produced by male creators. Yaoi spans a wide range of media, including manga, anime, drama CDs, novels, video games, television series, films, and fan works. While "yaoi" is commonly used in the west as an umbrella term for Japanese-influenced media with male-male relationships, "boys' love" and "BL" are the generic terms for this kind of media in Japan and much of Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biphobia</span> Aversion to bisexual people

Biphobia is aversion toward bisexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being bisexual. Similarly to homophobia, it refers to hatred and prejudice specifically against those identified or perceived as being in the bisexual community. It can take the form of denial that bisexuality is a genuine sexual orientation, or of negative stereotypes about people who are bisexual. Other forms of biphobia include bisexual erasure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT themes in speculative fiction</span>

LGBT themes in speculative fiction include lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) themes in science fiction, fantasy, horror fiction and related genres. Such elements may include an LGBT character as the protagonist or a major character, or explorations of sexuality or gender that deviate from the heteronormative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lambda Literary Awards</span> Award for published works that celebrate or explore LGBT themes

Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ literature. The awards were instituted in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesbian pulp fiction</span> Genre of fiction

Lesbian pulp fiction is a genre of lesbian literature that refers to any mid-20th century paperback novel or pulp magazine with overtly lesbian themes and content. Lesbian pulp fiction was published in the 1950s and 1960s by many of the same paperback publishing houses as other genres of fiction, including westerns, romances, and detective fiction. Because very little other literature was available for and about lesbians at this time, quite often these books were the only reference the public had for modeling what lesbians were. English professor Stephanie Foote commented on the importance of lesbian pulp novels to the lesbian identity prior to the rise of organized feminism: "Pulps have been understood as signs of a secret history of readers, and they have been valued because they have been read. The more they are read, the more they are valued, and the more they are read, the closer the relationship between the very act of circulation and reading and the construction of a lesbian community becomes…. Characters use the reading of novels as a way to understand that they are not alone." Joan Nestle refers to lesbian pulp fiction as “survival literature.” Lesbian pulp fiction provided representation for lesbian identities, brought a surge of awareness to lesbians, and created space for lesbian organizing leading up to Stonewall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gay literature</span> Literary genre

Gay literature is a collective term for literature produced by or for the gay community which involves characters, plot lines, and/or themes portraying male homosexual behavior.

Cleis Press is an American independent publisher of books in the areas of sexuality, erotica, feminism, gay and lesbian studies, gender studies, fiction, and human rights. The press was founded in 1980 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It later moved to San Francisco and was based out of Berkeley until its purchase by Start Media in 2014. It was founded by Frédérique Delacoste, Felice Newman and Mary Winfrey Trautmann who collectively financed wrote and published the press's first book Fight Back: Feminist Resistance to Male Violence in 1981. In 1987, they published Sex Work: Writings by Women in the Sex Industry by Delacoste with Priscilla Alexander.

Gay teen fiction is a subgenre that overlaps with LGBTQ+ literature and young adult literature. This article covers books about gay and bisexual teenage characters who are male.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bisexual erasure</span> Dismissing or misrepresenting bisexuals in the public perception

Bisexual erasure, also called bisexual invisibility, is the tendency to ignore, remove, falsify, or re-explain evidence of bisexuality in history, academia, the news media, and other primary sources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valerie Taylor (novelist)</span> American lesbian pulp fiction author

Valerie Taylor was an American author of books published in the lesbian pulp fiction genre, as well as poetry and novels after the "golden age" of lesbian pulp fiction. She also published as Nacella Young, Francine Davenport, and Velma Tate. Her publishers included Naiad Press, Banned Books, Universal, Gold Medal Books, Womanpress, Ace and Midwood-Tower.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gay pulp fiction</span> Genre of pulp fiction literature

Gay pulp fiction, or gay pulps, refers to printed works, primarily fiction, that include references to male homosexuality, specifically male gay sex, and that are cheaply produced, typically in paperback books made of wood pulp paper; lesbian pulp fiction is similar work about women. Michael Bronski, the editor of an anthology of gay pulp writing, notes in his introduction, "Gay pulp is not an exact term, and it is used somewhat loosely to refer to a variety of books that had very different origins and markets". People often use the term to refer to the "classic" gay pulps that were produced before about 1970, but it may also be used to refer to the gay erotica or pornography in paperback book or digest magazine form produced since that date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesbian literature</span> Subgenre of literature with lesbian themes

Lesbian literature is a subgenre of literature addressing lesbian themes. It includes poetry, plays, fiction addressing lesbian characters, and non-fiction about lesbian-interest topics.

Contemporary romance is a subgenre of contemporary and romance novels. This era of romance novels that were published after 1945 and the Second World War. Contemporary romance is generally set contemporaneously with the time of its writing. The largest of the romance novel subgenres, contemporary romance novels usually reflect the mores of their time. Heroines in the contemporary romances written prior to 1970 usually quit working when they married or had children, while those novels written after 1970 usually have, and keep, a career. As contemporary romance novels have grown to contain more complex plotting and more realistic characters, the line between this subgenre and the genre of women's fiction has blurred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bisexuality</span> Sexual attraction to people of any gender

Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, to more than one gender, or to both people of the same gender and different genders. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, which is also known as pansexuality.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dena Hankins</span> American novelist and short story author (born 1975)

Dena Hankins is an American novelist and short story author, best known for queer and transgender erotic romance. Her short stories have been published in several erotica anthologies, including Best Lesbian Romance of the Year 2015 edited by Radclyffe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of LGBT topics</span> Overview of and topical guide to LGBT topics

The following outline offers an overview and guide to LGBT topics.

Bisexual literature is a subgenre of LGBT literature that includes literary works and authors that address the topic of bisexuality or biromanticism. This includes characters, plot lines, and/or themes portraying bisexual behavior in both men and women.

Black lesbian literature is a subgenre of lesbian literature and African American literature that focuses on the experiences of black women who identify as lesbians. The genre features poetry and fiction about black lesbian characters as well as non-fiction essays which address issues faced by black lesbians. Prominent figures within the genre include Ann Allen Shockley, Audre Lorde, Cheryl Clarke, and Barbara Smith.

Rebekah Weatherspoon is an American author and romance novelist. Her books often feature heroines who are Black, plus-size, disabled, and/or LGBTQ. She founded the website WOC in Romance. Weatherspoon received a 2017 Lambda Literary Award for her novel Soul to Keep and was an honoree at the inaugural Ripped Bodice Awards for Excellence in Romance Fiction for Xeni.

Maria Pallotta-Chiarolli is an Australian academic, author and activist specializing in the study of gender, sexuality and intersectionality. Pallotta-Chiarolli is an Honorary Fellow at Deakin University, and a member of its Gender and Sexuality Studies Network and LGBTIQ+ Network, researching in gender diversity, cultural diversity, family diversity and sexual diversity. She is also the author of Australia's first AIDS biography.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "What women want: Gay male romance novels" article. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  2. ↑ Bussel |, Rachel Kramer. "A Wider Embrace: Romance Novels 2020". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved September 7, 2023.
  3. ↑ "The Price of Temptation by M.J. Pearson | Smart Bitches, Trashy Books". smartbitchestrashybooks.com. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Best M/M Romance Published in 2009 (210 books)". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Best M/M Romance Published in 2008 (108 books)". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  6. ↑ LeSage, S. (2009, 05). Editorially speaking: Of springtime mornings, androphilia, and M/M romance. The Liberty Press, 15, 4–5.
  7. ↑ Lundgren, A. (2009, Mar). False Colors: An M/M Romance. Colorado Springs Independent.
  8. ↑ "M/M Romance" Rolling Stone. 10/14/2010, Issue 1115, p90-90.
  9. ↑ Cintra Wilson, "W4M4M? Out" Los Angeles Vol. 20, Iss. 2, (Sep 1, 2010): 98–103.
  10. ↑ Thomas, Devon. 2011. "Bodice rippers without the bodice: ten male-on-male romances for a core collection." Library Journal. Feb 15Volume 136. Issue 3. Page 40.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Finding Love In All the Right Places: Romance 2015" Publishers Weekly; New York Vol. 262, Iss. 23, (June 8, 2015).
  12. ↑ "About Us". Riptide Publishing. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Three digital M/M and LGBT romance publishers sound off – Crane Hana Books". www.cranehanabooks.com. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  14. ↑ "Best M/M Romance Published in 2008 (108 books)". www.goodreads.com. Retrieved February 3, 2021.
  15. ↑ Beecroft, Alex. "Why Do Women Write M/M Romance?" The Macaronis: Historical Fiction Out of the Closet. http://historicromance.wordpress.com/2008/08/15/why-do-women-write-mm-romance/
  16. ↑ Foster, Guy Mark (October 2, 2015). "What To Do If Your Inner Tomboy Is a Homo: Straight Women, Bisexuality, and Pleasure in M/M Gay Romance Fictions". Journal of Bisexuality. 15 (4): 509–531. doi:10.1080/15299716.2015.1092910. ISSN   1529-9716. S2CID   36922639.
  17. ↑ Shramko, Lizzy. "Can M/M Romance Challenge the Definition of LGBT Lit?." Lambda Literary 18 (2010).
  18. ↑ Foster, Guy Mark (October 2, 2015). "What To Do If Your Inner Tomboy Is a Homo: Straight Women, Bisexuality, and Pleasure in M/M Gay Romance Fictions". Journal of Bisexuality. 15 (4): 509–531. doi:10.1080/15299716.2015.1092910. ISSN   1529-9716.
  19. ↑ Hermes, Joke. "Sexuality in Lesbian Romance Fiction." Feminist Review 42.1 (1992): 49–66.
  20. ↑ Juhasz, Suzanne. "Lesbian romance fiction and the plotting of desire: Narrative theory, lesbian identity, and reading practice." Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature 17.1 (1998): 65–82.
  21. ↑ Stimpson, Catharine R. "Zero degree deviancy: The lesbian novel in English." Critical Inquiry 8.2 (1981): 363–379.
  22. ↑ Ehnenn, Jill. "Desperately Seeking Susan Among the Trash: Reinscription, Subversion and Visibility in the Lesbian Romance Novel." Atlantis: Critical Studies in Gender, Culture & Social Justice 23.1 (1998).
  23. ↑ Rose, Suzanna, Debra Zand, and M. Cini. "Lesbian courtship scripts." Rothblum & KA Brehony (Eds.), Boston marriages: Romantic but asexual relationships among contemporary lesbians (1993): 70–85.
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