Is it gay enough?
There were some interesting conversations and opinions on Mastodon the other day about queer books and labeling them as such.
What makes a book queer? Must the author be queer? Is it enough if some characters are queer? Must the theme of the book be about something queer?
(Everything that followes is obviously just my opinion. I am not talking facts here.)
- Queer author necessary? Clearly no.
You are straight and want to write about gay stuff? Write that story! I would never stop someone from doing art. Write whatever you want to write about! That’s amazing! It can be a nice challenge to write from a different perspective or discover new topics. (I also plan on writing a story about a straight man. It's nice to try new, exotic things haha (sorry).)
But when it comes to my personal taste in reading books: Do I want a queer writer? It depends on the genre and the story. In some cases I would not care who wrote the book, really. But if the story is highly introspectiv and it's specifically about queerness, about coming out, struggles etc..., I do prefer a writer with personal experience. Stories shaped by that just hit differently, sorry. Is it just in my head? Maybe. But that's a valid point, too. It's different when you assume or know these words are personally inspired and influenced. It's more touching. They can be, at least.
Ok, writing until this point took me longer than planned so I will ignore my other questions and just talk shortly about another random thing that just came to my mind:
- Some people on Mastodon pointed out, that labeling can feel like a warning tag, or like a “this is not a normal romance – it’s g a y !" People might avoid a book, if they know it's about gay stuff.
I see it practically. It’s a label. It gives you information what the book is about. I want these labels when I am looking for books to read. When I am in the mood for a romance book, I would probably choose a queer story. More specifically: About women. I want to relate to the feelings they are talking about, it is as simple as that. Would I read a romance book about gay men? About straight people? Sure, maybe. But I want to choose depending on my mood and interests. That is the whole point of reading. People choose stories they want to read. It’s ok to have preferences.