for the love of a god, you said

[aamcnamara]

As a member of the Outer Alliance, I advocate for queer speculative fiction and those who create, publish and support it, whatever their sexual orientation and gender identity. I make sure this is reflected in my actions and my work.

I've posted this next bit before, when I was making an initial list of books to bring to college; but it bears repetition here in honor of the Outer Alliance Pride Day. (And the new Bordertown anthology)

"Changeling" by Elisabeth Kushner [in the Bordertown anthology The Essential Bordertown]. . .has a special place in my heart. It was one of the--okay, say it, the first time I'd seen gay girls in a fantasy story. [Or any story, really.] So yes, it changed my life. It said, This is okay and This is how other people feel too. I rarely ventured out of SFF books and sections then, and certainly never would've thought to go looking for books about lesbians. When I asked for a Bordertown anthology for my birthday that year (having read Finder and Elsewhere and Nevernever), I had no idea what I was getting into.

Having read "Changeling" gave me enough confidence in myself to say who I was and to go looking for those other books--which, in their turn, helped reaffirm my identity.

So that's a personal reason of my own to join the Outer Alliance--The Essential Bordertown is out of print and hard to find even if you know what you're looking for, but there are other people who need stories like "Changeling" to come along for them.

There are lots of other reasons to write queer speculative fiction, and almost all of them are good. I have other reasons for writing queer speculative fiction myself. But that's one.

Comments

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

I think lesbians are still underrepresented in spec fic compared to gay men/boys. Not sure why that is, either.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

*nodding*

[aliseadae]

Yeah.