This is just a quick thought during a conversation I'm having with my brother who pointed this fact out: The gay/lesbian genre USED to come from the perspective of 'closet gays' and their problems of being gay/lesbian in a closed society (ie up to the the 1950's). From the 1950's, the genre developed in Europe where the lifestyle was more accepted but still closeted (and 'out' if it was in good taste or as a form of entertainment). Through the 60's and 70's more people 'came out' publicly but the writing of their experience changed from European openness to 'sex novels' sold in sordid places of ill repute. . . but a step forward. The 80's and 90's saw the advent of gay magazines that showed nude pictures and were available at many places if one could 'get the nerve' to buy it. The 2,000's saw the gay movement in full force as we fought for rights. The writing went to 'Gay Romances' and became more mainstream rather than erotic. In the 20-teens.....all hell broke less and gay marriage is now allowed almost globally. Not accepted necessarily, but allowed. Gay MARRIAGE!! Now......the future of the genre......let's open it up! Skip the closeted woes and the erotic wanna-be's....let's go for epic novels of gay parents with kids and grandkids the usual family drama. The legalization of gay marriage has opened this genre to new heights! Let's take it out of the sleezy romance stage and make it something new ...... Just my quick thoughts, Jeff
If you open up the "gay genre" (I didn't even know there was such a thing) to everything, including gay parents, gay kids, gay people doing regular things... You might accidentally write an adventure, comedy, horror, romance, thriller, suspense novel, fiction.... oops. You just wrote a "regular" book. And honestly, that's where I hope to see literature in the future.
I sort of agree. Romance should just be counted as romance, but homosexuality is a theme and I suspect it will always stay as a somewhat politically charged distinction even as we progress. Always those nutjobs, you know. People like Shirley Phelps that just won't leave us alone.
There's a pretty vibrant LGBT literature scene, completely separate from m/m romance. You could see some notable examples at http://www.lambdaliterary.org/27th-annual-lambda-literary-award-finalists-and-winners/ , if you were interested. But if you think gay-themed literature is ever going to be more than a niche, you may need to rethink, especially if you think of gay as meaning gay men. Women read more than men, and there are a lot more straight people than gay people. So while I think it's totally natural for gay characters to appear in mainstream books, books about being gay will probably remain more-or-less a niche market.
Hey this may or may not be relevant.. I once heard 2 lesbians whispering about "Lesbian Death-Bed" with that kind of reverence. Made it sound true. Is there such a thing?
