Sep

A lynching in the making.

Posted by: Selah March in Asshats on parade, Industry, blah blah blah, m/m romance

The Lambda Literary Foundation has changed the guidelines for the Lambda Literary Reward to reflect the group’s apparent dislike of breeders writing the gay buttsecks.

Reactions to this range from outrage to meh, with a few “those straight girls should just come up with their own reward for the gay buttsecks writing.”

Yeah, that’ll go over like a lead-filled condom. Straight women creating an award for writing gay fiction that gay people aren’t allowed to enter.

THEY WOULD COME FOR US WITH TORCHES AND PITCHFORKS.

And they’d be right.

* * *

PS ~ If you followed the link to this post from The Angry Black Woman, I have a couple questions for you.

Can reasonable people disagree? If my opinions don’t match your opinions perfectly, does that instantly make me a homphobe/loser exercising straight white privilege/racist?

I do know the meaning and history behind the word “lynch.” Yes, I am aware that it’s a trigger word and highly inflammatory. I’m a writer. Words are my stock-in-trade. I used the word to make a point — a point apparently lost on a whole host of folks who can’t see beyond the language to the meaning of my post, which is simply this: While exclusionary behavior on the part of a disenfranchised group is understandable from the point of view of creating a “safe space,” it does not promote the larger, oft-stated agenda of a color-blind/sexuality-and-gender-identity blind society. And in this case, it’s turned what used to be a credible award into a bit of a joke, and is not even supported by the guy who founded the damned award in the first place.

This is my opinion. It’s the same opinion held by a bunch of other folks who are a lot smarter, better published and queerer than I, but my post gets a lot of heat because I used a verboten word in the title. Tough titty says this kitty. You’re not going to change my mind or my use of this particular inflammatory word by sending me poorly spelled and ungrammatical hate mail, though you’re welcome to keep trying if it makes you feel better. Which, apparently, it does. Go figure.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 at 7:48 pm and is filed under Asshats on parade, Industry, blah blah blah, m/m romance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

13 comments so far

Eva

Girls write fake gay buttsecks? Ohhh… aren’t you glad they told you?

September 24th, 2009 at 11:20 am

Lee Rowan

You’re the only post I’ve seen so far that suggests M/M writers would set up a competition that gay writers would not be allowed to enter. From the alternatives I’ve seen proposed, the question is not “who should be allowed” but “how many categories are needed for different kinds of stories?”

That’s STORIES. Not WRITERS.

September 29th, 2009 at 2:37 am

Selah March

My statement about straight girls creating a contest that excluded gay writers was based on conversations I witnessed on a private loop, and one comment on a blog somewhere. I’m all for an inclusive contest.

Much like the chicken who crossed the road to prove to the raccoon it could be done, I suspect those organizing it will do an excellent job.

September 29th, 2009 at 12:42 pm

Spoggly

What the hell is wrong with you? Are you seriously comparing an oppressed group making its own space TO LYNCHING? Do you have any clue how offensive your whole post is?

September 29th, 2009 at 4:06 pm

Selah March

No, pet. Take a deep breath and read it again.

What I’m saying is that if the straight writers did what SOME people (one or two individuals in one or two conversations I witnessed on private email loops) suggested and created an award for LGBT fiction that disallowed gay entrants, gay folks would flip out on our asses.

AND THEY’D BE RIGHT TO DO IT.

Lambda has the right to do whatever they want with its award, including marginalize it by making it all about the writer and not the story. Then it becomes less about “excellent fiction” and more about “excellent fiction written by people just like us.”

Would you rather win a prize for Best Fiction, or Best Fiction Written By A Specific Subset of the Population?

Whatever. Their award, their business. But I’m allowed to have an opinion on my own blog, no matter who I choose to sleep with, yes?

Less heat, more light, if you please.

September 29th, 2009 at 4:16 pm

Spoggly

“including marginalize it by making it all about the writer and not the story.”

No.

You do not understand what is going on here, and if you don’t want people to criticize what you write ~*~on your blog~*~ then disable comments.

LGBTQ people are an oppressed minority, so yeah, we might get upset about the majority discriminating against us. Majority people have no right to diss LGBTQ people for wishing to reclaim their own spaces.

P.S. “A lynching in the making” is still the most disgusting thing about this I’ve read today, so congrats.

September 29th, 2009 at 5:44 pm

Selah March

I don’t mind your criticism. I’d just prefer it to be based on what I MEANT, rather than what you ASSUME I MEANT. (Reading comprehension! Look into it!)

Show me where I’ve discriminated against LGBTQ people, exactly? By having an opinion about a decision made by one small group of LGBTQ folks about a literary award? THAT’s what you consider discrimination? When someone DISAGREES WITH YOU???

I will shout from the mountaintops the LGBTQ’s community’s right to “reclaim their own spaces” as you put it. Which, incidentally, I’ve already stated.

But I also insist on my right to have an opinion about it, and to state that. And if you can’t agree that I have a right to speak out on my own blog, then I suspect you’re the one with the problem here.

If you’ll look at the post I made today, you’ll see a whole bunch of other folks who agree with me. One of them is even a past Lambda Lit Award winner. Irony? I’m sorry, have we met?

As for your congratulations, I accept them heartily and with much thanks. Just don’t tell me to sit down and shut up, ‘k?

PS – That chip on your shoulder doesn’t match your shoes.

September 29th, 2009 at 7:20 pm

um um um

I think what the other commenter is trying to say is that “lynching” is a really loaded word, and not appropriate in the context of the conversation about this issue. And I think that person has a point.

September 29th, 2009 at 8:58 pm

Barb Ferrer

“those straight girls should just come up with their own reward for the gay buttsecks writing.”

Seriously? This is what people are seriously suggesting? In a totally serious, non-ironic sort of way?

Yeah, I’m seeing torches and pitchforks and all the mob-mentality goodness that goes along with it.

Sheesh. It’s like suggesting that only teens can write good believable YA books. *ahem*

Y’know, I never thought I’d say this (and this is as a loyal RWA member) but this craziness starts making the RITA kerfluffles look almost sensible. And you know how crazy THAT makes me.

September 29th, 2009 at 9:22 pm

Selah March

Yes, “lynching” is a loaded word. That’s why I used it. Loaded words are my stock in trade.

As to whether it’s appropriate to the conversation, that’s a matter of opinion.

My point stands: If the straight community set up an award solely for straight writers, the shit would hit every fan in town. In this day and age, when those of us friendly to the idea of all people, of every orientation, living together in peace, it seems counterproductive for Lambda to go in this direction.

September 29th, 2009 at 9:22 pm

Selah March

Oh, Barbara.

Oh, the HUMANITY.

*weeps gently into linen hanky*

September 29th, 2009 at 9:24 pm

Chase

You really don’t get it, do you?

When a queer person writes about queer experiences/the queer community/queerness, they are writing in a fundamentally different way than straight writers writing about queer characters.

In a discussion of the changes in the Lambda awards, I saw someone much more eloquent than myself point out that she, a white author, wouldn’t say that she could write about the African-American experience in the same way that Toni Morrison can.

Additionally, calling up the imagery of mob violence (and death by said mob violence) is inappropriate. People in the queer community experience such violence (and death at the hands of perpetrators) and saying that the queer community would turn that back because… what? We want to give each other awards for kick ass writing that supports our community? Sure. That makes sense.

September 29th, 2009 at 9:48 pm

Selah March

You don’t like the word “lynching.” I get that.

As to the rest of it? I agree that an LGBTQ person definitely writes about their peers from a different perspective than a straight person does.

But why does that fundamental difference mean the books can’t compete in a contest about the quality of literary fiction and nonfiction? WHY? No one has answered that yet. YES, they’re different. And if the queer-written fiction is better in QUALITY, then it should win. If it isn’t, it shouldn’t win.

No less than founder of the award is disappointed at this recent turn of events. I don’t know what else to say to you to make YOU “get it.”

I GET IT. But I DISAGREE. And I’m allowed to do that here on my own blog. And you’re allowed to debate me, but as you have not yet provided an argument that sways me, well.

I still disagree.

September 30th, 2009 at 10:36 pm

A lynching in the making.

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