The word trope often sends unpleasant shivers down the backs of speculative fiction fans. We think of overused themes, tired plots, and situations that have been beaten to death with an Andromedan shock club and then beaten some more.
But really, a trope is simply a recurring theme or device when we talk about stories, so all themes when we break them down into their component parts are tropes. Science Fiction and Fantasy are full of them and fans will be able to yell out dozens of examples if you name one. We even have our favorites if we stop to think about it.
For instance, one of my favorites is the lone human among aliens trope. You know the one – human through accident, misadventure or for diplomatic reasons ends up the single member of his or her species in an alien society that we struggle to understand along with the character.
What are some of your favorites and how have you seen your go-to tropes dealt with in LGBTQI fiction?