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Identities

Guest Post: Avoiding Bisexual Stereotypes, by Vance Bastian

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Bisexuality

We’re thrilled to have Vance Bastian contributing a post for our discussion today: Bisexual characters bring a very dynamic element to a story. Writers who challenge themselves to go beyond the stereotype of wanton promiscuity, abuse, or mental disorders find their stories wrapping around this individual who is a living catalyst. At their hearts, a bisexual character can be attracted to either gender. That does not mean the character wants to have sex with anything that moves. In fact, how open-hearted and rich is a bisexual character who wants a family, but sees the beauty in everyone? How complex is … Read more

News: Sci-Fi Classic ‘Left Hand of Darkness’ to Be an E-Book

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Penguin Random House announced Wednesday that the digital edition of the 1969 novel will be on sale July 15. Le Guin, 85, has written more than 20 books and last fall received an honorary National Book Award. “The Left Hand of Darkness,” a gender-defying tale set in the distant future on the planet Winter, has been widely praised for its insights about feminism and sociology. About The Left Hand of Darkness Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards A groundbreaking work of science fiction, The Left Hand of Darkness tells the story of a lone human emissary to Winter, an … Read more

Article: Celebrate Marriage Equality with these 12 Beloved LGBT Characters from Geek Culture

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Family and Reflection

Article: Celebrate Marriage Equality with these 12 Beloved LGBT Characters from Geek Culture Sci-fi tends to explore themes of identity, tolerance of differences, and true expression of the self, so many stories have served as allegories for the oppression of homosexuals in society, most notably X-Men. But in spite of this, geek culture hasn’t historically been the most diverse, with sci-fi TV and comics just recently taking some baby steps towards representation (there are no sci-fi movie franchises on this list). And the real world is catching up, as SCOTUS just ruled that gay marriage is legal in all 50 … Read more

Media Crossovers: Sense8

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I tripped across this quick article on The LGBT Update regarding the new show Sense8. The article highlights the queer characters and shares a promo video: SENSE8 – A Sci-Fi Series With Leading LGBT Characters (Netflix) Known for their science fiction blockbusters (The Matrix franchise, Cloud Atlas, Jupiter Ascending, etc..), The Wachowski siblings are now taking their epic filmmaking talents to Netflix, in their highly anticipated new sci-fi series Sense8. The global concept of this groundbreaking series surrounds eight strangers, who mysteriously become mentally and physically connected, while being hunted by a unknown organization (which all sounds pretty awesome). Yet … Read more

Announcement: A Siren Released, by R.C. Ethan

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A Siren Released

QSFer R.C. Ethan has a new fantasy book out: Meet Iris. An introverted, enamoured and bullied girl. That is until a school trip to the town’s aquarium changes everything about her and her life. A duckling turned temptress finds herself entangled in oceanic mysteries, serial murders, famiy secrets and a love rectangle that will test who she is and what she’s made of. Mild language and violence. Contains Bisexual characters and situations. Excerpt Buy Links Swoon Reads (Free): Click Here Author Bio Rhys Christopher Ethan is by no means a scientist, but he is an architect of his own fantasy … Read more

Writing Transgender

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Transgender Flag

OK, full disclosure here. I’m not transgender. That said, I’ve always had a fascination with the many aspects of human sexuality and gender. I think it’s amazing that there are not just two genders or one “right” way to have sex or love another human being. I’ve had the privilege of meeting a number of trans folks via Facebook. I also report on LGBT rights issues via our Marriage Equality Watch blog, including trans issues, and on transgender travel issues via our Transgender Travel Club on FB for our LGBT travel site. All this is to say that I have … Read more

Strong Female Characters in Spec Fic

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Women in sci fi

There’s a long-standing tradition of male dominance in speculative fiction, but especially in Sci Fi. If you look back at the Golden Age sci fi writers, they are, if not all, than at least 95% male. This has shifted in recent years, but there’s still an under-representation of both female authors in mainstream sci fi, fantasy and paranormal (with, of course, some very notable exceptions). And there also seems to be a lack of strong female characters in these genres, lesbian and straight. So my questions to you today: What can we do about this? Are there still factors holding … Read more

The Most Mind-Expanding Lesbian Science Fiction Books

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Nicola Griffith

Writer and Editor Nicola Griffith calls out some her favorite lesbian sci fi novels (note – the original post is from 2013): From MP: I was wondering if you would be willing to recommend good lesbian science fiction novels. I find those are hard to come by. I am sure you’ve been asked this before but I haven’t found a post about this in your blog. If I missed it, I apologize. I have finished all the Aud books. I’m starting Slow River. And congrats on becoming an American citizen. Thanks for the congrats. I’ve just got my passport: now … Read more

Bisexual Characters in Spec Fic

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Bisexuals

Every genre has its rare characters, although Fantasy seems to have more than its share, with leprechauns, unicorns, will-o-the-wisps, and many more elusive entities populating the pages of this magical genre. But there’s one character that’s far more rare than it should be – bisexual characters. Let me say that I totally accept that bisexuality exists, and it always irks me when folks say that bisexuals are just gay men (or lesbian women) who just haven’t fully committed to their homosexuality yet. I’ve known many happy and well adjusted bi folks. And hey, the way I figure it – if … Read more

Lesbian Colony on Mars?

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Andrew Sullivan makes the case for women on Mars. I can already see the lesbian plot bunnies proliferating: Last year, Kate Greene and five teammates simulated living conditions on Mars for a NASA-funded project (the experiment actually took place on a volcano in Hawaii). What she noticed while collecting and managing data: Week in and week out, the three female crew members expended less than half the calories of the three male crew members. Less than half! We were all exercising roughly the same amount–at least 45 minutes a day for five consecutive days a week–but our metabolic furnaces were … Read more