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Identities

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