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Lewis Padgett’s “Mutant,” Jewelle Gomez’ “Gilda” – Boogieman in Lavender

Jeff Baker

LGBT people are regarded as “the Other,” and sci-fi and fantasy specializes in characters who are “the Other.” And “the Other” is often perceived as a metaphor or stand in for minorities and the oppressed. Queer people were not a regular topic of public discourse in the closeted world of the Golden Age of Science Fiction of the ‘30s through the 50s. And in this world, two very heterosexual writers wrote a series of stories about a very science-fictional form of “the Other.” Beginning with the story “The Piper’s Son” in February 1945, Lewis Padgett told of a near-future group … Read more

An Imaginary Anthology of the Imagination – Boogieman In Lavender

Jeff Baker

                                                               Just call this one an early/late Christmas idea for the LGBT writer/reader on your list. The only hitch to this is the anthology I’m talking about doesn’t exist. (At least, not yet!) I’m a big fan of the “Mammoth Books Of…” series. 500 plus page collections of fiction on various themes: Egyptian Whodunits, Comic Fantasy, Extreme Science Fiction to name a few. Also, several volumes on non-fictional subjects as … Read more