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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

Game Changing Lesbian Vampire Tale Re-Released

Jewelle Gomez

When writer Jewelle Gomez first moved to New York City in 1977, she met an extremely friendly white-haired woman in her apartment building elevator. After exchanging pleasantries, the woman asked Gomez a few questions. “I’m a poet,” Gomez recalls telling her. “Will I have read you?” her neighbor asked. “Oh, no, I haven’t been published,” Gomez replied. After hearing this, the woman’s demeanor changed and she scowled and became slightly agitated. “Don’t wait for them,” she implored. “Do it yourself. Find someone who does printing and put a chapbook together.”… Now 67, she is thrilled by The Gilda Stories comeback … Read more