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annoyed In brief, the LLA has changed the basis of its awards from excellence in writing about GLBT to writing by GLBT writers, and "clarified" its position by saying that anyone who enters is automatically identifying as GLBT.
I am not making that up.
http://asknicola.blogspot.com/2009/09/l
And for the record--I moved to Canada with my partner so our marriage could be legal. Gave up a 24-year career as a massage therapist; my license isn't recognized here. It's been hard, but it's worth it... so please, no misconception that I'm a straight chick whining about mean old gay boys. I think that two excellent books by Alex Beecroft and Erastes are what scared the New York literary set, because either False Colors or Transgressions is at least as good as, for example, Tales of the City.
Unsurprisingly, a lot of GLBT writers don't seem to think the redefinition of purpose is such a great idea. I was going to post an opinion, but I've already done that on the above blog, so I'll just say one more thing and then give a few links to the discussion.
Lambda Literary has ten mirror award categories for gay and lesbian work. 20 in all. There are 22 awards. One each for Bi and Trans. So... changing the rules to make things fair to "the glbt community?" I don't think so.
http://www.teddypig.com/2009/09/shame-o
http://www.mlrpressauthors.com/2009/0
http://erastes.livejournal.com/449814.h
EXCELLENT post here: http://rm.livejournal.com/1719681.html
And lest you feel inclined to disabuse me of my right to an opinion that may not be the same as yours, know that any abusive comments will be deleted and the writer banned. I didn't link this post to the whole world and I'm not going to put up with uninvited screamers.
September 26 2009, 17:19:04 UTC 2 years ago
And then I read this:
"We also took into consideration the despair of our own writers when a heterosexual writer, who has written a fine book about us, wins a Lambda Award, when one or more of our own LGBT writers may have as a Finalist a book that may be the only chance in a career at a Lambda Literary Award."
No. No. You do not get to throw someone out of the boat. You do not get to throw anyone out of the boat. I learned that from Debra Davis. If you begin to throw people out of the boat -- and that includes our allies and our friends and our lovers (for us bi girls who've dated straight men) -- in order to fit in, or become acceptable...no. No, you do not get to do that. You'll keep throwing people out, and you will become the oppressor.
I understand where they're coming from, actually. It's the same reason awards were set up for women writers, and African-American writers, and writers that identified as members of other historically-excluded groups. But they're clearly approaching this from a place of hurt, and fear, and anger, and it's these bad things that make me, a queer writer, not want this award.
If they had wanted to reconcile, to soothe actual LGBT writers, they should have started from a place of love, not this shrill defensiveness. I think that's my biggest problem. That this isn't born of wanting to love and honor members of the queer community; instead it's a fearful response, and a cruel response. There is no way reconciliation and understanding can result from this. There is no way a valuable literary award can result from this.
September 26 2009, 17:24:32 UTC 2 years ago
Where is the harm in saying, "There are SO MANY good GLBT stories that we're going to expand the categories?" As far as I can see, only to the egos of the cliquemeisters.
September 26 2009, 18:47:13 UTC 2 years ago
I accept that they want to exclude straight authors (but then they shouldn't take their submission fees, either!) - their awards, their rules. But I fear that it's the wrong way to go.
September 26 2009, 19:51:23 UTC 2 years ago
encourages fudging on a writer's identity -- or outright
lying. Since when is that what the GLBT community is all
about? Hiding what you really are, who you really are?
Ironic, that.
September 26 2009, 21:14:02 UTC 2 years ago
Yes, there are some het gals exploiting gay sexiness. But... from what I've seen, those books would not be likely contenders on the basis of literary merit. This is silly and counterproductive.
September 26 2009, 21:33:42 UTC 2 years ago
be up for a "literary" award anyway.
But I know at least three men (two gay, one straight) who
write traditional "romance" under female pen names -- one
has been doing it for thirty years. They have won awards
and never been excluded because they aren't female -- or
because they somehow shouldn't be writing in a genre for
women and about women. I also know one woman romance writer
who has written African-American oriented romances -- her
partner is a black man and her children biracial -- and
she's accepted by that writing community, so she doesn't
have to hide the fact that she's white.
In this day when so many writers and people cross so many
lines, drawing new ones doesn't make any sense at all.
I was reading an interview with an openly gay actor who
stated that he thought only gay actors should be allowed
to play gay roles. So is that the way we're going? I
hope not!
September 30 2009, 15:37:23 UTC 2 years ago
September 27 2009, 01:48:03 UTC 2 years ago
As long as it's got a gay theme it's good to go. And it will only be judged on the merits of the story. NO OTHER criteria.
The G-Lit-A
Gay Lit Awards (:
September 27 2009, 01:50:00 UTC 2 years ago
September 28 2009, 23:03:23 UTC 2 years ago
September 30 2009, 15:36:05 UTC 2 years ago