You know, as a species, humans are incredibly insensitive towards others in our species. If we were to be viewed and analysed by an outside audience we’d quite probably be described as a communal species, tending to gather in large groups and locations, raise our young in family groups, and generally give the appearance of being civilised.
Why then does such a supposedly caring species spend so much time, and put so much effort, into separative and discriminatory activities? Sure, we can come together in a common cause, but it’s incredibly sad that some of these causes are to the detriment of other groups.
When it comes to writing, those in the industry tend to be very passionate about what they do. It’s no surprise, and there’s nothing at all wrong with passion given the labour of love that writing is to many authors. Writers, organisations, and publishers, tend to be very defensive when it comes to what they consider to be “correct” definitions, writing styles, etc. Look at the down-the-nose view that many “literary” writers and readers take of genre fiction writers, despite the fact the genre fiction sells in the millions every year and is arguably the most popular entertainment medium in the world.
What is it about writing and writers that can often bring out the worst in us? Romance writers frown upon erotica, and are bewildered by “erotic romance” – the bastard spawn of the two, if you were to hear the way it is spoken about. The RWA still abhors the e-publishing industry. Their sentiment seems to be, “It’s not a book if it’s not in print.” What utter tripe.
With all this posturing, exclusion, and divisiveness, isn’t it wonderful when a ray of beaming light emerges to pierce the gloom of narrow-mindedness?
EPIC
EPIC – the ELECTRONICALLY PUBLISHED INTERNET CONNECTION made a recent announcement that GLBT (generally seen as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Trans-sexual) subject matter will be accepted throughout the categories in its flagship EPIC awards contest. Why is this big news? Well, without it EPIC would be exclusionary. Not every character in every book is a heterosexual. Think about it. And don’t fall into the immediate trap of thinking that GLBT must mean explicit sex. That’s just about as close-minded as you can get.
By making this move, EPIC is showing itself to be a forward-thinking visionary organisation in the publishing industry.
Anne Douglas, EPIC Competition Co-ordinator had this to say:
“In previous years the competition handled this subject by having a separate category GLBT, and while there are two sides to every fence (those writing works with GLBT protagonists who want to be judged with like vs those who don’t see how the sexuality of the protagonists makes a difference) it really wasn’t a particularly fair option.
“You might ask how is it not fair? Well GLBT is not synonymous with Erotic Romance and explicit sex. It’s just not. And it’s not fair to judge say a mystery book against a children’s book against an erotica book just because the protagonists are gay, lesbian, bisexual or trans; or because the main theme in a story is about GLBT issues. I’ll say it again, because it bears repeating: GLBT is not a code word for explicit sex.
“A GLBT work could be a simple and sweet children’s story showing that families come in different shapes and forms.
“A GLBT work could be a no holds barred action adventure novel where the protag (who just happens to be gay) is racing against time to save the world.
“A GLBT work could be a non fiction accounting of an author’s life as they came out to their family and friends, and the repercussions thereof.
“A GLBT work could be an inspirational work detailing the protags journey of reconciling their sexuality with their religion.
“A GLBT contemporary romance could be a work where two same sex high school friends meet much later in life and realise they have loved one another all along and find their HEA with not a sex scene in sight.
“A GLBT fantasy erotic romance could be a work where two women battle a great evil and bring healing to their world via sexual rites.
“See how different all of these potential works are? And only one of them has explicit sexual content. We wouldn’t judge these works against one another if the partnering were opposite sex, why should we separate those who have GLBT partnerings?
“EPIC is a organization open to all members of our society, regardless of social standing, sexuality or race. It is only logical that the competition that same organization runs is as equally open to all.”
It’s very easy to see from what Anne Douglas says that by NOT including GLBT across the board, EPIC could be accused of being discriminatory or exclusionist. In addtion to what Anne had to say, EPIC President Brenna Lyons put forward:
“GLBT does NOT mean sexual content. For instance…just as an example…
Two Daddies and Me
“This is a children’s book about a little girl with two daddies. The blurb is…
Two Daddies and Me shows a day in the life of one little girl named *Libe. Libe’s family is different. She has two dads. Yet, Libe’s life is just like any other child, filled with love, laughter and the routine of daily life! Geared towards preschool aged children of gay and lesbian parents, this book provides the perfect opportunity to show the many aspects of the word “family” and what it can mean in today’s world. (*pronounced Lî-be)
“Are we going to say this book can’t enter, because it shows a gay family? And there are more…
http://www.alyson.com/children-s-books.html
http://www.afterellen.com/archive/ellen/Print/yabooks.html
http://www.armory.com/~web/gaybooks.html
http://www.prizmbooks.com/zen/
” There are whole companies and lines of companies devoted to GLBT children and YA fiction. Are they any less welcome than anyone else is?”
This decision by EPIC is a brave one and should be whole-heartedly applauded. At a time when others may be twiddling their thumbs and tip-toeing around “sensitive” issues, EPIC has taken the bull by the horns and shown the way forward, just as an industry voice should. Will there be doubtors? Rhetoric? Sadly there will, because humans have that failing, but that will not take anything away from this outstanding move by EPIC.
Jim Brown
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