Blog Challenge #13: Why Gay Romance?

My kids during gender-swap day at school
I'm an advocate of love. A champion for its cause. A passionate believer in the happily ever after. Gender has never played a factor in how I perceive love and if my children are anything to go by, they feel the same way. Love is love.

If you've followed my blog or read through the posts (welcome new readers) you've undoubtedly noticed that I represent a lot of GLBTQ romance. These "Gay Romance" authors have works in various subgenres, featuring a myriad of gender-pairings but at the core of each of their books is love. It's all about the love!

When I'm passionate about something, everyone knows about it. Ask any of my clients and they'll tell you how passionate I can be when discussing any of their works, their careers, my family, coffee, the publishing industry and Harry Potter. Get me talking about any of these topics and you'll not hear an intake of breath for several minutes. But I don't just talk about my causes, I champion them and each of my clients is a cause I fervently fight for on a daily basis. I advocate their work, I champion their successes and I'm passionate when I pitch their work to publishers and the media.

Rainbow Flag courtesy of
Creative Commons
One of the causes I advocate the most is the mainstreaming of "Gay Romance". Why? Because it's not a subgenre to be shelved in the Gay/Lesbian section of your bookstore. It's a love story between two (or more people) just like all of the other romance books shelved in the romance category. It's not shameful or perverted to see two men embrace passionately on a romance cover. It's not ugly to see a transgendered model on the cover of a romance novel. Our love stories are not, and should not, be categorized by our gender or that of our partner's any more than the color of our skin is.

I champion the love because if we were more tolerant about love and less complacent about hate, perhaps the current political landscape (in the US) could be better. The topics that would matter in this election would not be based on gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity and race. It's all about the love, man!

It's about love. It's why I'm passionate about it. Why I advocate for it. Why I champion it and why I thirst for more of it.

Comments

  1. Margie ChurchOctober 27, 2012 at 9:41 AM

    I feel the same way. It's not about the genitals you have, it's about what's in your heart. A friend of mine is HIV positive and recently had a stroke. He's not going to make it. He's almost 50 and recently moved across The Pond to be with the love of his life. His partner had previously been married and has two children. The joy those two share over finding each other across the world - on Facebook takes my breath away. Equally so, in the last moments of his life, is the overwhelming grief his partner is sharing with me. And how I wish I could be there to hold their hands. I know elements of their love will weave their way into my next gay romance. It's a story too bold to hide.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Saritza HernandezOctober 28, 2012 at 2:57 PM

      Love is such a beautiful thing, it should never be hidden. How beautiful to be part of their love and share these moments with them. My thoughts and prayers go out to them and their families as they transition into this new aspect of their family dynamic. Peace and love to all.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fun Facts About Me

Image
I believe that one can never have too many writing utensils. I have dozens of pens, markers, and highlighters and am always buying more. I'm currently addicted to the Preppy Fountain Pens . I’ve used a Passion Planner for my daily bullet journal and scheduling for the past four years. I would create my own bullet journals before that. I have four kids, 2 boys, 2 girls, and my eldest son was my early birthday present when he was born. I love coffee and have finally started drinking at least one cup “puya” (no sugar, no creamer). I love Star Trek AND Star Wars, there’s never an OR to them. My dog has been with us for 20 years, he has been a part of my kids’ lives for MOST of their lives. Fall and Winter are my favorite seasons. I come ALIVE in the Fall! My great-aunt pretended to be her brother to enlist during WWII and every day I think of ways to honor her boldness. I am not athletic (nor do I want to be) so if you see me running, you better run too. Something or someone is chasin...
Read more

My Favorite Reads of 2021

Image
It's likely that 2021 was a better year for your TBR pile than 2020 and if like me, you started reading more via audiobook, it's likely that you met and/or exceeded your reading goal. While I set a pretty high goal this year (136 books), 100 of them were picture books which really helped me to understand the category better though I'm still not as well-versed as I'd like to be. But that's a post for another time. Of the 36 novel-length  books I read this year , a few were major standouts! Alyssa Cole's How To Catch a Queen   was actually a great way to start the year. Alyssa Cole is an auto-buy for me so I knew I was going to like the book but I went into it with a bit of trepidation since I didn't like Sanyu in previous books. I knew there was more to him and Shanti than met the eye but I also liked that this book is about how an arranged marriage doesn't have to be a loveless one. How two people can grow to love one another and learn what love can mean...
Read more

Autism and Loneliness

Image
While there are dozens of articles on how to help socialize your child with autism, there are only a handful speaking to parents looking to help socialize their autistic adults the same way. As a parent of an adult with autism, I grapple daily with letting go, letting him function without me, and as my husband says, “cut the umbilical” little by little. But while my son is able to coordinate his own transportation to and from work every day, do his own laundry and even check his bank account as he learns to manage his money, he’s not able to retain and maintain friendships that can blossom into love relationships. It’s not for lack of trying. My son is that friend that texts you out of nowhere to “check in.” He’s the friend that knows your interests so well, he’s got them memorized and will show up with the perfect birthday present when he’s invited. There’s the crux of the problem. He’s not always invited. Some of his friends’ parents are as involved in their kids’ lives as we are ...
Read more