shereads
Sloganless
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2003
- Posts
- 19,242
I think that male homosexuality is still a taboo subject for an enormous number of straight men. It's not simply a matter of avoiding stories where the reader can't identify with a character. It's about the fear of being identified with that subject matter by others. English Lady mentioned "homophobia." Phobia. There may be women who are homophobic, but I don't know any.Whether or not we identify with lesbian characters in a story, if there is something else that draws us, we'll read the story. There are any number of stories at Lit where girl/girl sex is a component of the story, but the "sex object," if you will, is a male character who appeals to me. So I read the story. I'd be willing to bet that men are far less comfortable reading stories where male homosexuality is a component - even if at the end, you straight guys are invited to a potluck dinner with a tubful of naked virgins, if there are two other guys getting it on in the same story, you're going to avoid it. It's taboo.
No?
No?