What Happens When Clueless Straight People Write LGBTQ Stories and Appropriate Gay Culture?

What Happens When Clueless Straight People Write LGBTQ Stories and Appropriate Gay Culture?

First of all, this does not include readers. I believe readers should read anything they want and there shouldn’t be limits. I love reading black authors like Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou. But I would NEVER, EVER write a book or story with the main focus on the black experience. That wouldn’t just be wrong of me, it would make me a clueless white privileged idiot. But just because I don’t write in that genre doesn’t mean I can’t read and enjoy and respect that genre.

And I think the same goes for straight people who love to read about the gay or LGBTQ experience. You don’t have to be LGBTQ to enjoy reading LGBTQ books or stories.

The problem is that there are some non-black writers writing books focused on the black experience, and there are more than a few straight writers writing books about LGBTQ experiences…especially gay men. We seem to be the main targets of these straight writers. And the most interesting thing (and sad) is that readers don’t seem to mind. They don’t seem to find anything wrong with this kind of cultural appropriation. Maybe they don’t realize?

In any event, I’m linking to a piece today that talks about how so much is lost whenever a straight writer writes about the LGBTQ experience. It’s never authentic and there’s always a spin. I’ve actually read gay books by straight people that have made me gag. There’s nothing real about it. And trust me when I say this, gay people discuss this quietly behind the scenes. And no one likes it. We either just ignore it or learn to live with it. But that doesn’t make it any less offensive to us. In the same respect, I do think we’re starting to talk about it more openly now. AND, we’re starting to call people out whether they like it or not. As with every other fight we’ve fought, we have nothing to lose.

As a queer, trans reader, I looked forward to seeing myself in their pages. But I was surprised to find that some LGBTQ-focused stories were reflecting not me, but a straight person’s imagination of me.

Here’s more. This is a fascinating piece and I’m going to revisit it again in the future. It’s well written and it gets right to the point. I know for a fact that I don’t need straight people writing my stories.

The Wizard of Pride

Amazon E-book or Paperback

On Smashwords