Chuck James an Openly Gay Agent in Hollywood Talks about How Vicious it Was

Chuck James started out in Hollywood as an assistant back in the 90s. He talks about how vicious it was and how biased it was with regard to anyone who was different. I know how bad things were in the 90s with publishing, from my own first-hand experience as an openly gay man. No one in mainstream publishing wanted us, and only a handful of literary agents handled “gay-lesbian” writing. I was lucky enough to find gay publishers to work with. And that led me to work with Lori Perkins, a literary agent, and publisher who has always been more than willing to work with all marginalized groups. And I really do mean I got lucky. I worked hard for it, but working hard doesn’t always mean you’ll get anywhere if you’re gay. 

But ascending the entertainment industry as a gay man was no crystal staircase for James. In his 20s, out to friends and eventually family members, he quickly realized being open at work wasn’t an option: “It was definitely at a time that it was not advantageous whatsoever to be…let’s say different,” he shares. 

Here’s more. The article goes on to say that James is trying to make a difference now so that it’s not as bad for the next generation of openly LGBTQ+ people. He’s doing this with an initiative called, LGBTQ+ InQlusion. There’s a lot more and it’s a great piece to help you learn more about what it’s still like in Hollywood. Sadly, in many ways, it’s still that way in mainstream publishing, too. Not a day goes by when I don’t feel the discrimination and the cultural appropriation just within the gay romance genre. 

Intersectionality Within the LGBTQ+ Community At ICM

This is a link to the ICM website and it’s an extension of the article above. I was curious about LGBTQ+ InQlusion and I wanted to learn more about it. Sure enough, the ICM Website goes into more detail. And they’ve been discussing intersectionality within the LGBTQ+ community. I think it’s important to learn because many times I see gay men who don’t even know they’re being discriminated against. And when you try to point this out to them, they get angry. We’ve all been conditioned a certain way, and now it’s time to change that.   

Intersectionality, as defined by the Merriam Webster dictionary, is the complex and cumulative way in which the effects of multiple forms of discrimination – such as racism, sexism, and classism – combine, overlap, or intersect, especially in the experiences of marginalized individuals or groups.

Here’s a link. I believe that passive-aggressive discrimination is a huge issue nowadays, too. But you can read a lot more about all of this at the ICM website, which I believe is excellent. 

Stepbrothers in the Attic

On Amazon

 On Amazon

Reader Reviews: This is the first of its kind not only a gay retelling of Flowers in the Attic but the first of any kind of retelling of any of the V.C. Andrews books. Usually, two fears strike for fans of any book that is going to get a new twist. 

Amazon E-book or Paperback

 

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