Lambda Award Guidelines
The most prestigious award to win, or even for which to be nominated, in the LGBT book community is still the Lambda. It’s not about promoting individual authors or books. It’s not a big party and lovefest geared toward promoting the Lambda Literary Foundation, small start up e-presses, or book bloggers. It’s more about promoting LGBT literature itself. And before it’s too late, I wanted to post about guidelines for those who still might be interested in submitting a book this year. It’s actually very simple to do, and this year there’s a new category for graphic novels.
For the first time ever, the Lambda Literary Awards will honor LGBT Graphic Novels in their own category in keeping with the explosion of titles, and talent, that have enriched LGBT literature for years. The new LGBT Graphic Novels category is defined as “any work –fiction or nonfiction– that uses a combination of words and sequential art to convey a narrative and is published in book form (as distinguished from periodical comic books). Open to any genre or topic this category includes graphic novels, graphic memoirs and comic anthologies. May include historical, genre fiction (such as sci/fi, horror, romance or mystery), erotica, humor, parenting, gender studies, sex education, psychology or any other style of fiction or nonfiction. Comic books, periodicals and web-only content is not eligible.”
The Lambda Awards have been evolving over the years, and seem to be moving forward as each individual year passes, in their own way. They still don’t accept books released in digital format only, and I don’t think they will until the last mustache queen turns off his record player, puts away his bell bottoms, and the disco music finally goes dark, but it’s still an important award for all LGBT authors to consider.
You can read more about the guidelines here. You have until December 1.
These guidelines focus on determining a book’s eligibility for the Lambda Literary Awards (Lammys), the process of submitting a book for Lammy consideration, the parameters of the categories, and an approximate timeline for the awards cycle.
Actors Coming Out
According to this op-ed piece, a huge reason why it’s hard for actors to be openly gay has more to do with antiquated generational viewpoints than anything else. I get that. I see it all the time in publishing. In other words, younger filmmakers and TV producers don’t care about sexual orientation. They don’t define actors by sexual orientation. The old ones do. Kind of like digital only LGBT books not being accepted for submission in the Lambda Awards, which in itself is mainly generational…e-books are still not considered real books by many born before 1976 even though e-books have caused the LGBT reading community to explode in the last ten years. But I digress.
According to the study, more than half of the 5,700 LGBT responders said they believe directors and producers are biased against LGBT performers (about a third of straight, nontransgender actors have witnessed anti-LGBT discrimination). To add insult to injury, more than half of gay and bisexual performers have heard directors and producers make antigay comments about actors.
You can read more here. It’s a fascinating piece.
Jonas Brothers Not Gay
In keeping with the theme of today’s post, I think this is a great example of how the gay issue varies with generations, and how things are going to change in the coming years. The Jonas Brothers recently posed for Out Magazine. Though they are not gay, there have been rumors about them being gay for a long time. Here’s an excerpt from the interview they did with Out.
Joe: We have a lot of gay friends and gay fans. It’s a boy band stereotype; people assume, but we don’t take offense.
Nick: Prior to us being a band, I was a super theater geek. I loved theater and I still do, and I care about fashion, and I care about a lot of things that I feel like stereotypes are attached to.
Joe: [Being in ‘Out’] is a moment for us for sure. We keep saying, ‘Well, it’s about time.’
The fact that they take no offense when people think they are gay is a huge milestone for gay people everywhere. It takes the shame that has always been associated with being gay away and helps younger people who are struggling with their sexual identities realize they’re okay. There’s nothing wrong with them if they are gay, or they aren’t gay. In other words their sexuality does not define them.
I wonder if the Jonas Brothers read e-books.
Photo attribution of older gay men.
