I like reading romances. I think it started because I wanted HAPPY, and the romance genre is partially defined as having a HEA(or at least a HEfornow), and I liked how people (women most frequently) who are frequently presented in media as not having agency almost always have agency. It tends to be a genre written for women by women which frankly makes me happy. I grew up reading science fiction and fantasy, and while there are SOME women authors, it is a field that seemed to be primarily by men for men. I was so happy when I discovered the vast array of what romance contained.
Now, I have developed some STONG frustrations with the field of romance novels, but I still primarily choose my reading material from it. And I was incredibly happy when m/m stories started being included. Some of my favorite authors primarily write these stories. Happy (or at least happily ending) stories about MORE people, how wonderful. And I would love to read some stories that include people who have a similar mindset to me, I thought that would not be long become as popular, right?
However, I have, over the last little while developed a stong dissatisfaction with so much of the m/m field. They present themselves as queer friendly, where what they are is MALE queer people. But the only choices for women in many of these works is to be sexually interested in men. There is such little representation of queer people who were born/raised female.
I think it is absolutely absurd to deem something queer friendly or representative when only men are represented. I love Cat Sebastian’s stories but my frustration with this boiled over when I was reading her books. Which is not to say her’s is the only one that I see this in, but it raised my boiling point.
However, the book I just finished (Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston) where, despite the fact that the main protagonists are men, the women have agency, AND at least one of the main female characters is happily bi, and shows no angst over it. So not only did I get a good story, I found an author who wrote a good story, but she also did not do false inclusiveness. I’m so happy.
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