Visit other authors in the blog hop here.
Freedom of Expression
Hello. For this blog hop against homophobia, I wanted to talk about why I write GLBT romance and offer an opinion on freedom of expression, not only in fiction but in everyday life.
I write GLBT romances for the same reason I write paranormal, historical, sci-fi and just about every other type of story I’ve written—because it’s what I enjoy reading. Over two decades ago, when I first started reading romance novels, I had no problem finding stories focusing on heterosexual relationships. While I enjoyed them, I generally didn’t relate to the characters, in particular the heroines. I looked for romantic GLBT fiction, but most of the offerings were exclusively erotica. Though I enjoy erotica, I wanted to read stories that dealt with actual romance, not just sex. Nowadays there’s a variety of GLBT stories that focus on more well rounded relationships.
For me romance has always been about people in a loving relationship who are respectful of and dedicated to each other. I’ve never placed much emphasis on gender and was raised to believe people shouldn’t have to fit into certain categories. I write and read all types of romance because I don’t believe in any particular set of rules regarding gender. That in itself offends or confuses some people.
Growing up, being honest with my family about my sexuality was never an issue for me. I was very lucky because they loved me as I am and weren’t surprised, upset or in any sort of denial about having a child who didn’t fit into the “norm.” Any issues with homophobia or exclusion I had or have come from outside my immediate family, whether it’s deliberate or unintentional comments, misconceptions or “jokes” from others. Despite being raised in a supportive family environment, it took years for me to fully accept and understand myself.
Finally I’ve reached the point where I can say I don’t care what others think about my sexuality or my viewpoints on gender, meaning their fears, skepticism and misconceptions have no influence on how I feel. If they don’t understand or appreciate my perspective or my work, that’s fine.
What isn’t fine is people trying to prevent other people from being themselves.
The problem isn’t that everyone needs to be exactly like everyone else. That won’t ever happen. The problem is that some believe everyone should be the same and if you happen to be different and express it, you shouldn’t enjoy the same basic rights and privileges as the majority.
People have various ways of channeling their creativity. My outlet is writing stories with characters I can relate to, regardless of whether or not other people approve. Someone else might have another way of expressing themselves.
The bottom line is people are individuals and have the right to express themselves personally, professionally, artistically and spiritually.
Kate
Links/Resources to Check Out:
Gay & Lesbian Advocates & Defenders
Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) Health Access Project
Massachusetts Transgender Political Coalition
National Center for Transgender Equality
Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays
Social
Thank you for sharing and being part of this hop!
xx
Angela S Stone
angela@angelastone.ca
http://angelastone.ca/blog-3
Thank you, Angela, and thank you for stopping by!
Kate
I showed a bunch of these post to the teens in my family to show them how hurt some “innocent” remarks are to many others. I get so annoyed when my nephew says “you’re so gay”. ERRRR drove me crazy. I know he didn’t mean anything by it but it is so wrong to use that as a saying. I think that these post have helped. Thank you all for sharing with us!
forettarose@yahoo.com
Thank you very much for reading the posts. Sometimes people don’t realize they’re being hurtful. Making them aware can sometimes make a huge difference. Thanks again!
Just stopping by to say hello to a my fellow blog hop participants.
Great post which pinpoints the problem exactly. If everyone just lived and let live the world would be a much nicer place.
Great post. Anything that can be done to wipe out bigotry, injustice and hatred is good IMO. We owe it to all of us who wish to live in peace and safety to keep plugging the message.
Jess and L.M., thank you for stopping by and sharing your views!
Thanks for taking part, Kate!
Thanks for sharing your post. There’s another side of the “Freedom of Expression” that has to do with the GLBTQ rights battle (I’m sure you already know what I’m talking about). It’s those homophobes and haters spewing out nonsense with intent to hurt and damage. They say it’s “Freedom of Expression”, but they forget that freedom of expression is limited, because they can’t say what they want if it harms another person/group, especially if it rallies people into action against that person/group.
Yeah, you probably knew that, but I wanted to say it anyway in case there’s someone here who didn’t know 🙂
Hi Erica,
Thank you for starting the blog hop. It was a great idea and I’m happy to have taken part in it. There were so many great posts on the various blogs.
I know what you mean and I agree people shouldn’t abuse their freedom and use it to hurt others. Unfortunately you can’t have true freedom by silencing those who don’t agree with a particular point of view. You just can’t lose the hope that people will see that hate isn’t the way.
Thanks again!