Arts
Before Brokeback Mountain
Before Brokeback Mountain
The Male/Male Erotica Explosion
by Cynthia Potts
James
Justin is an architect with a passion for old buildings. He’s also
in the mood for a little rough and tumble adventure, so he stops by a
bar on the tough side of town. Soon, he catches the eye of a tall, handsome
cowboy. An intimate encounter in the alley next door follows.
Sound familiar? This could be a setup from
any of a dozen gay novels. Increasingly, however, gay male erotic novels
are being written by, to, and for women of every sexual orientation.
James Justin is from Laura Baumbach’s
A Bit of Rough. Available in e-book format from Torquere Press
and in print from Sybartic Press, the title has rocketed to the top of
genre best-seller lists.
A Bit of Rough also placed fourth
in the Preditor and Editor’s poll for favorite romance. It’s
small wonder. With a great blend of characterization and erotic action,
so vividly written, one is left wondering if Baumbach was a very lucky
fly-on-the-wall observer.
Careful attention is paid to the dynamics
of same-sex dating, with the nuances of courtship captured with pinpoint
accuracy. Characters are fully realized and utterly believable, and the
reader finds oneself instantly engaged. One needs to know what is going
to happen to James and the mysterious cowboy - in bed and out. It’s
a compelling read, and can stand proudly on the shelf next to any gay
romance novel.
The gay marketplace seems largely unaware
of the growing nontraditional m/m erotica marketplace. Business, like
nature, abhors a vacuum. Long-time publishers like Alyson and Cleis have
been putting out volumes of erotica for years, catering to the gay and
lesbian marketplace. Yet the new fans of gay erotica are looking for something
different.
Some find what they’re looking for
in fan fiction. Fan communities abound online, where participants write
and read fiction using the characters from popular television shows, movies,
and books. Much of this fiction is erotic. Homosexual erotica is known
as “slash.”
“Fandom is a gateway ‘drug’
for erotica and romance reading and writing - not only for m/m,”
explains Emily Veinglory, author of several popular erotica novels, including
Eclipse of the Heart. “It helps modern people get over
the stereotypes associated with both genres as ‘trash’ fiction
only for the undereducated or perverted.”
“M/M stories have been big in fan
fiction for over 30 years starting with the first Spock/Kirk naughty story!”
Baumbach agrees. “There is a huge following for it out there.”
Still others are getting their reading materials from overseas.
Manga - Japanese graphic novels - are becoming
increasingly popular. There are several types of manga, including yaoi.
Yaoi are also known as “boy’s love” novels, featuring
impossibly beautiful men in romantic situations. Targeted at teenage girls,
yaoi titles range from the sickly sweet to the mindbendingly raunchy.
For fans of text-based erotica, the internet
offers up a bonaza of selections. Relatively new companies such as Chippewa,
Loose ID, Phaze, Venus Press, Sybartic and Torquere Press have stepped
up to provide m/m erotic novels of every stripe. From cowboys to shapeshifters,
there’s a little something for everyone. The low cost and relative
ease of e-publishing has removed many of the barriers authors traditionally
faced while bringing their work to market, and a thriving marketing niche
has emerged. Sales numbers have been strong enough, in fact, so that some
companies are starting to offer their novels in print.
“The www is how I discovered my fetish
did not make me a freak,” Veinglory said. Fan fiction groups are
quick to point out the importance of a community that centers around their
shared interest.
It seems as if free and open communication
is proving that we’re not all so different after all. Will the increased
visibility of gay male sexuality lead to increased social acceptance and
tolerance?
Some m/m authors think so, although
they’re cognizant of
the amount of progress that needs to be made.
“I still think we have a way to go,”
said Leigh Ellwood, author of Jack of Hearts and The Healing.
“Some theaters still won’t show Brokeback Mountain,
you can only find gay/lesbian themed shows on cable and pay TV rather
than network television, and even in the romance industry it is difficult
to get a m/m romance reviewed everywhere. I’ve had my m/m books
returned based solely on that. Perhaps, though, if Brokeback gains legitimacy
at the Oscars we might see a turn in the trend. I would love to see one
of my m/m books reviewed in Romantic Times one day!”
Cynthia Potts, of Plattsburgh, NY, has been known to write a little
m/m fiction herself, when she’s not busy with feature articles for
the Plattsburgh Press Republican, Vermont Woman, and of course, OITM.
Find out more at www.cbpotts.net