Queer Literature

Queer characters, novels, and poems through the years.

[queer-literature]

[queer-literature]

Gay Literature:

“A collective term for literature produced by or for the LGBT community which involves characters, plot lines, and/or themes portraying male homosexual behavior. The term is now used most commonly to cover specifically gay male literature, with a separate genre of lesbian literature existing for women.”

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_literature)

[queer-literature]

Lesbian Literature:

“A subgenre of literature addressing lesbian themes. It includes poetry, plays, fiction addressing lesbian characters, and non-fiction about lesbian-interest topics.”

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesbian_literature)

[queer-literature]

Trans Literature:

“Literary writing that reflects some aspect of the transgender experience.”

(http://www.lambdaliterary.org/features/oped/12/06/ours-for-the-making-trans-lit-trans-poetics/)

[queer-literature]

LGBTQ Characters in YA Novels

Per year, 1% of YA novels in the U.S. have LGBTQ characters in them. This is why we need more LGBTQ charcters in YA novels.

(http://www.malindalo.com/2011/09/i-have-numbers-stats-on-lgbt-young-adult-books-published-in-the-u-s/)

[queer-literature]

While the pre-Stonewall era was in most ways a dark time for gay rights, it was something of a golden era for gay and lesbian pulp fiction. During the post-War paperback boom, several publishing houses launched imprints devoted—however cryptically—to gay and lesbian novels. Though most of the books were little more than pornography, some—like Ann Bannon’s “Beebo Brinker” series, which is still in print after fifty years—have slowly earned critical recognition. Lesbian titles were especially popular, crossing over to a straight-male readership (some things, it seems, never change). Despite their explicit subject matter, the novels tended to include ham-fisted moral lessons about the dangers of the homosexual lifestyle; in this way, publishers could claim that the books served a public service beyond mere titillation. Savvy readers knew the truth.

Well Covered: Pulp Pride by Meredith Blake (http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/well-covered-pulp-pride)

[queer-literature]

This is a list of some gay pulp novels from the 50's to the 70's.

“In the spirit of reading being fundamental and a picture being worth a thousand words, here are a few salacious covers from the golden age of pulp fiction along with what I can best glean are their plotlines.”

[queer-literature]

Peek Inside 22 Vintage Lesbian Pulp Novels

"Then he saw the way she looked at the girl, Dolores, and knew the twisted path she had taken." WARNING: NSFW language.

“The books tell tales of tropes we had hoped would have ended by now, i.e. a character hating men so she becomes a lesbian, and scenes that are still going strong, such as lesbians in jail cells. With some of them, we still have no idea what’s going on. Oh, well. The covers are still brilliant.”

[momolady]

Vintage Lesbian

[andrearitsu]

Pulp Story of Satan / Akuma no Fred(dle)

Forgot I have a collection of terrible lesbian pulp novel covers on my computer, found this one and it made me think of something else.

[queer-literature]

Poetry Knows No Sexual Preference – 10 Most Famous LGBT Poets In History

“Poetry brings love to life and these incredible poets immortalized their love in their writings. Though many were afraid of persecution and hid their sexual orientation, others boldly came out in a time when homosexuality was completely condemned. Here we take a look at 10 of the greatest gay or bisexual figures in classic literature.“

[queer-literature]

We two boys together clinging, One the other never leaving, Up and down the roads going--North and South excursions making, Power enjoying--elbows stretching--fingers clutching, Arm'd and fearless--eating, drinking, sleeping, loving, No law less than ourselves owning--sailing, soldiering, thieving, threatening, Misers, menials, priests alarming--air breathing, water drinking, on the turf or the sea-beach dancing, Cities wrenching, ease scorning, statutes mocking, feebleness chasing, Fulfilling our foray.

We Two Boys Together Clinging by Walt Whitman

[queer-literature]

My mouth hovers across your breasts in the short grey winter afternoon in this bed we are delicate and touch so hot with joy we amaze ourselves tough and delicate we play rings around each other our daytime candle burns with its peculiar light and if the snow begins to fall outside filling the branches and if the night falls without announcement there are the pleasures of winter sudden, wild and delicate your fingers exact my tongue exact at the same moment stopping to laugh at a joke my love hot on your scent on the cusp of winter

My Mouth Hovers Across Your Breasts by Adrienne Rich

[ginsbergsboyfriend]

boys love each other like side glances sweet, snide side swipes on cold screens rough housing and mean delicate fear housing injected guilt trips down to your sweet south side rain like honey and sweat like wine grip and grapple you are not mine make way for the ego boys don’t love placebo

Boy Love, Raife May, 2015 (via ginsbergsboyfriend)

[grafini]

[queer-literature]

A New Way for Gay Characters in Y.A.

Suddenly, it seems like gay characters are everywhere in young-adult literature. How well is Y.A. doing at reflecting the current state of teen culture with regard to LGBT issues, and how far need we still go?

“ Why should gay characters in fiction be confined to gay readers any more than characters set in futuristic/dystopic settings, or vampires, need only be read by teens in the future, or teens with fangs and a thirst for human blood? The answer, of course, is that they shouldn't be, and as teens experience worlds in which LGBT friends, family members, teachers, fellow students, and people throughout society are acknowledged as they are, one would expect that such characters would become simply part of any realistic depiction of what the world looks like—and that we would all grow to expect such settings not as controversial or only interesting to a certain set of people but simply as real. “

[queer-literature]

The Mortal Instruments Summary: A series of six young adult fantasy novels written by Cassandra Clare, the last of which was published May 27, 2014. The Mortal Instruments is chronologically the third series of a proposed five in The Shadowhunter Chronicles but it was the first one published.

This series includes two characters, Alec Lightwood (shadowhunter) who is gay and Magnus Bane (warlock)who is bisexual. After meeting each other they begin to fall in love and eventually become one of the most loved and supported couples in the series.