Going Over the Rainbow: Hot for You

March 24, 2016June 1, 2024 Bran Lindy Ayres1 Comment

GoingOver theRainbow (1)

This past week there has been a lot going on in both the LGBT community and the gay romance writers community. If you follow me on Twitter, you probably saw some of my reactions to the ongoing discussion. It revolved around one topic in particular: the ‘gay for you’ trope.

An incredibly popular trope in the m/m romance/erotica genre, it has been staunchly defended by those who enjoy writing and reading it while at the same time much of the queer community has expressed concern over it as being multi-queerphobic.

It’s been debated far and wide on the internet and I’m not going to get into it here. I will say that I personally loathe the trope for a long list of reasons, but instead of getting into that I am going to show you how to make the trope work.

That’s right. It can work. I promise you. Though the ‘gay’ part might need rewording.

First let’s take a look at the trope itself. What does ‘gay for you’ mean? Straight cis male falls in love/lust with another gay/straight cis male.

Hmm, okay. Well if you are straight and then suddenly find this one specific person who is your same gender attractive *surprise* you aren’t straight and you never were! Welcome to queerdom!

But-but, yes they are! You exclaim pointing to all the straightness of your character.

Shh, it’s okay. There are many people out there who thought they were straight and ended up being queer. Sexual exploration can be on ongoing and fluid thing. Shoot, I thought for years I was a lesbian (mostly because people said I was), then ace, then learned about demisexuality. However, most gay men I’ve met, talk to, read about, knew they were gay since they were young. I’m talking like from their teens and sometimes even younger. You learn pretty early on who you find sexually attractive. Well, most of us.

What do I mean by that? Well, not everyone who is queer is gay or lesbian. Some of us don’t find anyone sexually attractive. (gasp)

Let me use myself as an example. I am 37, soon to be 38 years old. My entire life I have found only two people sexually attractive who happened to be different genders. And no—I am not bisexual. I am demisexual. I cannot and do not feel sexual attraction unless I have a deep emotional bond with a person and this doesn’t mean I’m hot for all my friends. Doesn’t work that way.

But that’s just me. There are some bisexual people who have only found one or two people of their same gender sexually attractive. They are still bisexual.

So what does this have to do with the trope.

Everything. There is a big issue in the entertainment industry with never looking beyond the G & L and basically erasing every other orientation out there, not to mention trans persons. Which is incredibly frustrating and very sad because the variety brings you so, so many opportunities for incredible stories.

This trope wouldn’t even be an issue if the character came out as bisexual, demisexual, pansexual or gray-asexual. All of these orientations would neatly explain why a character is attracted to someone of their same gender when they never have been before. One or two sentences is all it takes. Please allow me to demonstrate:

Reilly sat down next to Timothy in the booth. His best friend wriggled over to give him more room.

“What’s up Rei? You look a bit worried.”

Reilly shrugged and slid down in the seat. “You remember Quintin?”

“Yeah, he works at the cafe on the square. I almost asked him out. Why?”

“I don’t think I’m as straight as I thought.”

Timothy chuckled but quickly sobered. “Wait … really?”

“I don’t get it Tim … I’ve never … I’ve always thought I liked girls. I know I’m not gay.”

Timothy leaned over and bumped Reilly’s shoulder, “So maybe you’re not, maybe you are bi.”

It really is seriously that easy. In fact there really are no excuses beyond ignorance and laziness. And I know you are not like that.

So instead of ‘gay for you’ maybe ‘hot for you’ or another choice of wording might help us to be more inclusive. Just in case you need help here is a link to my worksheet and so helpful links.

Character Sexuality Worksheet

Going Over the Rainbow: The Trope Trap

Going Over the Rainbow: Moving Beyond the LG in LGBT.

Going Over the Rainbow: Show and Tell

For You

The Mythical Unicorn of LGBTQIA Novels (Or, the A doesn’t stand for Ally.)

Why Labels Matter

Do you have any questions for me regarding asexuality/demisexuality or the ‘gay for you’ trope? Which orientation would you like me to feature next month?

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Characters · gay romance · lgbt · mogai · writing · Writing FUNdamentals

Going Over the Rainbow: Moving Beyond the LG in LGBT.

November 9, 2015 Bran Lindy Ayres3 Comments

Growing up in small towns in the middle of the Midwest, I didn’t get much exposure to people of other races. There was not a single African American at the school I went to and only one person of mixed race. I also had no exposure to people who identified as different sexual orientations or gender identities. This meant I felt horribly out of place growing up. I was just weird. It’s taken twenty years, but I’ve finally found where I fit and understand myself. I’ve also learned a lot about others along the way.

Last month Jami Gold brought up the subject of diversity on her blog. Diversity is a huge topic right now, and it should be. We need more diversity in every genre. And by diversity I don’t just mean racially, but sexual orientation, gender identity, neurodivergence, physical ability, all of it. However, we need to when and how to add it so it fits and doesn’t feel tacked on. There is no quota, only authenticity.

This is a good thing when it comes to our characters, especially for characters with diverse elements, as there’s no definitive black, gay, disabled, whatever experience, and therefore there’s no “one right way” to portray those characters. There are, however, wrong ways to portray diversity.—Jami Gold, Writing Diversity: How Can We Avoid Issues?

In a follow up post, Jami also touched on research and being aware of the source of our information. There are plenty of resources on the internet but we need to be aware of who is supplying them and if they are actually part of the segment of the population they are writing about. This can make all the difference in whether or not our portrayal is authentic or othering.

Some stories simply are not ours to write.

Obviously, the most helpful thing we can do to support diversity within the publishing industry is to buy and help promote books from diverse authors. As I mentioned last time, there might be some stories that aren’t ours to tell, so we also need to encourage the success of those authors who can tell those stories.—Jami Gold, Digging into Research: Consider the Source

I write stories with queer* characters and yes many of them are not white, but their race and queerness is part of who they are and the stories are not about either. As a white person it is not my place to write a story about race or racism. It might happen in my stories, but it won’t be the focus because I have never had to deal with it the way so many others do. I cannot and will not write something when I know it is a subject that does not belong to me. No amount of creativity can replace experience with something like this.

And that leads me to the point of this post. As a queer person I have noticed a lot of authors struggling to write authentically queer characters. The gay romance genre is stuck in the m/m cis white male, coming out trope (not that there is anything wrong with the trope, but … diversity would be nice ^^). That is only one small part of the entire spectrum. The rainbow flag is not the only flag out there. Whether you write romance or not, adding other orientations can only enrich your writing. When done properly.

Over the next several months I will be exploring each of the various sexual orientations and gender identities in an effort to help my fellow authors write with more diversity. I will be inviting people of other orientations and gender identities to offer their advice and experiences as well. I sincerely hope you find this of value and please feel free to ask questions.

If you enjoyed this and would like access to additional content, please consider supporting me on Patreon.

As always your comments and questions are welcomed below.

*As someone who identifies as nonbinary and panromantic demisxual, I am comfortable using the term queer when describing myself or my characters. I am aware that many in the community still feel this is an insult. If you do not identify as part of the spectrum, please refrain from using the term.

excerpt · gay romance · lgbt · mogai · short story

Just Your Average Everyday Romance

May 6, 2015May 6, 2015 Bran Lindy AyresLeave a comment

Yes, it’s Upworthy. Chill. I liked this because this is exactly why I am writing stuff like The Jeweled Dagger and The Silver Peacock series. I want to read about people like me and I know there are a lot of us out there who want the same.

We deserve amazing adventures featuring characters who are as real and vibrant as we are.

I’m very excited about both The Jeweled Dagger and The Silver Peacock. Each feature a broad spectrum of orientations and gender identities but that’s not the sole focus. There are plenty of literary novels that splendidly detail the struggles of being different. No, my books are entertainment that just happens to feature characters who are not heterosexual or even cisgender.

If you are interested you can read the first in The Silver Peacock series for only $0.99 on Kindle, or support me for as little as $1 a month on Patreon and get access to all kinds of freebies and exclusive content.

Here is a sneak peek at part of a scene from Chapter 16 of The Jeweled Dagger.

“It’s not polite to eavesdrop on private conversations.”

Genevieve jumped at the voice in her ear and turned. Roderick smirked at her and Genevieve wished she could slap it off his face. As much as she wanted to she couldn’t just deck the man and leave. She couldn’t afford the scandal that would cause. It had taken her years to gain the standing she had at Court as the Marchioness. One mistake and it would all be for nothing. Her stomach tightened uncomfortably at the thought of playing along with Roderick’s delusion. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d used someone’s romantic interest in her to gain access to information. It just wasn’t something she generally found pleasant.

No. She couldn’t, not with Roderick. Not only was the risk too great, she simply couldn’t. She did many terrible things, things that seared her conscience and gave her nightmares, but she drew the line at this. She’d kill the man before willingly leading Roderick on. Galey had taught her just how quickly things could spiral out of control. Right now she needed to regain command of the situation.

“I don’t know what you are referring to. I am simply enjoying a quiet moment to refresh myself.” Genevieve was glad she still had her drink. The suspicious look didn’t leave Roderick’s eyes.

“Come walk with me. There are some things I wish to discuss.”

gay romance · mogai · short story

New Short Story: The Regular

April 23, 2015May 8, 2015 Bran Lindy AyresLeave a comment

Read the latest short story by Bran Lindy Ayres, available on Amazon for Kindle.

All Gentry Devlin wants is to bartend and flirt with the gorgeous bouncer, but some people won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.

Support me on Patreon for exclusive content, free books, invitations to private events and many other perks! Help me reach my goals to educate and inform my local community.

Books · gay romance

The Jeweled Dagger: Excerpt

April 7, 2015 Bran Lindy Ayres1 Comment

If you like steampunk, adventure, conspiracies and grand masquerades along with technologically progressive lesbian queens, nonbinary spies and gay soldiers then my current WIP The Jeweled Dagger is probably right up your alley. Below is the introduction to Lafayette Goddard, one of the main characters.

The clang reverberated through the cell block, jolting Lafayette from where he sat leaning up against the bars of his cell. The movement set off a riot of aches and he gritted his teeth. Even as exhausted as he was sleep had been impossible with the stench, the pain, and the frustration. Blinking grit out of his eyes he reached up to pull his hair out of the way and winced as his shoulder protested. Getting slammed to the ground twice by that cretin after running all the way from the harbor made moving difficult. He should never have taken the shortcut through the garden. But he hadn’t been thinking clearly. He had only slept a handful of hours during the two days stowed away on the ship crossing the strait after running for his life in Galey. This week was becoming a string of miscalculations and bad decisions. Getting his papers stolen hadn’t even been the least of his problems.

If only he’d recognized the Captain’s uniform first off and not overreacted. He’d spent too long in Galey jumping at shadows. He was certain those same shadows had followed him back to Orandon. He lifted his head, peering down the corridor as footsteps echoed. It must be morning. His message was too late. He’d failed Rona and who knew what might happen now. He narrowed his eyes as the tall, dark haired Captain walked into view. The intent brown eyes regarded him for a long moment but his face remained impassive and Lafayette couldn’t discern what the man might be thinking.

“Get up.” The Captain man turned away and took the set of keys off his belt along with a pair of cuffs. “I’ll take you to the Queen.”