A Question to Ponder

[hrj]

This will become more relevant when I write a review of the book I'm currently reading, but for your general consideration:

When a fantasy author writes something characterizable as a "lesbian fairy tale", why does the reading public seem to demand more justification for the presence of lesbians than for the presence of fairies?

Comments

[cbpotts.livejournal.com]

Because queer characters are supposed to stay in queer literature, where the icky gayness doesn't spill over into the space of 'normal' readers. Didn't you get the memo?!

Argh. This type of thing makes me furious. I had someone I respected really disappoint me when a vampire novel I recced to her left her cold because, and I quote "Vampires aren't supposed to be black."

Sometimes I lament the metric tons of cookie cutter formula books in several genres, and then sometimes I think that the readers are getting exactly what they want: more of the same, with a digit or two changed in the serial numbers.