(no subject)

[dreamer_easy]

Feminist SF, especially feminist SF set in future utopias or dystopias, sometimes handles homosexuality well and sometimes handles it badly. I'm reading The Gate to Women's Country by Sheri S. Tepper, and I've just come across a bit where someone explains that they routinely cure homosexuality, which, as people knew even before the apocalypse, is caused by a simple imbalance of hormones in utero. wtf?!

Comments

[wishfulaces.livejournal.com]

How is the book otherwise? My mother's been suggesting I read it for probably ten years now, but after hearing that...

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

I'm reading it because it's feminist SF, but it is very readable - good book for the bus.

[dameruth.livejournal.com]

I rather like Lois McMaster Bujold's Ethan of Athos for a fairly balanced (or at least non-sterotypical) take on such things . . .

[lillibet.livejournal.com]

I've seen that in a number of SF works. It's one of the theories of causation. And in the case of that book, I think it was mostly a way of simplifying the gender picture, which is somewhat necessary to her world construction. Tepper drives me slightly nutty because I find her to be a good storyteller, but her sexism is ickily seductive.

Here's an interesting thought chain--probably impossible to prove one way or another: say it were true that homosexuality were caused by a spike in testosterone in the mother at around the sixth week of pregnancy (that's when the people who propose this theory seem to think it happens). Testosterone spikes in women are caused by stress. Now, when do women figure out they're pregnant? Separately, and based entirely on anecdotal evidence, an overwhelming proportion of the people I know who were adopted are gay. So--if there were actually a causal relationship among these hypotheticals--would that mean that by advocating against abortion and for adoption, anti-choicers are advocating for more gay people? Wouldn't that be a kick in the pants?

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

LOL

[outsdr.livejournal.com]

The nerve... I can absolutely guarantee that there are no hormone imbalances in _MY_ utero. ;)

[gdwessel.livejournal.com]

I've got that book. Never read it tho, bought it for a college course (on SF no less, took it for No Credit just to take it), and we never got to it...

[nyssa1968.livejournal.com]

Can't resist an opportunity to plug the excellent SF writing of two ladies - Nicola Griffith (English-born, lives in Seattle) and Kelley Eskridge (American-born, lives in Seattle). Very, very good writers both. Nicola's AMMONITE explores gender, sexuality and sexual orientation; her SLOW RIVER and Kelley's SOLITUDE both have lesbians in major roles; and Kelley's short story collection (DANGEROUS SPACE) explores various different things including gender, sexuality and sexual orientation. Nicola's written an excellent crime series of three, too, but I know she still loves SF. She'd edited a collection of gay/lesbian SF called BENDING THE LANDSCAPE a few years back. I haven't been able to hunt down a copy.

Oh, and I love the Fozzy pic. brill.

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

I read Slow River a while back - I think gregmce loaned it to me! - and it was top flight writing. Must try some of these others.

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

PS Craploads of Bending the Landscapes at abe.com.

[nyssa1968.livejournal.com]

Aah. I shall check that out when I get my next pay-boost. Many thanks, ma'am.

BTW, and completely off topic - did you know in England they say 'Shedloads' where in Aus we would say 'Shitloads'? I thought for a while I was mis-hearing things, or the English had polited* it up and normally would say what Aussies would say... but, no. Two different words, sounding similar, meaning the same thing. Of course, London being invaded by Aussie expats there is a little bit of muddying (ahem) going on in the capital than in regional places.

*Sorry. It's early where I am and I have a fuzzy brain.

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

There seem to be many variations of the term. I picked up "shitloads" from Blazing Saddles, but I've also heard and/or used craploads, truckloads, shiploads, buttloads, etc.

[alawston.livejournal.com]

I heard someone saying what sounded like 'shiploads' and just assumed they'd mispronounced it / had a slight speech impediment...

[msconduct.livejournal.com]

The English say shitloads as well. Shedloads is used as a politer version.

[strangedave.livejournal.com]

Been meaning to read that book for years, but suspecting it was very essentialist/sexist from what I've heard. Is that a fair enough assessment?
Homosexuality does rather tend to ruin the essentialist world view.

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

I'm not far enough into it to say. All shall be revealed.