I'm not interested in a queer (or lesbian) (or gay) fiction that's not also (and more importantly to me in some ways) sff. I don't want to read realistic or naturalistic "litfic," and the "gay history and culture" (and there is more than just one of course, but I know that it's impossible to always qualify) has no part in any slash I love because, well, LOTR isn't set in a contemporary setting.
I'm personally interested in more genres than SFF, but I agree with your points about genre playing a major role in the kinds of queer fiction queer genre fans want to read (naturalistic litfic in a modern setting is well down below non-fiction, epic fantasy, space opera, mysteries, and swashbuckling costume drama on the list of "things I'm going to want to buy from a bookstore") and about real life "gay history and culture" not applying equally to all fandoms' canons, especially when those canons are second-world fantasy settings or the distant future and the societies being depicted are completely made up.
I also think that fanfiction ought to be considered as something slightly separate from pro fiction with queer characters, in that fanfic authors have to work with the original canon (for a value of "work with" that can include "telling canon to go fuck itself" if we feel like it, but reacting against canon is still being influenced by it) while professional/original fiction writers don't have that limitation.
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I'm personally interested in more genres than SFF, but I agree with your points about genre playing a major role in the kinds of queer fiction queer genre fans want to read (naturalistic litfic in a modern setting is well down below non-fiction, epic fantasy, space opera, mysteries, and swashbuckling costume drama on the list of "things I'm going to want to buy from a bookstore") and about real life "gay history and culture" not applying equally to all fandoms' canons, especially when those canons are second-world fantasy settings or the distant future and the societies being depicted are completely made up.
I also think that fanfiction ought to be considered as something slightly separate from pro fiction with queer characters, in that fanfic authors have to work with the original canon (for a value of "work with" that can include "telling canon to go fuck itself" if we feel like it, but reacting against canon is still being influenced by it) while professional/original fiction writers don't have that limitation.