I'm not sure if I want to be insulted, outraged or just plain mad. But I'm not any of those moods, instead just sort of surprised and dismayed. Over what?
It seems that when I peruse the Audible books category, Fiction/Gay & Lesbian, I can find all the porn that I might ever want. Straight porn at that! When
listing audible books in that category, these are the first 15 titles that appear:
- Am I Blue? (Unabridged)
- Old Glory (Unabridged)
- Michael Tolliver Lives (Unabridged)
- Cry Destiny (Unabridged)
- The Best American Erotica 1993 (Unabridged Selections)
- The Best American Erotica 1994 (Unabridged Selections)
- The Best American Erotica 2004 (Unabridged Selections)
- The Best American Erotica 1995 (Unabridged Selections)
- The Best American Erotica 1996 (Unabridged Selections)
- The Best American Erotica 1997 (Unabridged Selections)
- The Best American Erotica 1999 (Unabridged Selections)
- The Best American Erotica 2000 (Unabridged Selections)
- The Best American Erotica 2002 (Unabridged Selections)
- The Best American Erotica 2001 (Unabridged Selections)
- Chocolate Sangria (Unabridged)
Ten of the 15 books are porn. Yes, gay & lesbian refer to sexual matters, but it also is an entire lifestyle. And I suppose it wouldn't bother me if all of these were gay/lesbian porn, but it is straight porn. I mean, c'mon!
It seems that when I peruse the Audible books category, Fiction/Gay & Lesbian, I can find all the porn that I might ever want. Straight porn at that! When listing audible books in that category, these are the first 15 titles that appear:
2 comments:
I'm perversely thrilled you've singled my books out for criticism-- I'm the editor of "The Best American Erotica" series.
Usually, I hear from irate straight men who're imploding because they were confronted with all the *gay* content in BAE!
It's a unique series because I've truly canvassed the BEST of American erotic literary fiction, whereever and whoever that may be.
I try to showcase the most rivetting talent; stories you'll never forget. Obviously, gay, lesbian, bi, trans, and "indescribeable" erotica all fits that bill! There would be no American literary erotic ficition if it wasn't for gay pioneers in the genre.
The gay authors I've published: John Preston, Aaron Travis/Steven Saylor, Samuel Delany, Michael Lowenthal, Bob Vickery, Jack Fritsher, Michal Thomas Ford, Simon Sheppard, Michael Bronski, Donald Rawley, Pat Califia, Bob Gluck, Kevin Killian, Alan Cumming, Mel Smith, Matt Bernstein Sycamore— and these are just the famous ones— are my heroes! They're the best gay writers of our generation.
What I WOULD like to do with Audible is to have us put together a special collection of JUST the gay stories from the BAE series; that would be perfect. Because I do understand that sometimes you want your liquor pure!
Finally, as I'm sure you've noticed, simply because a person does "one thing" in their personal life, doesn't mean that's where all their fantasies lie. The reason BAE has been so popular is because readers/listeners like to live vicariously. Sometimes something is undeniably HOT, and and the excitement is universal.
Your devoted gay liberationist,
Susie Bright
susie@audible.com
Hello Susie;
Welcome! I suppose I need to clarify a bit more about what I said. I have absolutely no problem with the content, as I have been known to indulge myself. It really isn't even a case of straight versus gay porn, I can easily skip over stuff I don't like.
What I have a beef against is that entering into the gay/lesbian section of the site the first thing I am offered is porn. To me, it would be like entering into the self-help section and finding the majority are how-to's on masturbation. Yes, it might be great stuff, and technically accurate in where it is found, but not exactly what you would expect to find.
Anyway, I love the list of authors you listed, a few I have enjoyed reading in the past. Good luck and keep pressing for an all-gay selection of stories. That, I think, I could like in the gay section!
Michael
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