#all those people complaining about women writing mlm fiction are just so far removed from the point

[woahthisguy4721]

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[caputvulpinum]

this is a genuine question

given that the goal ultimately is to have more diversified groups of people in media, I understand wanting more media made by xyz to xyz for many reasons. but, should we discard things made by people outside of said group, even if it was well intentioned?

what I'm saying is, should it be discouraged from non gay people to write about gay people of they're not gay themselves, for example? doesn't that defeat the purpose a little bit?

then again, I understand where you're coming from when there's no consideration and people just consume that because its easy and digestible and far removed from the truth for being from a lens of non-experience and I also understand that's why there's... what are they called, sensitivity readers or proof readers or something? but yeah idk if I'm making sense

I think confusing the issue by acting as though the issue is MLM saying "If you aren't MLM you shouldn't acknowledge we exist in fiction or its bad and you're evil homophobe" is a big part of the problem. I also think the issue is further confused by acting as though that the Netflix execs who greenlit Heartstopper and the book publisher and the interviewers and so on all are thinking of Alice Oseman as nonbinary. Gay men aren't allowed to write stories about ourselves and get recognized for it. It has to be people who look like what society thinks women should look like, because that makes it harmless but still "progressive".

I am not and have never said Alice Oseman shouldn't write gay characters at all. I am very exhausted of people like Alice Oseman and everyone who platforms them writing gay men's stories and speaking over us, then when we have the gall to complain, get told to shut the fuck up because it's representation.

As someone who has never been a woman who has loved/been capable of loving/been sexually attracted to a woman, it is not possible for me to write a good, meaningful story about a lesbian romance. Even if I tried my best with the kindest intentions and did as much research, talked to actual WLW, I could never have the lived experience to write the story in a way it should be written. I should have just encouraged WLW to write their own, and supported those stories.

I'm just exhausted. People can get it easy through their heads that white people shouldn't write stories about black slave characters or Natives. But a bunch of non-MLM feel entitled to transformative works fetishizing and objectifying gay men in a way that doesn't make them have to confront their homophobia so we just get told we're queerphobic or whatever lol .