Worldcon 2019: Removing Guilt From Pleasure in SFF Romance

[spindizzy]

• From my notes, it seems like they lead straight in with the "Why is there still a stigma against romance in SFF?" Not if there is one, but WHY. The consensus seemed to vary between "SFF is mainstream but romance is still a derided/shamed niche," and "Neither romance nor SFF are taken seriously, so it's a compounding problem." Especially because romance (and fandom, which ALSO has a lot of romance in it) is seen as a space dominated by women, so it's ~girly~ and ~shameful~... But jokes on them, because ebooks mean we can read fic and romance novels ANYWHERE on our phones without people being able to see or judge, so they can SHOVE IT.


• The consensus seemed to be that despite that, if someone ASKED "Oh, what are you reading/writing?" the panelists wouldn't necessarily be comfortable answering truthfully? Like, Anna Raftery's example was "Would I feel comfortable saying I was reading a werewolf romance?" Lauren James wouldn't admit that she writes romance, DESPITE ROMANCE BEING THE MOST LUCRATIVE GENRE. And some schmuck told Rotem Baruchin that she was writing a love story out a lack of love and just reading that back makes me want to angrily hiss at someone.


• I need to buy Lauren James' books, tbh, because her answer to "Does a romance need kissing/sex/physical intimacy?" was if you need to show the protagonists kissing to show that they're in love, you've messed up! YES. THANK YOU. SOMEONE WHO GETS IT! And who also likes slowburn! And gave Captive Prince as an example! ... Please let her not be a bigot, oh Christ.


• The responses to "What do we want to see?" were pretty good – Rotem Baruchin wants more SFF romance, AND more romance in SFF! (She has my sword.) Lauren James wants more diverse characters because the most interesting stories are there. (And my bow.) Veronica Belmont said, and I hope that this is an exact quote because I love it, "I can have sex with an alien with a mouth in its stomach, but gay sex is too much?!" and then dragged people for their lack of imagination. (AND MY AXE.)


• I am going to write out the question exactly as I have it in my notebook: "A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold is a Regency romance with a bare minimum of SFF; if you don't know the context, you might not realise that it IS SFF. Lots of SFF readers read it for Lois McMaster Bujold, but there's stigma against Gail Carriger for doing the exact same thing. DISCUSS." ... And all of the answers I have here are about whether the difference is how central to the plot the romance is, whether it's the main drive or not, and the cover/marketing. If something gets a romance-style cover, it's not going to be taken seriously. Or there's the effect that tone has – Gail Carriger and other paranormal romances tend to be funny and snarky, whereas SFF is more likely to be serious? Or people are reading it as pure scifi instead of scifi romance (or even romance) and thus their expectations are wrong.


• Veronica Belmont: It's hard to feel shame when you run a show called Vaginal Fantasy.


• Anna Raftery did specifically highlight that unlike other genres, gay men writing m/m romance often find more success publishing under a female name because it's easier to get people to buy it.


• ... Someone asked how boys could be brought into this genre and I appreciate that the panelists did give a proper answer (marketing!) but also my instinctive reaction is still to go "They need to pass the seven trials and swear a blood oath just like everyone else." (IT IS NOT ON WOMEN TO LURE MEN INTO GENRES, MEN ARE CAPABLE OF EDUCATING THEMSELVES WITHOUT US HOLDING THEIR HANDS AND VOUCHING FOR EVERY SINGLE TITLE okay I'm done, the soapbox is going further away.)


• The panelists all specifically agreed that their role in showing us "projected futures" was normalising that future. The more we're exposed to something – diverse families, happy and healthy relationships, good futures – the more we expect it. And I respect that a lot.


• Recommendations: Aliette de Bodard's In the Vanisher's Palace and Elizabeth Bear's Karen Memory as f/f sff romances. Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal. The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley. Good Omens (the tv series). Guy Gavriel Kay. Seanan McGuire's Rosemary and Rue.