Submitted by Resident_Draw_1129 t3_y8n81n in books
I hope I don't offend anyone by asking this. It is a two-part question and I will try to keep it short. I am gay and sometimes I enjoy reading books with gay MCs and for years I have always wondered why most gay novels are written by female authors. Very few male/gay authors. Some female authors even have a male pseudonym. Now there are a few female authors who write gay books that I really enjoyed such as Josh Lanyon. I enjoy her books for the mysteries with romance on the side. The characters are often well-written and unique and I can empathize with and relate to them.
What I find awkward about a lot of female authors writing gay novels is that the gay MCs are often portrayed in a very uncomfortably stereotypical way, almost like that gay comic relief who is always over-the-top sassy or surrounded by female friends. Or very soft and emotional. Not saying there aren't gay men who aren't like that. But gay men are just as diverse in personality and interest just as straight men are. And even more uncomfortable is when sex scenes are written. I felt like there is perhaps some misconception about the mechanics of gay sex so I often skip them, unfortunately, many books are full of sex scenes one after another to a point that it felt like I am reading literary porn. These books left me feeling kind of uncomfortable.
My second question is this. A book I absolutely enjoyed is called Wingmen by Ensan Case originally published in 1979. The setting is WW2 in the pacific theater. The story follows a Naval pilot Skipper and a wingman and how they eventually developed a relationship amid the chaos of war. There is really no sex scene but it is hinted at and equivalent to the camera panning away. I enjoyed it so much that I went and left a review and I saw a few reviews saying it is NOT a romance or an m/m.
Is there a difference between m/m and a gay book?
Now I am not saying women should not be writing gay novels. Not at all. People ought to write whatever they want though preferably with care.