Lavender Fantasies

The general lack of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual characters in mainstream fiction often leads frustrated readers to search other genres. You can find your reflection in other places besides the Gender Studies and Gay/Lesbian Fiction shelves, though. Fantasy writers today often add homosexual or bisexual characters to their cast lists. Here are a few of my favorites.

The Fifth Millennium books by S.M. Stirling, Shirley Meier, and Karen Wehrstein portray a variety of alternative sexualities in a positive and realistic manner. The first of these, The Cage (Baen Books, 1989 by Stirling and Meier), introduces us to our heroines, Megan and Shkai'ra, who wind up marrying each other at the end. Watching their eloquent relationship develop is great fun.

In Mercedes Lackey's Arrows of the Queen (DAW Books, 1987), three Lesbians appear as supporting characters -- the teachers and friends of the main character Talia, who herself has charmingly practical attitudes about homosexuality. The intricate relationships form a comfortable backdrop for the story as it unfolds.

Gossamer Axe by Gael Baudino (ROC, 1990) follows Christa as she strives to free her lover Siudb from the clutches of the faery Sidh. This urban fantasy combines classic magic and Goddess spirituality with modern rock-and-roll music. When Christa explains her quest to her friends, one says, "Jesus Christ! You came up with some weird shit, Chris. Couldn't you just be gay or something?" To which of course Christa replies, "I am gay, Boo-boo. It's for to save my lover that I need you." The author herself is Gay and lives with her lover Mirya.

Jewelle Gomez brings us The Gilda Stories about Lesbian vampires. This is a historical fantasy rather than a horror novel, though, and the women truly care about each other. Their interactions with the world (set around the Civil War era) differ from everyone else's, and their vampirism parallels the effect of their sexuality in setting them outside the mainstream society.

Finally, watch for the first of White Wolf's new anthologies, Bending the Landscape: Fantasy. Science fiction and horror volumes will follow. I read the pre-production galley of the fantasy volume and enjoyed it immensely. Queer writers experiment with the fantasy setting and fantasy writers experiment with Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual characters. The stories range from sweet to bitter, covering the spectrum of our experience. You'll see yourself somewhere in this book for sure.

Women live a rich fantasy life in any culture. We share our stories, experiences, and dreams with each other as a matter of course. What men so often dismiss as gossip feels to our fingers like the fabric of our lives. Now many writers, men as well as women, have added that motif to their books. Check out the speculative fiction shelves at your local women's bookstore, and you'll find plenty of books that explore women's relationships in fantasy settings.

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Art on this page is from the "Colorful Bubbles" set, at Rita's Bermans.

The URL for this page is http://www.worthlink.net/~ysabet/gsas/lavfant.html and it was last updated on November 21, 1998.