women and gays: ruining sci-fi for those poor, oppressed white nerds

[rivendellrose]

SLog has a few things to say about the idiot who thinks women and gays are ruining science fiction.

I have a few things to say about him, too. They are as follows:

As far as women go, we've been here since the beginning - no, really the *real* beginning - we've been involved in the making of your favorite things (among many fine others), and we're not going away. The gays have been here since the beginning, too, but, to my horror, I can't actually think of any completely certain known examples - anybody help me out on that?

Seriously, I can't believe this sort of attitude keeps going.

There are other words, but I'm trying to cut back on swearing in my LJ. :P

Comments

[seachanges.livejournal.com]

Somebody else on my f-list posted about that earlier. Apparently, these assholes are of the "women should be barefoot and pregnant" variety, so of course they see any strong female character as a threat, and any male character treating a woman as an equal as weak and emasculated.

That they hate gays as well is no great surprise. Misogyny and homophobia do tend to go hand-in-hand.

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Totally true, and I like to think that limited scope means they're much more worthy of pity than of anger, but... for crying out loud. It's just so damned tiring to see this kind of argument.

Misogyny and homophobia do tend to go hand-in-hand.

Very much so. Anything not the usual he-man heterosexual concept of life is a threat to these guys. It must be tiring. :P

[seachanges.livejournal.com]

I know, I know.

I'm reminded of when I ran into an article in which one of the writers for the new Trek film expressed his shock and amazement that there were so many female Star Trek fans. At least he wasn't saying that women had no place in Trek fandom, but the idea that SF is a boy's club ... it's so damned persistent. These fools are just the far extreme of that spectrum, insisting that women have no place in SF at all, unless it's to serve men.

[very-improbable.livejournal.com]

Samuel Delany!

Also, may I suggest Frankenstein for another "girls were here since the beginning" link? :)

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Awesome, thank you!

Damn straight on Frankenstein - I shall definitely add.

[alto2.livejournal.com]

I am really, really tempted to send that link to Rachel Pollack and see what she says, having written piles of the stuff herself, along with comics , and winning the World Fantasy Award. Only I suspect she's too busy working on creating more (unlike the eejits who write this crap) to give a damn about the psychotic lowlife community.

Also? This comment FTW:

I loved both the new BSG and the original, but Katee Sackhoff's Starbuck could beat the shit out of Dirk Benedict's Starbuck, go out for a week-long bender, then come back and kick his ass a second time.

I had reservations about a female starbuck, but Sackhoff played the part more manly than Benedict did.

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

I admit, I've never seen the original BSG, and I've only seen a little of the recent one (it was awesome, but simply too bleak for me to get through in a reasonable (ie, library-loan) amount of time. That said, Sackhoff's Starbuck? Was unbelivably kickass and amazing. One of my favorite parts of the show, without question.

[hoperomantic.livejournal.com]

The gays have been here since the beginning, too, but, to my horror, I can't actually think of any completely certain known examples - anybody help me out on that?

I would say Oscar Wilde actually if you include things like "The Picture of Dorian Gray" though I can't think of anyone else right off of the top of my head.

[seachanges.livejournal.com]

Oh, and before I forget ... Lois McMaster Bujold is tied with Robert Heinlein for the most Hugo awards won.

A few gay & lesbian SF&F authors: Joanna Russ, Thomas Disch, Samuel Delany, David Gerrold, Elizabeth Bear (IIRC; I could be misremembering that), Ellen Kushner & her spouse, Delia Sherman.

[narsilion.livejournal.com]

Tanya Huff, if you include fantasy

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

You know, I was leaving her off because these guys are specifically talking about sci-fi (and hard sci-fi more than that), but now that I think of it Tanya does have a sci-fi series.... which I should probably give another chance someday.

[(Anonymous)]

I thought of Verity Lambert right away - and the theme music by Delia Derbyshire!

[livii.livejournal.com]

I thought of Verity Lambert right away - and the theme music by Delia Derbyshire!

[irishninja.livejournal.com]

"There are other words, but I'm trying to cut back on swearing in my LJ. :P"

But why? That's the fun of having a blog. ^_^

I... don't really have anything pertinent to say on the actual topic of your post, though. I think that guy is a stupid moron, but I have no links or examples for you. (Since Mary Shelley is already taken, and she's all I could think of.)

Oh! Scheherazade, if she actually existed... *trails off lamely*

[irishninja.livejournal.com]

Except she would fall under fantasy instead of sci-fi.

*yes, I was thinking about this more since yesterday*

Also, here's another rebuttal against the idiocy.

[beam-oflight.livejournal.com]

Nooo I had a proper rant going and I accidentally hit the back key and it was all lost.

YEah, I recently read some 'manly' 70s scifi, with men doing manly things, and it was terrible. The writing was clunky and the characters 2D. The science was ok, not too mangled, but the narative just fell on it's face. Give me modernise, feminised sci-fi anyday! Hell, give me feminist sci-fi!

Lets encourage girls as well as boys to grow up and be scientists, I mean i'm conviced my desire to do science came from watching too much Next Gen. and Sam in SG1 as a kid.

Seriously though I don't know how this guy can be sug an ignorant arrogant asshole! it drives me up the wall!

Oh and teh reason I came over here, not sure if I already linked you this but I saw it and thought of you :)

[rivendellrose.livejournal.com]

Oh no! I hate when that happens. :(

Totally agree with you about the 'manly' early sci-fi - I've read a fair bunch of it, mostly short stories, and with a few exceptions I thought it was totally boring. Good science, maybe, but good writing? Nope. And that's not guys' faults - I know a lot of male writers now who write totally awesome stuff (and a lot of female writers who right crap, mind you...), but the shift in the genre definitely helped rather than hindered the quality of stories that are being told. So there. :P

It really is frustrating. I can't believe people can still say stuff like that in this day and age. Disgusting.

...Oh, wow. Okay, that is awesome, and I will definitely have to start playing with polymer clay again, because I'm pretty sure that's do-able. Thanks for the link!!!