LGBT themes in speculative fiction

LGBT themes in speculative fiction include lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) themes in science fiction, fantasy, horror fiction and related genres.[a] Such elements may include an LGBT character as the protagonist or a major character, or explorations of sexuality or gender that deviate from the heteronormative.

Part of a series on
Sex and sexuality in
speculative fiction
Main topics
  • Sex and sexuality
  • Gender
  • Women
  • Reproduction
Genres
LGBT themes
Recurring elements
  • Sex in space
  • Male pregnancy
  • Single-gender worlds
  • Lesbian vampires
  • Woman warriors
  • Gynoids
Awards and conventions
Other topics
  • Women in Refrigerators (website)
  • Sexuality in Star Trek

Science fiction and fantasy have traditionally been puritanical genres aimed at a male readership, and can be more restricted than non-genre literature by their conventions of characterisation and the effect that these conventions have on depictions of sexuality and gender. However, speculative fiction also gives authors and readers the freedom to imagine societies that are different from real-life cultures. This freedom makes speculative fiction a useful means of examining sexual bias, by forcing the reader to reconsider their heteronormative cultural assumptions. It has also been claimed by critics such as Nicola Griffith that LGBT readers identify strongly with the mutants, aliens, and other outsider characters found in speculative fiction.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.