This article discusses sexual assault and may be triggering for some readers. The Journal uses “survivor” to refer to those who have experienced sexual assault. We acknowledge this term is not universal.
Queer love in most literature continues to end in some kind of separation. The two characters die, or they break up and unattainability of love becomes the main theme.
The Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller speaks to the trials of a Greek romance between Achilles and Patroclus. This heart-wrenching retelling of the Trojan wars is a beautiful depiction of a romance between two men and pulls the reader in with its emphasis on inter-personal connection during war.
The tragic ending between the two is historically accurate, yet saddens the reader as another queer couple is subject to the impossibility of their love being fulfilled. The death of the two characters feels as if the canon of queer romance is speaking to a love which can’t exist quite yet—or at all.
The erasure of love continues to be a prominent theme seen in queer smut. Many people’s first experience with sexually explicit material comes from pornographic media, and it can be damaging to only grasp sex through violence.
Smut fiction acts as an alternative to porn available today.
Literature and the privacy of reading about sex has emerged as a top form for getting turned on, but it’s not impermeable to scenes of abuse which are seen in much of today’s porn.
Of course, smut is not supposed to depict real-life relationships. It’s about being hot and heavy, and giving control to the most erotic desires possible.
This sense of sexual freedom can be taken advantage of when grooming—perhaps rape, become the standard for queer sexual experiences in literature.
It’s worrying many erotic novels such as Captive Prince by C. S. Pacat feature slavery, rape, or taking advantage of minors as key themes. The book begins with Prince Damen being taken as a slave in the enemy country, where he enters the royal court of our second protagonist Prince Laurent.
Here they begin a love-hate relationship and Pacat writes a non-consensual oral sex scene a portrayed as romantic. The plot features an underage relationship, perpetuating the harmful stereotype of an older gay man as a pedophile.
There is no room for kink shaming those who have different sexual tastes, but there’s something concerning about the amount of violent sex being depicted in queer smut.
In the limited queer smut literature, the frequency of violence is abundant. Queer love in smut is consistently—and harmfully—coded in the negative. Either as something unattainable, or sexually violent.
Despite these depictions in the genre, there’s hope for finding smut that’ll get any reader ready for a hot June pride.
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters sweeps the reader into a Dickensesque mystery thriller with action and romance between the protagonist Sue and Maud Lilly. The tension and what-if moments build a suspense where the reader wonders if the two women will ever fall in love.
Once Ghosted, Twice Shy by Alyssa Cole features two Black women who end up in a whirlwind New York City romance.
Within smut there’s a sense of honesty, a vulnerability where one can expose themselves to the language of the reader. Readers can experience their kinks, turn-ons, and climaxes without shame or fear.
Some authors have focused on queer smutty romances featuring consenting adults.
Sinclair Sexsmith is an avid writer on all things sex and has multiple online platforms featuring erotica for all. The way lust is expressed is seen through many different lenses and it is beginning to blossom in the form of graphic novels, fanfiction communities, and even blogs.
Cleis Press features great erotica novels for the community and EZINE: Smut Peddlers: Lusting in Isolation is available for free download. These are great options for reading about sex and relationships because they offer a range of kinks and couples appealing to queer readers.
These books offer the reader an alternative format to the kinds of stories with problematic tropes seen in the past. They speak to consenting sex and love beyond the violence of past stories.
Lie down, put those LEDs on red, or perhaps rainbow, and get comfortable as you begin to find the climax of queer smut fiction.
Tags
Literature, Queer, romance, Sex
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