Kevin's Watch

In Haldeman's Forever War (so sci-fi, not fantasy), which I love, society becomes purely homosexual. Not a main character obviously, but thought I'd mention it. It's a great book, won awards methinks (hugo, nebula)

Oh, I forgot Melissa Scott. Many of her characters are bi. One of her sci fi, SHADOW MAN, is essentially a political tract for the concept of several different human sexes, each with a different orientation.

Several of her books show outstanding imagination in virtual reality. My favorite is BURNING BRIGHT -- highly recommended.

I have another comic one, ironically by the samw writer as the one Dr. Banner mentioned. Her name is Moondragon, and she is presently in Captain Marvel.

Iain M. Banks' Culture novels make frequent references to homosexuality, and indeed to just about every kind of sexuality you can think of. I think it's his vision of an ultra-liberal future.

Elsewhere Elizabeth Moon's Serrano Legacy included navigation officer Brigdis Sirkin and her lover, and one of the central characters is bisexual.

I think sci-fi authors want to convey that a person's sexuality won't be any kind of issue in the future, and given the improvement in attitudes over the last 20 years, I'm inclined to agree.

Wow, I'd completely forgotten about Moondragon! And there's Alpha Flight's Northstar. (Unless that was ret-con'd at some point. It's been many years our time, after all.)

In the Dragonriders of Perns series, author Anne McCaffrey implies gay relationships between green riders and bronze, brown or blue riders. One of the last books in the series (the title escapes me, as I have not read it yet) has an openly gay relationship involving F'lessan.

Also, do not forget Cassandra Claire's masterpiece, the Very Secret Diaries of the Lord of the Rings:

www.ealasaid.com/misc/vsd/

men gud, nu jag vet allting, forlat min scrivning!Jag alskar uppsala

sorry for that, ignore me

Two archers, Finn and Maggrigg, in David Gemmell's Quest for Lost Heroes, which I'm currently reading. Their homosexuality doesn't play much of a role in the plot, though. It's only hinted at. Staying in tavern rooms with only one bed, etc.

I don't think anyone has named Elizabeth A. Lynn here. My favorite of her sci fi is THE SARDONYX NET, but she also did a trilogy whose titles I can't remember. IIRC, they comfortably combine exotic with homey-ness.

Read or watch Tony Kushner's "Angels in America". Not sure it actually falls into the "sci fi/fantasy" genre, but it most certainly protrays positive (and not so positive) gay characters. It is about a gay man, diagnosed with HIV, who visited by an angel and proclaimed a prophet. And that is just part of the story. Furls Fire has a thread here in this forum that explains it better than I am.

OK, sorry for bumping up another dormant thread of messages.

Regarding a reading list of SF and F books dealing with GLBT issues, well one could consider the Gaylatic Spectrum award winners and nominees. www.spectrumawards.org
The following copied from the website describes the purpose of the awards, its scope and a brief description of their nomination processes.

The Gaylactic Spectrum Awards were created in 1998 by the Gaylactic Network to honor works in science fiction, fantasy and horror which include positive explorations of gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered characters, themes, or issues. In 2002, the Awards were handed over to a newly formed, independent organization - the Gaylactic Spectrum Awards Foundation.

The Gaylactic Spectrum Awards are juried with an open nomination process and are presented in a variety of categories each year, with works released in the previous calendar year eligible for consideration....

Roland of Gilead wrote:Two archers, Finn and Maggrigg, in David Gemmell's Quest for Lost Heroes, which I'm currently reading. Their homosexuality doesn't play much of a role in the plot, though. It's only hinted at. Staying in tavern rooms with only one bed, etc.

You think Finn and Magrigg are gay? Hmmm, that never occurred to me... Interesting...

Thank god he decided against making Chareos and Beltzer a couple

I'd recommend the Kushiel's Legacy trilogy by Jacquelin Carey, which I've just finished reading. There are gay characters, but while sexuality (in all its forms) is central to the plot, being gay isn't. The characters live in a fictionalized Renaissance France called Terre d"Ange, and the books are very, very sexy, with lots of adventure, and occasionally some really excellent writing. The people of Terre d'Ange hold one rule sacred above all others: Love as thou wilt.

Dragonlilly wrote

Oh, I forgot Melissa Scott. Many of her characters are bi. One of her sci fi, SHADOW MAN, is essentially a political tract for the concept of several different human sexes, each with a different orientation.

Several of her books show outstanding imagination in virtual reality. My favorite is BURNING BRIGHT -- highly recommended.

First point, AFAIK, Melissa Scott is publically identified as a gay woman. FYI.

Her book The Shadowman was very recommended by many panelists at this years WisCon www.sf3.org/wiscon/. FWIW, the book is out of print. Basic premises of her book, in order for human beings to survive FTL travel, they needed to be treated with a drug an unintended side effect of this drug is that the descendants of anyone treated could be born as one of 5 different biological sexes.

I realize this is nearly a year late, but a few other authors worth mentioning are:

Storm Constantine, author of the Magravandias Trilogy, The Thorn Boy, Calenture, Wraeththu, and others I can't recall offhand.

David Gerrold, author of The War Against the Chtorr, Star Wolf, Jumping off the Planet, Bouncing off the Moon, Leaping to the Stars.
Blood & Fire, the latest Star Wolf novel, was originally written as an episode of Star Trek: TNG, but it was never filmed due to 'staff objections'. (Gerrold is best known as the author of the ever-popular original Trek episode The Trouble With Tribbles, and he also wrote for Babylon 5.)

Tanya Huff, author of the Blood series (Blood Price, Blood Debt, Blood Trail, Blood Pact, Blood Lines, Smoke & Shadows & Smoke & Mirrors), Sing the Four Quarters, as well as the Keeper trilogy, though really only the third book of that series.
Her partner Fiona Patton also writes fantasy, though I haven't read any of her work.

Laurie Mark's "Elemental Magic" series. Main characters are all gay.

I read an old book once called "Cinnabar" It was a collection of SF stories about a mythical spaceport called Cinnabar that all tied together similar to Tales of the Mos Eisley Cantina form SW. It had several stories that explored gender twists. One was entitles Hayes and the Heterogyne about a gay man who cloned himself, had the first uterine transplant and delivered his own clone. They were very good stories. I lost the book years ago and don't know if you can find it but you never know.