However, many writers are solving one of the largest blocks for queer romance by simply doing away with homophobia in their fictional universes. Others weren’t so lucky; many queer characters metamorphosed into heterosexuals or had their sexuality relegated to subtext. “I grew up reading fantasy novels in which there were few or no queer characters,” says Pacat. I mean, she’s such a dickhead.”Readers have met these queer universes with such joy that it’s unsurprising to find commercial publishing embracing them, too. And so, when you have queer characters who are condemned to the queer narrative B-plot, they never get to be the hero.

Source: The Guardian January 14, 2020 12:00 UTC