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Gender Identity and Sexuality in Current Fantasy and Science Fiction
WINNER OF THE BRITISH FANTASY AWARDS 2018 - NON-FICTION.
2 of the papers have been nominated for the BSFA Awards 2017: Kim Lakin-Smith and Juliet McKenna.
JULIET MCKENNA'S PAPER SHORTLISTED FOR THE BSFA AWARDS 2017
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH FANTASY AWARD NON-FICTION 2018!
"Gender identity and sexuality in Current Fantasy and Science Fiction" is the first Call for Papers of Academia Lunare, the non-fiction arm of Luna Press Publishing.
The papers explore how society, as reflected in real life, literature, movies, TV, games and cosplay, is currently dealing with gender identity and sexuality in speculative fiction, asking an important question: do we have a problem?
Featuring papers from Juliet E McKenna, Kim Lakin-Smith, Cheryl Morgan, A J Dalton, Jyrki Korpua, Hazel Butler, Lorianne Reuser, Anna Milon, Rostislav Kůrka and Alina Had�mbu.
2 of the papers have been nominated for the BSFA Awards 2017: Kim Lakin-Smith and Juliet McKenna.
JULIET MCKENNA'S PAPER SHORTLISTED FOR THE BSFA AWARDS 2017
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH FANTASY AWARD NON-FICTION 2018!
"Gender identity and sexuality in Current Fantasy and Science Fiction" is the first Call for Papers of Academia Lunare, the non-fiction arm of Luna Press Publishing.
The papers explore how society, as reflected in real life, literature, movies, TV, games and cosplay, is currently dealing with gender identity and sexuality in speculative fiction, asking an important question: do we have a problem?
Featuring papers from Juliet E McKenna, Kim Lakin-Smith, Cheryl Morgan, A J Dalton, Jyrki Korpua, Hazel Butler, Lorianne Reuser, Anna Milon, Rostislav Kůrka and Alina Had�mbu.
246 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 1, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 8, 2018
Underwhelming and sloppily edited; and I don't mean typos or punctuation, but the recurrent use of biased, binarist and exclusive language, which is particularly jarring given the overarching theme. Most of the essays are elaborate lists of trope examples with very little interpretation involved. I wish the authors had more courage - and were more up-to-date with gender discourse in SFF fandom.
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February 25, 2020Fun moment: seeing my own name twice in the essay about bisexual representation in SFF! Enjoyed this academic essay collection.
November 11, 2017
If you’ve ever wondered what specifically attracts you to speculative fiction (fantasy and science fiction), why you keep an eye out for recent releases or follow an author’s blog, then you might be interested in Gender Identity and Sexuality in Current Fantasy and Science Fiction (Edinburg, Scotland: Luna Press Publishing, 2017). The publisher is unusual because it produces both works of fiction and academic critique. Describing the academic branch of their house, the publisher’s website states: “The critical assessment of literature is a way to show one's love for a particular author or body of work.” In this volume, critical assessment blossoms on every page.
The collection includes ten articles edited by Francesca T. Barbini, editor of Luna Press Publishing, and ranges across a broad scope of fiction channels including novels, games, television shows, movies, and costume play. The compilation explores themes evoked in titles like Bikini Armour, Transgender Tipping Point, Badass Bisexual Babes, and Rape as Narrative Tool. Each article presents a topic in depth, encouraging the reader to engage in conversation, poke at the assumptions, acknowledge the insights, and even anticipate directions for the genre. It is a stimulating read.
To show how the book might help deepen an appreciation of speculative fiction, let’s look briefly at two articles from the collection.
The article by Anna Milon is titled “Bikini Armour: women characters, readers and writers in male narratives.” Ms. Milon, a researcher and current Education Officer of the Tolkien Society, introduces her topic with a poignant question that impinges on author responsibility. Given the growing popularity of the fantasy genre especially among younger readers, she asks, “What exactly are we teaching our children” about women in narratives that are male-centered and lacking in the representation of real women?
Milon surveys several feminist critiques of female representation in literature. She explores how female authors of fantasy fiction often enact the male-centered narrative, typically presenting women as “ornamental or instrumental” in the white male hero’s quest. They armor-up the female lead as the alpha-female warrior princess, quoting a source, “infused with power, sexuality, confidence, and ass-kicking prowess … [yet] only when embracing the moral and character strengths of [male] heroes can a woman embrace her sex drive as well,” that is, be a real woman. The 2017 box office success of “Wonder Woman” comes to mind.
After contrasting female leads of current novels against powerful women characters evoked in the patriarchal milieu of medieval literature, Milon arrives at “an exclusively female hero archetype lurking among the brash males and terrifying the living daylight out of them. It is the witch.” The witch is powerful because she has her own realm within the patriarchal community. She conducts the procedures forbidden to or rejected by men: midwifery, women’s health, and emotional support. Furthermore, the witch is classless and raceless, and becomes the quintessential “other” in narratives. And this distance from male dominance even makes her alluring. Finally, “she [the witch] does not attempt to change herself in order to integrate with the male narrative, because she can and does exist independently.”
Yet if the witch is the only independent female lead available in male-centered narratives, one is left wondering how a more complete repertoire might become available to female characters in fantasy and science fiction. What conditions are necessary for a widening of possibilities? Which brings us to a second article.
A. J. Dalton contributed an analysis titled “Gender-identity and sexuality in current sub-genres of British fantasy literature: do we have a problem?” Mr. Dalton is both a fantasy fiction author and an expert on British fantasy, and he provides an informative overview of the changing currents of fantasy fiction related directly to the political and economic shocks that have occurred in Great Britain over the last thirty years. In the introduction, he notes how at conferences and in book reviews some fantasy authors are being accused of racism, homophobia, misogyny, and cultural appropriation because they are experimenting with new plots, new characters, and new models as they try to write stories outside the traditional framework of “epic fantasy” popularized in the 1980s and 1990s.
Combining historical context since 1980 with multiple relevant examples of successful books, he outlines the evolution from “epic fantasy” into a variety of sub-genres, broadly tracking the economic and political events of the times (e.g., the economic growth of the 1980s – 1990s; the 2001 – 2007 period of rising terrorism; the 2008 economic recession and aftermath).
Dalton pegs “epic fantasy” to the conservative values of the 1980s – 1990s and to the prevailing assumption that “those at the top of society are … morally enlightened, socially responsible and facilitators of social justice.” He describes the protagonist of epic fantasy as working class, “chosen” to go on a hero quest, and saving the world through hard work and moral virtue. The hero not only succeeds by defeating the great danger to society but is also rewarded with higher social status, that is, he is endowed with the privileges of the elite. The emphasis is on “he” because the hero of epic fantasy is a cisgender white male.
At this point in the article, I began to see an intersection with Ms. Milon’s thoughts. And sure enough …
But it has become clear over time, states Dalton, that we are “not ruled and safeguarded by those of superior moral standing, of a noble conscience and with a sense of social responsibility.” Thus, to the extent that fiction reflects or exposes current social conditions, one can reasonably expect that the straight white-male epic fantasy genre needed to evolve given the economic trauma, political scandal, and failed military adventures since September 11, 2001 (my personal reference point).
Mr. Dalton has much more to say about the development of the new darker fantasy sub-genres—their heroes, plots and dénouements—but for a book review, this may be enough to give the gist of why the book is worth a read.
Ms. Milon does not, in my opinion, answer her question—what are our children being taught? —nor would I require it. Rather, I would like to share a bottle of red wine at a table in a comfortable pub and listen to Ms. Milon and Mr. Dalton explore the ins-and-outs of gender and sexuality in current fantasy literature. I would expect Mr. Dalton to engage Ms. Milon over the implied assumption that the white male hero narrative of epic fantasy remains dominant and unchanging … and I would enjoy hearing Ms. Milon parry Mr. Dalton’s assertion about just how different the new darker hero really is from the cisgender white male.
Alas, I have briefly reviewed only two of the ten articles in the book. In conversation all ten contributors, I believe, reveal stimulating theses and assert vigorous objections worthy of those interested in the bones of fantasy and science fiction. I recommend this book for those interested in a deeper understanding of the genre and its potential.
Chris O’Neill
Halloween, 2017
The collection includes ten articles edited by Francesca T. Barbini, editor of Luna Press Publishing, and ranges across a broad scope of fiction channels including novels, games, television shows, movies, and costume play. The compilation explores themes evoked in titles like Bikini Armour, Transgender Tipping Point, Badass Bisexual Babes, and Rape as Narrative Tool. Each article presents a topic in depth, encouraging the reader to engage in conversation, poke at the assumptions, acknowledge the insights, and even anticipate directions for the genre. It is a stimulating read.
To show how the book might help deepen an appreciation of speculative fiction, let’s look briefly at two articles from the collection.
The article by Anna Milon is titled “Bikini Armour: women characters, readers and writers in male narratives.” Ms. Milon, a researcher and current Education Officer of the Tolkien Society, introduces her topic with a poignant question that impinges on author responsibility. Given the growing popularity of the fantasy genre especially among younger readers, she asks, “What exactly are we teaching our children” about women in narratives that are male-centered and lacking in the representation of real women?
Milon surveys several feminist critiques of female representation in literature. She explores how female authors of fantasy fiction often enact the male-centered narrative, typically presenting women as “ornamental or instrumental” in the white male hero’s quest. They armor-up the female lead as the alpha-female warrior princess, quoting a source, “infused with power, sexuality, confidence, and ass-kicking prowess … [yet] only when embracing the moral and character strengths of [male] heroes can a woman embrace her sex drive as well,” that is, be a real woman. The 2017 box office success of “Wonder Woman” comes to mind.
After contrasting female leads of current novels against powerful women characters evoked in the patriarchal milieu of medieval literature, Milon arrives at “an exclusively female hero archetype lurking among the brash males and terrifying the living daylight out of them. It is the witch.” The witch is powerful because she has her own realm within the patriarchal community. She conducts the procedures forbidden to or rejected by men: midwifery, women’s health, and emotional support. Furthermore, the witch is classless and raceless, and becomes the quintessential “other” in narratives. And this distance from male dominance even makes her alluring. Finally, “she [the witch] does not attempt to change herself in order to integrate with the male narrative, because she can and does exist independently.”
Yet if the witch is the only independent female lead available in male-centered narratives, one is left wondering how a more complete repertoire might become available to female characters in fantasy and science fiction. What conditions are necessary for a widening of possibilities? Which brings us to a second article.
A. J. Dalton contributed an analysis titled “Gender-identity and sexuality in current sub-genres of British fantasy literature: do we have a problem?” Mr. Dalton is both a fantasy fiction author and an expert on British fantasy, and he provides an informative overview of the changing currents of fantasy fiction related directly to the political and economic shocks that have occurred in Great Britain over the last thirty years. In the introduction, he notes how at conferences and in book reviews some fantasy authors are being accused of racism, homophobia, misogyny, and cultural appropriation because they are experimenting with new plots, new characters, and new models as they try to write stories outside the traditional framework of “epic fantasy” popularized in the 1980s and 1990s.
Combining historical context since 1980 with multiple relevant examples of successful books, he outlines the evolution from “epic fantasy” into a variety of sub-genres, broadly tracking the economic and political events of the times (e.g., the economic growth of the 1980s – 1990s; the 2001 – 2007 period of rising terrorism; the 2008 economic recession and aftermath).
Dalton pegs “epic fantasy” to the conservative values of the 1980s – 1990s and to the prevailing assumption that “those at the top of society are … morally enlightened, socially responsible and facilitators of social justice.” He describes the protagonist of epic fantasy as working class, “chosen” to go on a hero quest, and saving the world through hard work and moral virtue. The hero not only succeeds by defeating the great danger to society but is also rewarded with higher social status, that is, he is endowed with the privileges of the elite. The emphasis is on “he” because the hero of epic fantasy is a cisgender white male.
At this point in the article, I began to see an intersection with Ms. Milon’s thoughts. And sure enough …
But it has become clear over time, states Dalton, that we are “not ruled and safeguarded by those of superior moral standing, of a noble conscience and with a sense of social responsibility.” Thus, to the extent that fiction reflects or exposes current social conditions, one can reasonably expect that the straight white-male epic fantasy genre needed to evolve given the economic trauma, political scandal, and failed military adventures since September 11, 2001 (my personal reference point).
Mr. Dalton has much more to say about the development of the new darker fantasy sub-genres—their heroes, plots and dénouements—but for a book review, this may be enough to give the gist of why the book is worth a read.
Ms. Milon does not, in my opinion, answer her question—what are our children being taught? —nor would I require it. Rather, I would like to share a bottle of red wine at a table in a comfortable pub and listen to Ms. Milon and Mr. Dalton explore the ins-and-outs of gender and sexuality in current fantasy literature. I would expect Mr. Dalton to engage Ms. Milon over the implied assumption that the white male hero narrative of epic fantasy remains dominant and unchanging … and I would enjoy hearing Ms. Milon parry Mr. Dalton’s assertion about just how different the new darker hero really is from the cisgender white male.
Alas, I have briefly reviewed only two of the ten articles in the book. In conversation all ten contributors, I believe, reveal stimulating theses and assert vigorous objections worthy of those interested in the bones of fantasy and science fiction. I recommend this book for those interested in a deeper understanding of the genre and its potential.
Chris O’Neill
Halloween, 2017
October 6, 2019
in Current Fantasy and Science Fiction.
I picked up this little anthology at Helsinki's WorldCon, from Luna Press. I'd not heard of them before but I was and remain intrigued by their doing these non-fiction anthologies.
Yes, Helsinki was two years ago. Yes, I just got around to reading it.
As the name suggests, the essays deal with both issues of gender and of sexuality, primarily in fiction but also - and I loved it - in an analysis by Juliet E McKenna on the place of female-identifying authors across time in the publishing world. "The Myth of Meritocracy and the Reality of the Leaky Pipe and other obstacles in Science Fiction and Fantasy" made me think of Joanna Russ (as do so many of these sorts of conversations) and is well researched, persuasively argued, and did not - surprise! - leave me feeling completely hopeless. It's a fascinating way to open the anthology.
Some of the essays meant more to me than others because in some I am familiar with the material, and with others less so. Kim Lakin-Smith's "Doll Parts: Reflections of the Feminine Grotesque in France Hardinge's Cuckoo Song and Neil Gaiman's Coraline," for instance, was truly fascinating but I couldn't feel it as deeply as I might because I've not read either of the works (the Hardinge exactly because it's billed as being horror). And it turns out I am even less up to date with fantasy than I thought, because AJ Dalton's "Gender-identity and sexuality in current sub-genres of British fantasy literature: do we have a problem?" referenced sub-genres and authors I've not heard of. The essay itself was very interesting, don't get me wrong, but I was unable to reflect on it meaningfully.
Of course, some essays I had little problem accessing. Both Jyrki Korea's "What about Tauriel? From divine mothers to active heroines - the female roles in JRR Tolkien's Legendarium and Peter Jackson's movie adaptations" and Alina Hadîmbu's "Newly added female chapters to blockbuster franchises: gender balancing in otherwise male-dominated fictional worlds or a greater purpose?" hit on issues and franchises very dear to my heart, and I greatly enjoyed reading the explorations of Tauriel and Arwen and Rey.
Let us not forget that this anthology includes an essay about Magic: The Gathering! Which is not something I would have thought was very interesting a year ago, but now I do! Rostislav Kurka (their name is meant to have a circle above the 'u' but my symbols don't seem to include that one...) has helped me realise just how much more is going on in the fiction about M:TG than I realised, and how the cards' art reflects and helps that too. So I also love that Luna Press saw M:TG as a legitimate topic for inclusion here; the essay absolutely fits the theme, and of course both the game and the fiction are a part of the speculative fiction world.
Other essays, I should point out, are more interested in a broad summary, rather than focusing on one genre or set of texts. Cheryl Morgan's "Tipping the Fantastic: How the Transgender Tipping Point has influenced Science Fiction" was (as expected) a throughout examination of how trans characters have been presented in various stories, and what that means both for trans and cis readers and general diversity/understanding. Anna Milon's "Bikini armour: women characters, readers and writers in male narratives" also made me think of Joanna Russ, and made me cranky, as you may imagine some of what is discussed from the title (it's a good essay; it's a frustrating topic).
Overall I think this is a great little anthology - and it is little, at 236 pages in about an A5 package. Obviously there is plenty more to be said, and part of me hopes that Luna does another one... although of course there are lots of other topics to cover, and they've got one on Evil and one on African fantasy and science fiction, so those are both excellent topics, too.
I picked up this little anthology at Helsinki's WorldCon, from Luna Press. I'd not heard of them before but I was and remain intrigued by their doing these non-fiction anthologies.
Yes, Helsinki was two years ago. Yes, I just got around to reading it.
As the name suggests, the essays deal with both issues of gender and of sexuality, primarily in fiction but also - and I loved it - in an analysis by Juliet E McKenna on the place of female-identifying authors across time in the publishing world. "The Myth of Meritocracy and the Reality of the Leaky Pipe and other obstacles in Science Fiction and Fantasy" made me think of Joanna Russ (as do so many of these sorts of conversations) and is well researched, persuasively argued, and did not - surprise! - leave me feeling completely hopeless. It's a fascinating way to open the anthology.
Some of the essays meant more to me than others because in some I am familiar with the material, and with others less so. Kim Lakin-Smith's "Doll Parts: Reflections of the Feminine Grotesque in France Hardinge's Cuckoo Song and Neil Gaiman's Coraline," for instance, was truly fascinating but I couldn't feel it as deeply as I might because I've not read either of the works (the Hardinge exactly because it's billed as being horror). And it turns out I am even less up to date with fantasy than I thought, because AJ Dalton's "Gender-identity and sexuality in current sub-genres of British fantasy literature: do we have a problem?" referenced sub-genres and authors I've not heard of. The essay itself was very interesting, don't get me wrong, but I was unable to reflect on it meaningfully.
Of course, some essays I had little problem accessing. Both Jyrki Korea's "What about Tauriel? From divine mothers to active heroines - the female roles in JRR Tolkien's Legendarium and Peter Jackson's movie adaptations" and Alina Hadîmbu's "Newly added female chapters to blockbuster franchises: gender balancing in otherwise male-dominated fictional worlds or a greater purpose?" hit on issues and franchises very dear to my heart, and I greatly enjoyed reading the explorations of Tauriel and Arwen and Rey.
Let us not forget that this anthology includes an essay about Magic: The Gathering! Which is not something I would have thought was very interesting a year ago, but now I do! Rostislav Kurka (their name is meant to have a circle above the 'u' but my symbols don't seem to include that one...) has helped me realise just how much more is going on in the fiction about M:TG than I realised, and how the cards' art reflects and helps that too. So I also love that Luna Press saw M:TG as a legitimate topic for inclusion here; the essay absolutely fits the theme, and of course both the game and the fiction are a part of the speculative fiction world.
Other essays, I should point out, are more interested in a broad summary, rather than focusing on one genre or set of texts. Cheryl Morgan's "Tipping the Fantastic: How the Transgender Tipping Point has influenced Science Fiction" was (as expected) a throughout examination of how trans characters have been presented in various stories, and what that means both for trans and cis readers and general diversity/understanding. Anna Milon's "Bikini armour: women characters, readers and writers in male narratives" also made me think of Joanna Russ, and made me cranky, as you may imagine some of what is discussed from the title (it's a good essay; it's a frustrating topic).
Overall I think this is a great little anthology - and it is little, at 236 pages in about an A5 package. Obviously there is plenty more to be said, and part of me hopes that Luna does another one... although of course there are lots of other topics to cover, and they've got one on Evil and one on African fantasy and science fiction, so those are both excellent topics, too.
June 12, 2025
Gender Identity and Sexuality in Current Fantasy and Science Fiction, is a revealing and thought-provoking collection of papers, written by a number of renowned writers, discussing how speculative fiction is currently dealing with these important issues of representation and inclusion.
The first paper, written by Juliet E McKenna, explores areas of the industry where there is clear under-representation of women, and a clear bias towards men, including various listings and bestseller lists, as well as case studies signalling the higher acceptance rate of work written by men compared to work written by women. Since this is despite the fact that women are well-represented in all the major SF and Fantasy prizes, a number of threads are explored in an attempt to answer the cause of this bias. Models such as the Halo Effect are considered as well as skewed biases making its way into marketing and promotional choices made by booksellers. With the lack of proportionate representation also found in race and ethnicity, gender and sexual identity, and ability, the paper explores sober findings and offers much-needed discussion.
Anna Milon discusses the importance of challenging the premise of ‘strong women’, and considers comparisons between male-coded and female-coded protagonists, including whether, if there is such a thing as a male gaze, is there such a thing as a female gaze? And for authors pushing boundaries, bringing characters that defy gender expectation, can readers from patriarchal backdrops shun dominant cultural myths in favour of recognising these narratives? They are interesting and important questions given the alternatives of either reducing female characters to a submissive role as defined by the male gaze, or to turn her into a ‘strong’ woman ‘female man’.
Cheryl Morgan writes about how the transgender tipping point has Influenced speculative fiction, an insightful exploration offering much needed discussion on the journey of representation and inclusion, including problems trends as well as hopes and recommendations moving forward. Hazel Butler offers similar discussion on issues surrounding bisexual representation, applauding progress made while imploring, through insightful analysis of a number of works, the essential need to push back against stereotyping, bi-erasure, and downright biophobia.
Lorianne Reuser’s paper brings in-depth analysis of the use of rape as a narrative driver, and in particular those narratives in danger of endorsing dangerous rape culture myths. Within a genre looking to represent medieval eras, reflecting power imbalances and corresponding abuses, the paper highlighted the importance of when, if and how to represent abuses such as rape, and what considerations might be made.
Other areas were explored in this collection that is both expansive in scope, while moderately small in size. I enjoyed the range of voices in the writers, the differing perspectives brought to the contributions that were ultimately informative, questioning, and highly thought-provoking for reader and writer alike, bringing conversation and discussion to much needed areas of this complex discussion. An accessible and illuminating read.
The first paper, written by Juliet E McKenna, explores areas of the industry where there is clear under-representation of women, and a clear bias towards men, including various listings and bestseller lists, as well as case studies signalling the higher acceptance rate of work written by men compared to work written by women. Since this is despite the fact that women are well-represented in all the major SF and Fantasy prizes, a number of threads are explored in an attempt to answer the cause of this bias. Models such as the Halo Effect are considered as well as skewed biases making its way into marketing and promotional choices made by booksellers. With the lack of proportionate representation also found in race and ethnicity, gender and sexual identity, and ability, the paper explores sober findings and offers much-needed discussion.
Anna Milon discusses the importance of challenging the premise of ‘strong women’, and considers comparisons between male-coded and female-coded protagonists, including whether, if there is such a thing as a male gaze, is there such a thing as a female gaze? And for authors pushing boundaries, bringing characters that defy gender expectation, can readers from patriarchal backdrops shun dominant cultural myths in favour of recognising these narratives? They are interesting and important questions given the alternatives of either reducing female characters to a submissive role as defined by the male gaze, or to turn her into a ‘strong’ woman ‘female man’.
Cheryl Morgan writes about how the transgender tipping point has Influenced speculative fiction, an insightful exploration offering much needed discussion on the journey of representation and inclusion, including problems trends as well as hopes and recommendations moving forward. Hazel Butler offers similar discussion on issues surrounding bisexual representation, applauding progress made while imploring, through insightful analysis of a number of works, the essential need to push back against stereotyping, bi-erasure, and downright biophobia.
Lorianne Reuser’s paper brings in-depth analysis of the use of rape as a narrative driver, and in particular those narratives in danger of endorsing dangerous rape culture myths. Within a genre looking to represent medieval eras, reflecting power imbalances and corresponding abuses, the paper highlighted the importance of when, if and how to represent abuses such as rape, and what considerations might be made.
Other areas were explored in this collection that is both expansive in scope, while moderately small in size. I enjoyed the range of voices in the writers, the differing perspectives brought to the contributions that were ultimately informative, questioning, and highly thought-provoking for reader and writer alike, bringing conversation and discussion to much needed areas of this complex discussion. An accessible and illuminating read.
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