Havin' a Gay Old Time

So I was sitting here by myself today (pretending I was cleaning the house and packing for our trip) because my husband and kids are visiting the mother-in-law for her birthday and at least half my friends have scattered off to the Pride festival/parade in Dublin this weekend. I would have gone too, but well, how would my poor husband explain that to his family without raising some eyebrows?

After a cup of coffee, I began my housework the way I alway do: by reading everybody's blogs first, as a warm-up.

Dangerous Dan the Camera Man came to the rescue for a boring day, as he e-mailed me some photos he'd taken of our family, including me. "I like this one best," he'd written as the caption of the one here, "because I think it's how most people see you."

Aaawwww, I thought, people think of me as being that happy? That's nice. Then I read the rest of the caption: "...you know, looking down from a foot over your head."

Uh, thanks Dan.

So I thought between my captured smiliness and the Pride festival, today's fiction markets should be like, so totally gay:

Danse Macabre, that literary buffet from Nevada, is accepting submissions until 20th July for a themed issue about Stonewall. As they say on their website, "if ya gotta ask, babycakes..." Submissions are by online form: the link is in their sidebar.

Queered Fiction is looking for gothic tales of horror and romance. I'm working on something for this but struggling with it...if I can't write for it, however, I'm wanting to read it. So, let me know if you get something accepted here please: submissions are open until 31st August.

Khimairal Ink wants character-driven lesbian fiction: "let your imagination soar". They're open to most genres, and stories up to 8000 words. Pay is only $5 but they're only buying first electronic rights.

M-Brane SF is working on anthology of queer science fiction, and recently put out a call on their blog asking for more submissions. Well, you knew you wouldn't get a list of markets without one spec-fic mag, and here it is. Payment is $10 plus a share of royalties. Deadline is fast approaching: 15th July.

Expanded Horizons is (d'oh!) another spec-fic magazine, not specifically LGBT but looking for diversity in their stories and contributors. To that end, they're looking for more women, more people of colour, more gay/lesbian and asexual and transgendered people, more people with disabilities or unusual sensitivities, more magick users, more everybody it seems: VERY cool!

It wasn't until I'd read EH's guidelines some time back that I realised how much of popular science fiction is based on our average 20th century astronaut: middle-aged white dudes, who often end up getting it on with alien girlies (often blonde). Captain Kirk, Buck Rogers, Han Solo, even the Thunderbirds... Hmmm. Yes, definitely time for a change. Ursula LeGuin told some wonderful stories that explored sex/gender beyond the human experience of it: if you haven't read Left Hand of Darkness you must (IMHO). Back to Expanded Horizons, they want to see NO indigenous characters represented as 'magical savages', nor excessive violence, nor any Lizardmen, nor erotica.

...ah darn.

Guess my dirty dishes are calling anyhow.