Comments on: Pioneer Award?

By: Lambda Literary Award: No Straight People Allowed! | The Naughty Bits

Lambda Literary Award: No Straight People Allowed! | The Naughty Bits — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:04:32 +0000

[...] am talking about the “Lame Duh!” Literary Foundation you remember them with their Pioneer Award [...]

By: veinglory

veinglory — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 21:05:52 +0000

I agree. I became sentient during the eighties, but I have read my way back through gay lit as far as the 11th century. And that is just as an enthusiast, not an “expert”.

By: TeddyPig

TeddyPig — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:15:25 +0000

I myself admit I am no expert on Gay Literature and I learn things constantly from writers I talk to and review on this blog who have far more focused knowledge of aspects of Gay Literature I have never investigated.

But… We are talking Lambda Literary Foundation here.

A group I would expect to have some type of expertise on the subject of Gay Literature. At least enough knowledge to know how fucking insulting they come across in their ignorant self congratulatory actions to those who do remember the bad old days (long before AIDS showed up in the eighties) or those of us who at least care enough to have some interest in our history as a community.

If they as an organization continue to choose to turn a blind eye to reality and keep handing out meaningless gratuitous awards to their chosen few that they have promoted for years then that is their sad legacy but I hope they don’t expect rational people not to point out their tasteless behavior.

By: Louise

Louise — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 14:29:39 +0000

Right on, Teddy.

If I might be so crass as to offer an explanation… I think that the Lambda folks are just not old enough. To them, 1980 represents an era whose literature they know something about and they consider THAT the pioneer era. Just like people born in 1970 consider the 1980′s the golden age of rock music, not having even been ALIVE in the 1960′s to appreciate that rock music happened a generation earlier. Those of us with a bit of seasoning (or do they call it “vintage”) now, remember when homosexuality was a classified mental disease, and I do think that younger generations have less appreciation for the true pioneer days.

By: Jules Jones

Jules Jones — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 07:40:16 +0000

I bought the silver anniversary edition of The Leatherman’s Handbook when I first got into writing fanfic, on the recommendation of other writers. It’s a damn good read by someone who knew how to write for his audience. Sniggering at it suggests a lack of understanding of what makes for compelling writing.

By: Vince Liaguno

Vince Liaguno — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 22:25:25 +0000

Great post! I had the pleasure of meeting the delightful Victor Banis at BEA this year, and , yes, this is a guy who wrote GLBT material when it was actually dangerous to do so. He is the very definition of a pioneer. A little recap: http://vinceliaguno.blogspot.com/2009/06/dance-of-bea-virgin.html

By: veinglory

veinglory — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 21:39:11 +0000

Townsend’s stuff rocks. Anyone who sniggers at his name is seriously sans clue.

By: Rick R. Reed

Rick R. Reed — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:48:50 +0000

Kudos on a reasonable and balanced blog. We need people like YOU (and Michael Bronski and MLR Press) documenting our literary history. I am telling everyone I know about your blog.

By: Victor J. Banis

Victor J. Banis — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:37:23 +0000

Thank you for your comments. I suppose some think I’m just expressing sour grapes because the Lambda people ignore me steadfastly and the Violet Quill queens pretend I never existed, but in fact, I really don’t much care whether they snub me or not. As I’ve said elsewhere, I have a pretty good idea of my place in gay history, and it has been acknowledged by a long line of scholars. If the Lambda folks chose not to acknowledge me, that says more about them than it does about me.

But, there were a hell of a lot of good people, men and women, gay and straight, who fought hard and who risked their butts to open the doors to gay writers and gay publishing; Some of them lost everything. Some went to prison. All of us worked every day, with every book, with the threat of arrest and prison hanging over our heads. I am disgusted to hear these people sweep them all under the rug as if they never existed.

For the record, MLR Press is bringing out shortly The Golden Age of Gay Fiction, edited by Wayne Gunn, with lots of great stuff (okay, yes, I’m in it); a personal reminiscence of Lonnie Coleman (presumably he didn’t exist either, since he wrote before 1980) James Colton, aka Joseph Hansen (ditto); and much, more more. Scholar John d’Emilio, in writing a blurb for the book, said, “I can’t wait to get my hands on this book.” I think this will be an important contribution to the literature. I also don’t think it will win a Lammie.

Victor J. Banis

By: Jeanne Barrack

Jeanne Barrack — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:30:17 +0000

And we have among the still writing true pioneers, folks like Victor Banis who was writing probably before some of those at Lambda were born!
Alas, it doesn’t matter what genre you write; there will always be snobs…and know nothings!