Time Magazine has picked up the story about Fred Head and the Texas Comptroller’s race. Seems the angry reactions to the accusations that romance = porn are still making the news – which is great by me since it gives us folks more time and bandwidth to defend that genre we love with every ounce of our heaving bosoms.
I just wonder what blog they were reading!
I actually think it was the ATBF column on AAR a couple of weeks ago that was specifically on this issue.
Read the article… and the alleged porn of the sex scenes. *eye roll*
if they think that’s porn, they better stay away from the good erotic romance.
To put this in perspective. Maria Cantwell of Washington State Slept with a Lobbiest a week before he was married to someone else, loaned him money, and was named in his divorce (the court papers were sealed). And the press tells us this is OK because it is her private life…but this other elected representative (Texas?) is razzed in the press nationally for writing “Porn?” Double standards are alive and well.
Time definitely read the Romance Unleashed blog because they interviewed Jessica Trapp—who wrote the RU Fred Head rant.
I almost voted for Susan Combs today, but damn, y’all, I just can’t make myself vote for a Republican even if she DOES write romance. Luckily there was a Libertarian candidate on the ticket so I could escape voting for a fuckwad fredhead or a Repub.
If she does win, does that make Texas a purple state now? I mean, damn, just read that excerpt…
I almost voted for Susan Combs today, but damn, y’all, I just can’t make myself vote for a Republican even if she DOES write romance. Luckily there was a Libertarian candidate on the ticket so I could escape voting for a fuckwad fredhead or a Repub.
One of the things I was afraid of was that people would vote for Combs solely because of what Head said. That may have cost him some votes, but he might have won in the larger way of derailing the political process, which, IMO, is what he was consciously or unconsciously doing by trying to mire female politicians in derogatory sexual stereotypes.
I can’t find the results on line: how did the election turn out?
Combs won. As did Napoli, damn the man.
A friend of mine sent a congratulatory email to Combs saying, “Can we count this as a victory for romance authors everywhere?” Combs replied, “You betcha!”
I agree, Robin, that there was probably some voting for Combs just because her opponent was a fredhead. (In fact, a friend of mine did, and happily reported back to me that she was the only R vote on his ballot.) I couldn’t make myself do it, though, because apart from her purple prose, I know nothing whatsoever about the woman. No voting record, no political views, no nuthin.
I didn’t know as much as I wanted to, going into this election. I am, however, hella thrilled at the outcome. And was I the only one who broke into spontaneous happy-dancing at Wednesday’s announcement that Rumsfeld is going bye-bye?
Fred Head is right. Romance novels are soft-core porn for females. Guys have Playboy, women have Fabio. I’m not saying I look down on either for enjoying what they enjoy, but it is what it is.
Women are less visual than men as a whole – sure, they like eye-candy well enough, but “romance” is more between the ears than in the eyes for females. Since most men don’t get this about women, the fairer sex has long gotten away with indulging a good rollicking romance novel much easier in our repressed society than men with tasteful Playboy photos. Sneaky women and their superior romantic imaginations and all. 🙂