The Bitches Celebrate Marriage Equality!

We here at the Hot Pink Palace of Bitchery are thrilled about yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling regarding marriage equality. The Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution guarantees a right to same-sex marriage.

In the words of Justice Anthony M. Kennedy:

No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice, and family. In forming a marital union, two people become something greater than once they were. As some of the petitioners in these cases demonstrate, marriage embodies a love that may endure even past death. It would misunderstand these men and women to say they disrespect the idea of marriage. Their plea is that they do respect it, respect it so deeply that they seek to find its fulfillment for themselves. Their hope is not to be condemned to live in loneliness, excluded from one of civilization’s oldest institutions. They ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. The Constitution grants them that right.

If there’s anything we’ve learned from romance, it’s that everyone deserves a chance at love. You earn your right to be in a relationship not by having the proper genitalia, but by being honest, loyal, and supportive of your partner (and some hot chemistry never hurts). This is true if you are a pirate captain and your love interest is a virgin governess unaware of the beauty of her large, violet-colored eyes, and it’s still true if you are a billionaire named Bob and you are mad with love for Joe, a brilliant computer technician who artlessly brushes his chestnut hair out of his eyes as he gazes into your hard drive.

As the romance genre grew over the last few decades, it began to embrace gay, lesbian, and bisexual relationships. We asked The Bitches to recommend some LGBTQIA romances:

CarrieS:

I’m about halfway through The Magpie Lord by KJ Charles. So far, it’s an A+ book. The characters are rounded, layered, interesting people. Their romance feels real, not fetishistic (although it’s also very hot). There’s a great mix of historical, fantasy, horror and humor. I’ll be submitting a full review when I finish the book but as of now I adore it!

Another brilliant and unusual romance is Static, by LA Witt ( A ). This book goes beyond m/m/ and f/f/ romance to explore what gender and sexuality mean in the context of self-identity, love, and relationships by using a “five minutes in the future” sci fi concept. You can find my review here.

Also I love Cathy Pegau’s science fiction book Deep Deception ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) which involves a romance between two women. It’s sexy, emotional, and smart, and most importantly the characters and their relationship feel real to me. Here’s my review.

Elyse:

At the RT Blogger Symposium, Ariel from Dreamspinner Press commented that historical m/m romance may get less love from reviewers because they have a hard time suspending disbelief that gay men could find a happily ever after in a historical setting (lesbianism would be slightly different, historically speaking).

Personally, I suspend a lot of disbelief when reading historical romance. I mean I pretend that everyone has great dental hygiene, no one dies from having diarrhea, and people bathe frequently enough that their naughty bits don’t smell like cheese left in the sun for a few days.

If, like me, you dig the historicals, I recommend The Lion and the Crow by Eli Easton (medieval) ( A | BN | K), and The Crofton Chronicles by Rebecca Cohen: The Actor and the Earl, Duty to the Crown and Forever Hold His Peace (Elizabethan Era).

Sarah: I said on Twitter that seeing the whole country celebrate something at once is a rare and beautiful thing. We’re a large country with a lot of time zones and a LOT of people, and we don’t celebrate anything as a group – but watching people celebrate, seeing pictures of people getting married within an hour of the decision, that did my heart a lot of good.  I think we have a long way to go in terms of equality, but seeing a big step forward was more than a little reassuring.

Recommendations ahoy! First, I did a podcast interview with Joyfully Jay, who reads m/m romance, and she listed a ton of recommendations. You can also check out her website for more reviews!

CS Pacat is cited by many as seriously addictive – and she won the DABWAHA tournament, too, as did Abigail Roux. Her book, Caught Running, which was written with Madeline Urban, is one of my very favorites.

I’m also reading lesbian romances currently, but haven’t read enough to make solid recommendations – I’d be happy to hear your ideas!

I know you have suggestions, too. Your turn! If you feel like celebrating with your reading, what LGBTQIA romances do you recommend?