Amber Allure Authors Speak Out Against Homophobia

Amber Allure Authors Speak Out Against Homophobia


It give me great pleasure to be part of the Hop Against Homophobia Day and to stand up for the human rights of all people, whatever their sexuality, gender, race or religion. Singling out any section of society for unjust treatment should not be tolerated in our modern world, and we need to find ways to promote understanding and freedom for all.

I also want to stand up for heterosexual Christians like myself who are 100% behind the drive for GLBTQ equality and same-sex marriage - the media seem at the moment to be concentrating on those Christians who are against the idea, and I think it's important for people to know that we don't all think the same. I'm proud to say I've just joined the Lesbian & Gay Christian Movement in the UK to show my support, and hope that other Christians will also stand with me on this point. –Anne Brooke

As an author who chooses to write GLBT romance, I would be a major hypocrite if I clung to a trace of homophobia. While it took me awhile to get here--heck, I grew up in an era before many people "came out" at all--I have come to a true belief that Love cannot be bad or wasted or wrong. Real, sincere love (not disguised self-seeking lust or predatory control) is The One True Thing. It may strike in awkward and unlikely places at times but we need to cherish and celebrate it, regardless. This is what I seek to do in my stories. I believe any and all discrimination based on real or merely perceived "difference" is wrong and that all people are created equal and deserve equality. While I will not do polemics in the guise of fiction, I always work quietly toward that end. I do support everyone’s right to hold to specific beliefs and restrictions in their private lives, but this should never spill over to suppressing or directing the lives of others in any way! –Deirdre O’Dare

What do I tell my kids about the books I write?

When they were younger I told them to look all around us – at the trees, flowers, birds, dogs, cats, horses, all the living things here on earth. Now, tell me which of them is best. Which is the best bird? The best flower? The best dog? Who is the best person? Is that person male or female, black, white, yellow or brown? Do they speak English or a foreign language? Are they gay or straight?

And with each question, they’d say I don’t know which flower is best. I can’t tell which dog. And I say, that’s right. Same with people. We’re all here, we’re all valuable, we’re all right. We all deserve love, romance and a happily ever after.

And now to my teenagers I also say, no matter who you are, inside or out, I will always love, respect and cherish you. No matter who you fall in love with.

That’s why I write gay romance. I write it for my kids, so they’ll know that they deserve a happily ever after with the person they love. –Lynn Lorenz

My name is Kelli Wilkins and I write erotic romances – straight, gay, paranormal, historical – it doesn’t matter to me. Why? Because my books are about characters who fall in love – and in my world who "should" fall in love with another person isn’t based on gender or preference.

I approach a same-sex love scene the same way I would if I was writing about a hetero couple. For me, it’s not about the gender or the anatomy of the characters – it’s about creating a believable, intimate scene where two people express their love for each other.

If you don’t want to read gay romance, then don’t. But I’ll still write them. It’s a free country, so read whatever you want – but don’t expect me to censor what I write because someone might think it’s "icky" or get offended.

My first gay book, Four Days with Jack, dealt with issues of homophobia, self-doubt, and self-acceptance. I’m proud that I wrote it, and I’ll be proud of the next gay romances I write. Why? Because I’m a romance writer – and in my books, everyone deserves to be in love and live happily-ever-after. –Kelli A. Wilkins

I've been writing gay romantic fiction for almost ten years now - only about six years as a published author - and when I began it was purely for my own pleasure. I admit I never really gave a lot of consideration to the facts of life for a gay man, I was purely wrapped up in the sexy romance of two hot men! However, it didn't take long once I was published and became more involved in the publishing world of gay romance to learn how much I DIDN'T understand about the subject I was writing about.

Being from the UK I'd always considered the gay people in my country were much better off than their counterparts in other countries, in particular the US, and while that is still true in many cases, there are far too many situations when homophobia is alive and kicking in the UK. However, it was very uplifting to read the following comment in a recent article and it gives me a degree of confidence in the future: "Recent polls suggest that the majority of people in the UK are supportive of gay rights." –Stevie Woods

May 17 is the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. Some days, I like to fool myself into thinking that as a species we’re advanced enough now to put prejudice behind us. (Yeah, I can hear you snickering over there, from half-way across the world.) It’s not that I’m naive. I’m just a dreamer. I think that, as a species, we have the potential to put prejudice behind us. But does that mean that we’re doing it? Clearly not. Or at least, not all of us. The Hop Against Homophobia is a wonderful way for the M/M writer community to come together and practice what we so often preach in our books: kindness, empathy, and tolerance for all. We're coming together to fight discrimination, and to stand up for a cause we're all passionate about. After all, if we didn't believe in the beauty of homosexual love, we wouldn't be writing about it. –Hunter Raines