Quote:
Originally Posted by meeera
I'm a white romance reader. It wouldn't occur to me, unless I had specific knowledge of this sort of kerfuffle, to go and search for an ethnicity-specific bookshop section in order to find a romance that might have a lead that's not white. I'd just look in Romance. And I very happily like and read a lot of romance with non-white leads. I just expect to find romance books in the romance section. Do I also have to go find the Arab section for romance heroes/heroines with that ethnicity? Is there a Hispanic section? Where is the gay interracial romance shelved?
That's a problem.
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Yes this. I am a big romance reader. I read other genres also. But I read a lot of romance, have so for some time. I expect to find romance in the romance section. Anything else is segregation. I am white and ask me how many non white characters in romance I have seen in bookstores in the past. Or non straight, etc. A romance is a romance is a romance.
I am always struck by something Beverly Jenkins said in that docu about romance, what was it called, love under the sheets? I can't recall now. She made the point that if someone can relate to blue aliens in a romance, but they can't relate to african american characters? I didn't grow up with the internet or access to ebooks. So my reading has of course been influenced by what was available at the book store. If you have someone with prejudices working in a place that decides what goes on that shelf? That is an issue and obviously hearing the stories has been for a long time.
Its not an even playing field. And that is not ok.
eta: and to add. Not all LGBTQ stores are romance and not all african american stories are romance. So having those section in another part of the store doesn't really explain the romance section. If its romance, it belongs in romance.