Romantic novels are among the bestselling genres globally, with one purchased every two seconds in the UK. Yet the classic 'boy meets girl' trope dominates, leaving same-sex love stories underrepresented. Author Julie Cohen has founded a rainbow chapter of the Romantic Novelists' Association to support LGBT romantic authors and their works.
Cohen argues that love is universal and that romantic fiction should reflect this. She recalls reading heterosexual romances as a girl, which taught her about love but lacked queer representation. She turned to works like 'The Colour Purple' and 'Orlando' for LGBT stories, noting that mainstream publishers have been slow to accept queer narratives.
The 'bury your gays' trope, where LGBT characters meet tragic ends, remains common. Cohen stresses the need for escapist fiction with happy endings for LGBT readers, especially given that a 2018 UK government survey found LGBT people report lower happiness levels than the general population.
Fan fiction has emerged as a training ground for LGBT romance writers, bypassing traditional gatekeepers. Over the past decade, male same-sex romantic fiction has grown in popularity, and female same-sex romance has a dedicated following. Specialist publishers like Dreamspinner Press and Bold Strokes Books have led the way.
Mainstream success is growing: Kate Johnson's 'Max Seventeen' won a Romantic Novel award in 2017, and Cohen's 'Falling' was shortlisted. In the US, Suzanne Brockmann's gay Navy SEAL romances have hit bestseller lists. Young adult romance, such as 'Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda', is also ahead of the trend.
Cohen concludes that romantic fiction is finally reflecting the true diversity of human beings, reinforcing that everyone deserves a happy ending.
