Lavender Haze, Tony Peregrin, New
City
Though gay literature is no longer shunned, the question remains as
to whether or not it can survive outside of the lavender section of
the bookstore. Reporter Tony Peregrin interviews gay authors who
share their opinions about the segregation of books with homosexual
themes. Confining gay literature to one area makes it more
accessible to people who have similar experiences, but some authors
worry that heterosexual readers avoid lavender sections. A
historian who Peregrin interviews says, ‘[G]ay writers are in a
precarious situation: They want to be recognized beyond the
boundaries of the label ‘gay writer,’ but they also want to foster
a sense of identity for the gay community by being called ‘gay
writers’ who are shelved in the ‘gay’ section.’ Peregrin sees more
incorporation of gay and straight themes in the future and suggests
that readers can relate better to a more diverse group of
characters.
–Sara V.
Buckwitz
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