It’s happened again. Romance novelists are once again taking a hit, not that this is anything new, but this time we’re being dragged into the political arena. Did y’all know we’re apparently nothing but a bunch of pornographers?
Hold on a sec while I add that to my resume.
If you don’t know what the latest bruhaha is all about, check this out. Fred Head (Up His YouKnowWhat) is a politician running for the office of State Comptroller in the State of Texas against Susan Combs. Sixteen years ago Ms. Combs wrote and published a romance novel, The Perfect Match, a Meteor release. Apparently, according to Head, this is not a good thing. And here’s the “fun” part. Head has labeled Combs a pornographer.
I don’t consider myself much of a political animal. I vote. I usually vote within my chosen party. There are days when I’m left feeling as if all I’m doing when I walk into the voting booth is attempting to choose the lesser of two evils, but voting is my right and I exercise it because I’m grateful that I even have the right to do so. Voting was a right my own grandmother didn’t have until after she’d given birth to her first child, so I hold tight to the belief that every woman in America should be heard. Lucy Burns and Alice Paul are two of my idols.
But I digress…
Seems to me like us romance authors are always being picked on by somebody. Other genre authors slam us. The press seems to take glee in throwing those stupid bodice ripper darts at us. Heck, we even somehow managed to get dissed by our own on occasion. And while I might not like it, I figure that’s just the way it is. Sure, it can be irritating, but most of us are confident enough, or maybe even smart enough, not to get our Victoria Secrets all twisted up about it. Is it just me, or does our genre being slammed by a politician feel like it’s reaching for a new all time low?
I don’t even live in Texas, but Head’s campaign bugs the #$@! out of me. I wish I could vote in Texas. I don’t think it’s any guess which candidate I’d be supporting.
What about you? Does romance novelists being slammed and labeled pornographers by a politician feel like a new low to you?
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Jamie,
Politicians will say anything and do anything to further their own agendas.
If this guy thinks he can garner a few votes by pushing that particular “hot button” in a traditionally conservative state, that is what is he going to do…damn the consequences. I have gotten to the point where I do not even listen to political ads anymore. It is just so blatantly ridiculous to what new lows these so-called “decent, god-fearing” people will stoop just to discredit their opponent.
It ticks me off to hear anyone label romance novels as “porn.” If an actor does an R rated movie that contains sex, does that make them a porn-star? If not, why?? If you are going to label an author a pornographer, then it goes to follow that the actors, producer, and director who make those movies pornographers as well.
by Angie T
on October 11th, 2006 at 10:31 am
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I live in Texas and have already heard about this…it just makes me mad. I pray to God he losses the race, if just for the comment about romance writers writing pornography.
by Ali
on October 11th, 2006 at 10:56 am
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Angie, well said. It seems that only romance writers get labeled in this way., and personally I think it’s because it’s a female dominated genre. I don’t see anyone labeling Horror writers mass murders or serial killers. Or all the history writers communists, or fascists or terrorists because they write about it.
by Vivi Anna
on October 11th, 2006 at 11:08 am
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Good point Vivi. I think it’s so ridiculous and slanderous of that politician to say this.He just wants to get elected and as mentioned being from Texas he figures this tactic will work and it just might. Look at what happened in the last presidential election,Bush and others won because of so-called morals not what was really important going on in our country and the world. Sadly we see the results of this. So Head is just continuing this thinking and striking at the innocent,the romane writers,who shouldn’t even be brought into a political race. He doesn’t have a platform or anything of importance to make him stand out to get the votes is what it sounds like to me.
by Dena
on October 11th, 2006 at 1:08 pm
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Angie - I agree with everything you said. And with Vivi Anne and Dena, too!
There are some serious hot button issues right now. Which makes picking on someone who wrote a romance novel 16 years ago and having the audacity to call it porn just downright ridiculous. But hey, that’s just me and my opinion, which won’t buy a darned thing. 
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Politicians cannot run the country , so they look for other fields to try and ruin also!
I hate politics.
by Estella
on October 11th, 2006 at 3:08 pm
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yes it does
by KIM H
on October 11th, 2006 at 5:51 pm
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Jamie,
I’m late on the uptake commenting on this, but you are SOOOO RIGHT. I heard about this and decided I wouldn’t get my pornographic mind in a twist about it just because I knew I would get in a twist if I thought about it too much. But I’m with you. 
Denise A. Agnew
