(My deep interest in a socialist magazine that had a “whither homosexuality” tagline on its cover had my mom worried I was about to join the Fourth International. As a young woman, I remember madly searching for any kind of written content about gay people and desperately inhaling newsmagazine cover stories and any other mention of homosexuality. Yes, there have been lesbian and gay sex guides on the market for many years, and queer porn is easily accessible, but buying these products requires something of a commitment to a gay identity. Queer readers can’t stare at The Joy of Sex-or straight porn-and easily extrapolate what to put where. But some things defy mental recoding-sex advice is one of them. Horoscopes that predict the reader will soon meet a dreamy person “of the opposite sex” or official forms that appear to define a family as mom, dad, and 2.5 kids are converted with a minimum of effort.
Lesbians and gay men are used to “translating” material written for straight people so that it applies to us.
