Do I write 'dirty' books?
Explicit sex Scenes in some of my books.
Art, which includes story telling, is about making people think, to look at things anew, to break boundaries and to challenge beliefs. Not to force change on people but to open minds to new possibilities.
Among other things, I write gay fiction. Part of being gay, as with everybody, is sex and sexual activity. That characters in my books are gay is a central theme so guess what? They have sex! There are explicit descriptions of male gay sex in my books and I understand that might not be to everybody's taste.
These are not 'dirty' books. There is plenty of smut out there for those who want it. I describe the relationships and their sexual components in an honest, open and, where appropriate, tender way. The books challenge the reader to rise above the bigoted view that regards homosexual love as smutty, shameful, dirty or even sinful. The reader should view the whole book which puts the sexual scenes in their context. They explore sex in some cases in the context of power and the control of one person by another but also mainly as sex as the physical expression of deep love by one for another which is reciprocated. That it is two males some readers may find challenging but such love is a fact of life which as been around for millennia and is part of the natural diversity of mammalian behaviour, which includes homo sapiens; that is, us.
This includes the sexual awakening of teenagers, boys especially. In my memoir, the love between Simon and Daniel is deep and strong. The surge of desire in young Maxym when he first meets his new classmate Andrei grows into a passionate love.
In "Dancing with Panthers", there is Tommy's desperate love for Mark and while Mark's relationship with his 'panther' Pip starts as a financial transaction, they later form a deep loving bond as Mark reaches adulthood. This issue of pedophilia is examined from the point of view of the child for which the author drew on some of his own experience as a teenager in the 1960s.
When the reader reads the whole book the sexual passages fall into place and gain in meaning as parts of the larger whole. The book is about the challenge in a homophobic society of forming a meaningful relationship with a person whom one loves, encompassing body as well as mind. The two combined are what is sought for. The books face the question of sex without love in comparison to sex within a loving relationship. In these latter cases there is mutual love, mutual sensuality and mutual respect. In that context, the reader is challenged to ask whether it really matters that both are male. Such things occur and should be written about in an honest way.
Recent years have seen an increasing liberalization of thought on sexual matters and expression in more enlightened societies. We use language that only a few decades ago was unthinkable, especially when it comes to discussing or describing sex. But in some places, even in some previously considered progressive, homophobia is rampant and liberal, free-thinking thought is being suppressed, often with religion and nationalism used as the excuse for imposing the prejudices on others.
Part of the prurient attitude to sex stems from the close association of the sexual organs with those of our body's waste disposal. All evolution demands is that it works; that it can be messy is not relevant. But it is through those same organs that love can be expressed by mutual orgasm and of course, new life can be created. But even in heterosexual activity, often the aim is that mutual expression of love and steps are taken to avoid the creation of new life. This is either by the use of some contraceptive measure or even by anal penetration to avoid pregnancy. In that case, what is the issue if both participants are the same gender? In both cases it is, one hopes, the physical expression of mutual love.
In each book, the sexual scenes form an integral part of the process of self discovery and what is often now termed as 'coming of age'. They are not there to titillate but to inform the narrative, perhaps educate the reader and, as that progresses, to show the development from a teenage fascination to a more adult and full love.
So not dirty books, they show the challenges faced by many against the hatred and prejudice of those with hardened minds and souls who find themselves incapable of accepting the diversity within human existence. It shows how despite the prejudice and the terror, that real love knows no barrier and that the human spirit can and will rise above hatred and fear. That is the best hope for the future of humanity.
Patrick C. Notchtree, (with thanks to Professor Richard Hoggart).