The Political Uses of Lesbian Romance Fiction: Reading Patrick Califia’s Macho Sluts as a Response to 1980s Anti-Pornography Feminism

Abstract

In 1988, the author and radical sex activist Patrick Califia published Macho Sluts, a collection of lesbian sadomasochism-themed erotic fiction that provided visibility and erotic legitimacy for the modern lesbian leather community. Using the narrative conventions of the romance novel to construct powerful stories of lust and love that drew readers to his cause, Califia carved out a public space for lesbian sadomasochism. At the same time, he offered a dynamic political response to American anti-pornography feminists, who denigrated SM as a dangerous form of sexuality that reproduced the positions of power associated with heterosexuality. The article offers a biographical account of Califia and a political history of the clash between lesbian SM advocates and anti-pornography feminists, as well as a textual analysis of major themes within the stories of Macho Sluts, emphasizing their continuity with the romance genre.

Keywords

• anti-pornography feminism
• gender subversion
• heterosexuality
• lesbian feminism
• lesbian romance fiction
• lesbian sadomasochism
• macho sluts
• patrick califia
• samois