How to Avoid Homophobic/Close Minded Readers

[dre_jones]

I just published a new story in the "incest/taboo" category. In the story a nephew and uncle are jacked off, cock-to-cock (frottage) by the mother/sister. To my surprise my ratings were much lower than recent stories and I received several nasty comments. One that I deleted said "stop writing." Hey the category is incest/TABOO. I couldn't believe that some people get turned on by having sex with their mother but as soon as things get a little homo erotic they freak-out.

So on to my tip. I added this statement to the intro, "Attention this work contains a brief male-on-male act of bisexuality, if this offends you please read another story." Now my ratings are going up.

Have you experienced anything similar, and how do you deal with it?

My story in case you are interested:
https://www.literotica.com/s/one-happy-family

 

[sr71plt]

Avoid homophobic comments on uncle/nephew incest stories you put in the Incest category by not putting them there--or, since there isn't really any place on Lit. accepting of the scenario you give, just expect comments you don't like and delete them when you see them. You'd do slightly better by putting them in Gay Male. Male-to-male frottage is a homosexual act. That isn't received well anywhere but in Gay Male and Transsexual/Crossdressers.

 

[RejectReality]

You've hit on the only way to avoid it — and that's not foolproof. Any time you have even the tiniest bit of M/M content, warn about it at the beginning of the story or the chapter. Depending upon the category, the readers will either heed it or use it as an excuse to blast you without even opening the story.

From what I've seen, Incest readers are reasonable. When warned, they either skip the story entirely, or skim past the section with M/M if it bothers them.

 

[dre_jones]

Thanks for the feedback, wish there was a more elegant and open minded solution.

 

[Serafina1210]

When I was a newbie here, I put some M/M action in a Loving Wives story. I'm still amazed the Lit servers didn't melt down.

It is a problem in the organization of the site that there's no comfortable place for a bi story that includes M/M. I'd love to write such a story, but I suppose it would have to be for some other site, and the hassle is enough to deter me.

 

[CountessClara]

Harhar, I've actually been thinking about downrating every "lesbian" story where the protagonist ends up with cum all over her face at some point. #heterophobia? I haven't done it though, since most of them were well-written after all - though not to my taste - and I understand that even with all the tags there are still a lot of different expectations.
I think sometimes it's just the frustration, really, of not getting, what you expected. I wonder, if you'd have to put a disclaimer on a story for lesbians about lesbians that there will be no dick, to avoid comments and downrates based on the readers disappointment? I think every measure helping readers to find a story they will be able to enjoy is a good idea.

 

[Bramblethorn]

I wonder, if you'd have to put a disclaimer on a story for lesbians about lesbians that there will be no dick, to avoid comments and downrates based on the readers disappointment?

Not in my experience, though I certainly have seen complaints about stories with M/F action being posted as "lesbian".

 

[CountessClara]

So there are actually enough lesbians/ lesbian interested people on this forum to share my frustration with M/F? That's a relief. I thought like: this is a man's world and I'm glad, if they wont knock me down for using their lesbian category alone.

 

[le_kitty]

I just published a new story in the "incest/taboo" category. In the story a nephew and uncle are jacked off, cock-to-cock (frottage) by the mother/sister. To my surprise my ratings were much lower than recent stories and I received several nasty comments. One that I deleted said "stop writing." Hey the category is incest/TABOO. I couldn't believe that some people get turned on by having sex with their mother but as soon as things get a little homo erotic they freak-out.

So on to my tip. I added this statement to the intro, "Attention this work contains a brief male-on-male act of bisexuality, if this offends you please read another story." Now my ratings are going up.

Have you experienced anything similar, and how do you deal with it?

My story in case you are interested:
https://www.literotica.com/s/one-happy-family

Hmm... nothing so overt.

My male protagonist was not strictly straight and I referenced that from his past, in his thoughts. I recall one reader left me an eyebrow raising comment.

(I also had a scene where my female protagonist was with another female character, and that was more than okay from the comments.)

However... that comment about male bisexuality was enough to have the bushes grow over that path whereas I had been referencing his bisexuality up until then.

It doesn't necessarily bother me, except it left me a little confused. Kind of like... someone who likes eating carrots (substitute broccoli or celery or asparagus if you need to) just won't understand how another person can absolutely hate the taste. Logically yes, but inherently, they never will. I was exploring ideas for myself but I also wanted to give my readers what they wanted and the bisexuality was a little thing in an overarching umbrella.

 

[NOIRTRASH]

We live in a time where all are delicate and fragile and cant survive without sanctuary. Grow the fuck up.

 

[JKendallDane]

When I was a newbie here, I put some M/M action in a Loving Wives story. I'm still amazed the Lit servers didn't melt down.

It is a problem in the organization of the site that there's no comfortable place for a bi story that includes M/M. I'd love to write such a story, but I suppose it would have to be for some other site, and the hassle is enough to deter me.

It's pretty much an unwritten rule that if there is any gay action at all, it will be attacked (lightly or heavily) in any category except gay male.

My Summer Lovin' contest entry last fall, Two Old Friends Plus One, was a bisexual tale with both MFM and MM action. It was very well received in the GM category.

Just make sure you use tags of "bisexual, MMF, and MFM" when you submit it. Adding a "bisexual content" disclaimer at the start is an option also, but I didn't use it.

Write it, stick it in the GM category, and tag it correctly and they will come. (pun intended )

.

 

[Bramblethorn]

So there are actually enough lesbians/ lesbian interested people on this forum to share my frustration with M/F? That's a relief. I thought like: this is a man's world and I'm glad, if they wont knock me down for using their lesbian category alone.

You should be fine. I've got fifteen submissions in Lesbian, no M/F sex in sight, and they've had a friendly reception.

In my experience, stories in Lesbian mostly fall into one of three categories:

- "Male gaze" type stories which are about women getting it on, but have that "two straight women making out to arouse the male viewer" feel.
- Stories about women who specifically ID as lesbians, written by people who are clearly familiar with RL lesbian subculture/etc.
- Stories about women who may not be strictly lesbian, but where the focus is on F/F attraction from a female perspective. "Straight-ish woman falls for gay/bi woman" sort of thing.

The male gaze stories are pretty common in the category, but they don't do very well in ratings and will sometimes get "obviously written by a guy" type comments.

The other types get a better reaction. Quite a few in the category top list are "straight falls for gay" type romances. (Story length may be a factor here; romance-type stories tend to be longer than strokers, and longer stories score higher because only the readers who like them will read all the way through.)

I've only once seen a story in Lesbian that had prominent M/F sex and that got a pretty hostile reaction; I think the poster eventually moved it to a different category.

 

[Serafina1210]

It's pretty much an unwritten rule that if there is any gay action at all, it will be attacked (lightly or heavily) in any category except gay male.

My Summer Lovin' contest entry last fall, Two Old Friends Plus One, was a bisexual tale with both MFM and MM action. It was very well received in the GM category.

Just make sure you use tags of "bisexual, MMF, and MFM" when you submit it. Adding a "bisexual content" disclaimer at the start is an option also, but I didn't use it.

Write it, stick it in the GM category, and tag it correctly and they will come. (pun intended )

.

Thus is good to know--thanks! Maybe I'll write that story after all.

 

[ishtat]

Why avoid?

I don't see much point in an author avoiding any reader, homophobic, closed minded, or whatever. It's very definitely the readers problem; if they're upset, too bad.

If their comments upset you (the author) either, ignore them, delete them, or mock them - your choice.

But don't offer compromises. Either before or after the event, such readers will see a compromise as justifying their idiocy.

 

[Hypoxia]

Not as the major theme, but I've written MM into Group and Incest with zero complaints.

How to avoid negative comments? Don't post stories here, or disable comments and feedback. Works every time.

 

[BuckyDuckman]

I feel rather obligated to chime in on this topic. My 2015 Nude Day Contest story placed in the contest, Filled with Joy, and it was posted as a Fetish story with the warning, "This story includes graphic depictions of man-on-man sex as the hero wrestles with being a straight guy who enjoys sucking off other guys."

I'll save you the trouble reading it. In the story, the protagonist (Jacob) wrestles with reconciling his youthful indiscretions with a gay roommate and his self-identity of feeling like a straight man. How can he be straight if he has enjoyed gay sex? I put him in the gayest possible situation in front of two women, one of whom happened to be his soulmate (Joy). I did all I could to give Jacob very little wiggle room. Either he came out of the closet and accepted his dual sexual identity or he chose to live a life of inner conflict stuck between polar opposites.

As a bisexual man, I struggled with similar identity issues back before being bi was considered an alternative. Gay guys didn't accept me because I loved women. Straight guys were convinced that if you did ANYTHING with another man, that meant you were gay, no matter how women you fucked, too. And women were not interested in a man who could suck dick better than they could. The story is very much fictional but dealt with very personal issues.

In general, the Lit community has been very kind to the story. While it has yet to recover from it post-win bombing, the comments and PMs the story has generated are some of the nicest ones I've ever received.

I advocate for male bisexuality to be as accepted as female bisexuality. Few bat an eye over a woman who doesn't mind playing with another woman in front of her man. Group sex is filled with stories that included MFF material. I believe male bisexuality should be equally accepted.

My Lit library is littered stories that include overt or implied male bisexuality and only two of them are posted as Gay Male. The key, however, may be cautioning the reader in advance of content. However, I have found the site's owners very tolerant of male bisexuality outside of Gay Male and applaud that.

 

[HandsInTheDark]

Thanks for the feedback, wish there was a more elegant and open minded solution.

You don't get to dictate other people's open mindedness.

Anyone can say anything in comments - it's up to you to delete what you don't like and move on. And there's nothing inelegant about warning people there might be something in your story that makes them feel like vomiting - it's a polite thing to do.

 

[sr71plt]

And there's nothing inelegant about warning people there might be something in your story that makes them feel like vomiting - it's a polite thing to do.

So, I guess you put that on the front of all your stories then? Because I don't think there's anything that can be written and posted to Lit. that there wouldn't be someone who would have a vomit-sensitive aversion to.

I try to be honest and comprehensive with the tags (although it's unfortunate that they post only at the end of the story) but I don''t include defensive "you may not like this for whatever reason" slugs on the front of them. It's not my job to try to figure out what reader would be squeamish about what. In fact, I don't think readers who won't take responsibility for their own reading and won't just stop reading and move on if they see something that gives them the vapors should be on an adult site anyway.

 

[Bramblethorn]

And there's nothing inelegant about warning people there might be something in your story that makes them feel like vomiting - it's a polite thing to do.

Depends on the trigger. Plenty of folk out there who would be nauseated by a story about a black man dating a white woman, but I don't believe that particular squick deserves the courtesy of a warning. Others, yes.

 

[Serafina1210]

Apologies are best avoided. I just echo my tags in a headnote. If one of them is, say, "pet play," and a commenter says "ew, gag, I hate pet play," then that commenter is presumed to be a troll.

 

[BuckyDuckman]

There's a line between apologizing for content vs including a hint about what's ahead. If your story about a young Amish boy coming to age carries the title,"Battling Space Robots," you probably owe potential readers a slug letting them know, "Hey, this isn't a sci-fi story."

 

[HandsInTheDark]

So, I guess you put that on the front of all your stories then? Because I don't think there's anything that can be written and posted to Lit. that there wouldn't be someone who would have a vomit-sensitive aversion to.

Generally I let the category do it for me. But when I've done things I know can be upsetting and aren't implied by the category, yes, I slap on a warning. It's both courtesy and common sense - if you squick a reader, you'll lose him and pay for it in your score.

In fact, I don't think readers who won't take responsibility for their own reading and won't just stop reading and move on if they see something that gives them the vapors should be on an adult site anyway.

Ironically, in a site without categories, I'd be more inclined to take that view. But once you put it in a category you're explicitly telling the readers what's going to be in there, and springing something known to be disturbing to many, like noncon, GM or incest, is breaking faith. No, I don't warn people a character is going to wear a blue dress in case people are upset by blue dresses. But some things are predictable.

Over and above rabid dislike, I've known people who were abused in various ways. Rape (common), forced incest (less common) and forced GM experiences (one). They sometimes end up with a fascination with and aversion to the same sexual topics, and the trauma can last a lifetime; it shouldn't be a shock that the sexually abused tend to flock to erotica sites and adult roleplay sites. I figure informing them what's coming lets them make a reasonable, informed decision.

 

[HandsInTheDark]

Depends on the trigger. Plenty of folk out there who would be nauseated by a story about a black man dating a white woman, but I don't believe that particular squick deserves the courtesy of a warning. Others, yes.

Luckily that one is self-announcing. If Joe is black and Angelica is white and the story is on an erotica site, I think expectations are sufficiently set.

Meh. I just realised that in my Becoming Marie, I never once mentioned race. I pictured a whitebread community and never stopped to consider how either unlikely or biased that was. I should have made Sito black. Yeah, that would have pushed the right buttons...

 

[sr71plt]

if you squick a reader, you'll lose him and pay for it in your score.

Tough on both counts. I'm fine about having prostitutes in my stories, but I don't want to be a prostitute in my writing.

 

[Carnevil9]

I included some brief man-on-man sex in a story that was primarily about couple-swapping. I put it in the Group Sex category, with a brief warning at the top that there was MF, FF, and MM sex coming up. I received no nasty comments at all.