I am just so proud that Pill Hill accepted "Heteronormative". I truly did not expect this story to get accepted by any publisher, due to its graphic depiction of violence within sexuality. But this is an important story that should be told, and one of my favorites. I have recently returned to BDSM culture after years of steering clear, but my over-thinking brain still cannot disconnect the social, political, and moral dilemmas in this type of sexual expression. What causes us to want to hurt? What causes us to want to be hurt? And at the end of the day, can it ever be healthy? I don't have the answer to this. I do know that I demand respect inside and outside of the bedroom and even if I have a preference for being a bit roughed up, this does not mean I wish to feel degraded or less of a human being. The trick is finding a partner who is capable of balancing the two needs.
Back to the story, an undertone revolves around rape culture and man's impulse and nature. No, I don't believe that all men are natural rapists. If I did, then I would not dare to have anything to do with men on the whole. However, I do believe the fantasy of rape is ingrained in many of us, due to the romanticizing of rape culture within the media. But of course there is what we fantasize and what we do that makes all the difference. One of my all time favorite poems highlights this idea and was certainly an influence in writing "Heteronormative". Tony Hoagland, so beautifully describes what it's like to want someone you can't have, and what beasts reside within nature: http://buoy.antville.org/stories/355622/
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