ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how male/male slash fan writers have transformed commercial characters and narratives into stories of gay romance, queer desire and even sexual activism. One major pitfall of the decontextualised slash relation favoured by first-wave slash authors is its tendency to promote a return to traditional gender roles. Political and social changes fundamentally altered slash fiction's relationship to narratives of sexual identity. The subcultural world of slash fan fiction writers can often seem highly removed from queer communities and practices, yet the shared romantic and erotic narrative pleasures of slash fan fiction are not necessarily distinct from issues of rights and representation. Desires often deemed illegitimate, for whatever reason, can feel normal and accepted, even celebrated, within the fan community. At the same time, the focus on erotics of power exchange within the BDSM definition of kink opens up spaces in which stories can engage in complex negotiations regarding the politics of gender and desire.
