---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 20 May 1997 15:10:09 -0400 (EDT)
From: Robin Gordon <gordonro@gov.on.ca>
To: David Silver <dssilver@IDIRECT.COM>
Subject: Re: Please, help for an Almost Dead White Male?
David,
I have a few thoughts about Trouble and her friends, one of my favourite books.
As a lesbian I was particularly interested in the queer community in which
Trouble moves. Much science fiction imagines a future free of identity
politics (star trek the worst example), or where only one identity issue
is the central focus of all conflict (a lot of feminist sf interested in
the war between the sexes). In Trouble, the traditional
rebel-hacker-as-hero of cyberpunk has an extra spin, not only is she a
lesbian but her friends are queers too, and this is socially meaningfull
to them. As an oppressed minority, even within the hacker subculture,
they band together as a chosen family. Scott combines the 'otherness' of
queerness with the 'otherness' of young hacker culture in a way that
speaks true about a lot of fringe street culture today.
Of course on an even more basic level, it's incredibly radical for Scott
to make the central character an out lesbian. This is still incredibly
rare. And she portrays both 'realtime' and cyber lesbian sex. And
nothing about it feels as if it was written as straight male porn, the way
too much lesbian sex in popular culture comes off.
The female characters are central, tough, smart, inventive, complex, and
queer. What more could I want!
I'm sure others will have other comments on different feminist elements of
the book, but this is the one closest to my heart.
Robin Gordon
--------------------------------------
"I am the wall with the womanly swagger."
Judy Grahn
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