Recently I had a poem published in Mouth and Mouth Magazine, an online magazine dedicated to the erotic that seeks “to create a visceral experience that furthers the counterpoint to mainstream sexuality.”

When the editor had asked me to submit something it didn’t take me long to agree. I can write openly about my sexuality, write a sexual poem, publish in an erotic magazine, but I doubt I would be dubbed an “erotic writer.” As a straight male writer this is a privilege I have. I am able to explore various literary terrains with very little repercussions. Chances are no one will dismiss me as attention-seeking or attempting to use my sexuality to gain an audience.

Several female writers I know would never publish in a journal like that for the stigma it would bring. And that hesitation is understandable. Everyone can think of a time when a female writer (or a woman in any professional field) was somehow dismissed because of their sexuality, or accused of using their sexuality somehow for gain.