Leviosa

This panel considers the extent to which slash can be a feminist activity. The panel will look at the pros and cons of slash fiction through a feminist lens, examining whether focusing on male characters and male sexuality reinforces a typically male bias or whether slash can be said to satisfy a desire to reclaim popular narratives to subvert the male gaze. Is the ability to write fiction without content limitation in and of itself a feminist activity, and how can parallels be drawn between media reactions to slash fiction and the suppression of women’s writing? The panel will look at how the female characters in canon heterosexual relationships are dealt with (or dispensed with) in slash fiction. We will also consider character bashing of canon female characters and question whether or not female writers in a largely gendered space have a responsibility to consider the role and characterization of female characters when writing slash.