Sex in Fandom / Dave Kyle

"Sex in Fandom" is a memoir essay written by Dave Kyle, published in July, 1991, in the tenth issue (pp.6-12) of Mimosa, a fanzine "very much devoted to the preservation of the history of science fiction fandom". It outlines Kyle's experiences with women in fandom, including romantic and sexual relationships and ideologies around relationships.

Initial paragraphs

"The word "sex" is a loaded word today. Using it in the title of this article is deliberately misleading. I'm looking back here 50 or 60 years to that unique adolescent world of science fiction fandom. Then "sex" identified males and non-males, not the contemporary hot word for literature, films, magazines -- and action -- sillily described as "adult" entertainment or behavior. Referring to sex in SF fandom then meant concern about the "SF minority" of the human race (meaning "females" who almost never were around).

"In those days, the males were mostly teenage boys. The non-males were thought of as "girls." Married women and female authors didn't really count in our monolithic fannish sex world. When a girl unexpectedly appeared on the scene, quite a fuss was created. Mostly the reaction was favorable. But not a small number of pre-pubescent (and neo-pubescent) fans were inclined to be scornful or dismissive of the intrusion.

"At this point, I'll qualify what I've said. This reminiscence is very personal. This is what I observed and believed then. Others from that time who are still alive might tell it slightly differently, might even have experienced it differently. I'd be interested to know -- and I might shake my head over an invisible dimension which might have been around me all the time. I highly doubt it, however, for the irrefutable fact remains that in the neolithic age of First Fandom, the girls were almost nowhere to be seen."