Woman-oriented male/male content has been the subject of study for decades. Women’s interest in media such as boys’ love, slash fanfiction, and male/male pornography have a long history. A newer genre of male/male content, woman authors and readers also dominate male/male romance novels (MMRNs). Using feminist literary criticism, reader response theory, sexual script theory, and queer theory, I explore women’s interest in creating and consuming male/male sexual and romantic content. Data from a qualitative content analysis of 50 MMRNs and 48 semistructured interviews with woman and woman-presenting MMRN readers and authors provides an in-depth exploration into the genre and the women behind it. Through this analysis, I investigate women’s motivation for reading and writing MMRNs, as well as how the novels impact them. Qualitative analysis of the novel content and interviews reveal the interplay between readers, authors, and text and how the themes of MMRNs relate to and reflect sociopolitical issues. Furthermore, an examination of the erotic scenes in MMRNs reveals sexual scripts around consent, kink, and sexual practices among the characters. These sexual scripts mirror and disrupt sexual scripts and experiences of MMRN readers and authors. This nuanced analysis of the MMRN genre in conjunction with interviews of MMRN readers and authors demonstrates a complex understanding of a genre that has been diminished for its romantic focus, its spotlight of male/male relationships, and large woman fanbase.
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