From: pat@berry.Cary.NC.US (Pat Berry)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.startrek.misc
Subject: Re: TOS Fan Writing Query ("K/S?")
Date: 22 Jan 93 17:36:44 GMT
Organization: Berry Communications

cherny@Csli.Stanford.EDU (Lynn Cherny) writes:

> I have recently been reading semi-scholarly articles about
> the old fan craze for writing "K/S" stories (== stories about
> Kirk and Spock as lovers).  I am curious about several
> things:
> 
> (1) are people still writing such things?  

Well, a couple of years ago I was looking through fanzines at a
convention and I ran across some P/C stories.  That's right, graphic sex
between Dr. Crusher and Captain Picard.  Yes, people are still writing
that stuff.  (I suppose we can expect, any day now, to see S/D stories
about sex between Commander Sisko and Lieutenant Dax.)

> (2) what are contact names/addresses of people who are either
>      writing such things or have things that they are willing to
>      part with or make copies of?  Specifically, I am curious about
>      "Kraith" stories (are they K/S?), something called "The Brothel," 

Good lord, no.  The Kraith stories (I read some of them in the '70s)
were mostly concerned with Vulcan culture, society, and philosophy.
They were about as far as one could get from K/S.

> (3) Are all of these stories written for and by heterosexuals?  Are
>      they all written by women?  

I don't know any K/S writers, so I have no firsthand information about
who they are.  But you might find the following excerpts from David
Gerrold's book *The World of Star Trek* interesting:

| The network of K/S fans -- as they call themselves -- is small, but very
| active.  Some of their stories are very explicit.  And some of the
| artwork accompanying -- well, never mind.  These women use scenes from
| the episodes and specifically from the Star Trek movies to justify their
| belief that this is the *secret message* of Star Trek.  (Imagine what
| could be made out of Spock taking Kirk's hand to tell him about "...this
| simple feeling."  Remember, the one that's beyond V'GER's
| comprehension?)
|
| While the K/S ladies have never been vocal enough to be a problem, their
| projection of their own sexual fantasies onto Star Trek has at times
| been a nuisance for those who actually have to produce the show.
| Eventually, Gene Roddenberry, in his novelization of *Star Trek I*,
| had to acknowledge their unwelcome invasion of the universe he had
| created by including a footnote (ostensibly written by Kirk himself)
| explaining that Kirk and Spock were "just good friends."  (This did
| not even slow the K/S ladies down.)
|
| . . . Even more candid are the comments of a gay male Star Trek fan:
| "The K/S stories I've seen are offensive.  It's a woman's idea of what
| gay men are like, and it's way off base.  Besides, I like Kirk and
| Spock the way they are."

This is all from page 121 of the 1984 edition.  Obviously, Gerrold
believes that the K/S writers are all heterosexual females.

> (4) Is there any connection between the people writing K/S stories and
>      people who wrote S/H stories (stories about Starsky and Hutch as
>      lovers, remember that show?)?  And stories about Holmes and Watson?

Depends on what you mean by "connection."  I doubt that the same people
wrote all of the stories you mention, or that there is some organized
conspiracy to write gay-sex stories about popular male characters.  But
I'd guess that all of these stories were written for more or less the
same reasons (although I have no idea what those reasons might be).

-- 
Pat Berry - Cary, North Carolina, USA   | "Much to our dismay, the C compiler
pat@berry.Cary.NC.US                    | does not read the manuals."
**** Happy user of OS/2 2.0 ****        | Libes & Ressler, *Life with UNIX*
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