This is a bit of a rant.

There are in excess of 200 stories on this site, ranging from the 100-word “flash fiction” to the 75,000-word novels. Some of my stories are copied to Literotica, Reddit, StoriesOnline and ASSM. I write in a number of genres too, from common erotic story themes such as BDSM and heterosexual intercourse to less common niche fiction such as chastity, creampie eating and nudism/naturism erotica.

I write because it is escapism. I write because I enjoy dropping into a fantasy world and creating characters and scenarios for others to enjoy. I write because sometimes getting away from the stresses and strains of real life is a good thing and because I enjoy it. It’s my hobby and my sanity, and I don’t write to create the next best-seller or to make any money, I just write for … fun!

And because I don’t want there to be a “typical” Bawdy Bloke story (and I would get bored of writing the same genres time after time if there was) I explore with my writing. I write many scenarios that have never happened to me, many couplings that I have never experienced, many perversions that occur only in my twisted mind. I set my stories in foreign lands and obscure time periods. I put strange, weird characters in situations with life events I have no first-hand knowledge of.

Basically, I use my imagination.

And I also leverage the use of the blogs and other writing I read: I research. After all, does every crime writer have to have committed a murder before a publisher will commit them to print? No? Then why assume that every writer of erotica is a borderline nymphomaniac who has experienced every word they’ve written?

Of my over 200 stories, 13 are tagged as containing “gay or bisexual male” content; about the same number as those tagged with “prostitution” or “humour.” Of those thirteen, nine are part of a series – Winners and Losers – which is being written and released on a weekly basis because the original story, written for Spanking A-to-Z Fiction challenge, got some positive responses and I enjoyed writing it. Chapter two was followed by chapter three, and so on. It will end soon, when I have run out of plots for it.

I identify as heterosexual. My arousal is mainly stoked by women. I cannot see myself with anyone other than my wife, and crucially, I have only ever experienced sexual encounters with the female of the species.

But I make no secret of my desire to experiment, and if the right opportunity presented itself to have a bisexual or gay experience within the boundaries of my marriage, then I would probably want to seize it; I can appreciate the male body and genitalia. Basically, I just want to try the broadest possible range of sexual experiences and would rather try something and find it isn’t for me, than miss out on that experience in the first place.

So far, an opportunity hasn’t presented itself and I don’t necessarily think it will. There are other things I also have on my “wishlist” too and I know I am not unique in having a curious, liberal and experimental attitude to sex.

And I like to write varied erotic fiction and I do write some gay and bisexual male erotica, or sex stories with some homosexual acts. I enjoy writing those stories, and at the top of my Winners and Losers posts, I particularly ask for feedback because I am writing about sex acts I have not experienced: I have never given a blowjob, or been spit-roasted, or a hundred other combinations of two or more men enjoying themselves. I’ve asked for comments because I can’t draw on any personal experience when writing those stories, like I can with some of my female domination, chastity, creampie eating and naturism plots.

But it is my Winners and Losers series (and the fact that I claim to be straight) that has caused a couple of comments. And while one of the comments on this blog came from a known troll, the others on Literotica didn’t. Perhaps there are others who believe the same things.

Do I have repressed latent desires? Why would a completely heterosexual man write gay erotica?

But why can’t I?

Why shouldn’t I write those stories?

A quick look at the Amazon Best Sellers for Gay Romance, Gay Erotica and Bisexual Erotica reveals a plethora of female names as the authors: Louise, Molly, Macy, Olivia, Lynn, Lily, and so on. And while it is possible that some of those are male authors writing under a female pseudonym, I know there are plenty of female authors writing gay erotica when they have not experienced gay sex either!

However much experimentation I do, I am still completely certain that I will always be heterosexual to an overwhelming degree: I find the female form way too arousing to be anything but. However, irrespective of this, I want to explore with my mind: I want to imagine new and varied scenarios and write them into kinky/steamy/erotic tales for others to enjoy.

And enjoy them, they do: the most popular story on my site in the past six months, with over 1600 page views, is Her Cock vs His Cock, which contains a homosexual act followed by anal penetration with a strap-on. Winners and Losers is the second most popular!

I wrote about scat play once; that’s way beyond my red lines. I have included murder and a (non-erotically written) rape scene in my NaNoWriMo book, and I obviously have no experience of those violent acts. I have cuckold relationships, cheating spouses, nymphomaniac students screwing in class, violent tyrants and a conversation with Satan in my tales. All complete works of fiction!

But I don’t get called out on them; so why just the gay erotica?

I have no qualms about people believing what they want about me; I stopped caring what strangers think when I wasn’t even out of school shorts. My skin is thick: whatever I’ve been called today, I’ve been called far worse in the past and I’m still here. And I don’t think being called homosexual or bisexual is a slur; indeed, I think the courage and dignity shown by groups such as Stonewall who have stood up for those that suffered persecution throughout the decades to be truly inspirational. One of my heroes is Alan Turing who was driven to suicide because of his sexuality, after cracking the German cryptographic cyphers and having a huge role in the Allies winning World War II. It’s one of most disgraceful stains in this country’s chequered history. He was a hero, but he suffered because he was gay. Shameful.

So I have no beef with being called gay; it’s just inaccurate and wrong. No different to being called a Summer baby, a QPR supporter or claiming that I have Size 8 feet. They can believe what they want, but I do find it disconcerting that in 2014, many cannot separate the art from the artist, and that I can only write erotica that I have experienced or want to experience. Sure, some of my stories come from my lust-saturated dreams or fantasies, but just as many don’t. Many are just my creative juices flowing liberally when a spark of an idea presents itself and is nurtured into a debauched tale by my hyperactive and twisted imagination.

So, to those who are unconvinced by my rant, I leave you with a question: if a male writer can’t envisage fictional homosexual acts and transcribe those thoughts for others to enjoy without being gay, then as I also write some girl-girl erotic fiction, should I also come out as a lesbian too?