In the Gym

Fanfiction
Title:	In the Gym
Author(s):	"Elizabeth"
Date(s):	1982
Length:
Genre:	slash
Fandom:	Starsky and Hutch
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In the Gym is a Starsky & Hutch slash story by "Elizabeth" that was printed in four issues of Hanky Panky.

These issues were #3 (part 1), #4 (part 2), and #5 (part 3 and 4).

There was an earlier story in the series called "Incorruptibles" which appeared in The Phone Booth.

"In the Gym" and "Incorruptibles" were later expanded and made a part of My Lover, My Hero.

This story was one of two in Hanky Panky which generated much discussion. The other story was Gotcha!

Reading through the comments below illustrate the challenges of feedback, fan expectations of honesty and civility, the pros and cons of sharing one's creative works in a public venue, and of how thin the skin of fannish social fabric can be.

Reactions and Reviews

Be interested to see how IN THE GYM progresses...

Not sure if I like "In the Gym." Just something in it that doesn't fit into my universe somehow. Perhaps it's because for me they will never be happily living together. At least, not for 10 years or so. A couple maybe. And I don't really see them playing those sort of games. Each to their own anyway.

I enjoyed "In the Gym" and look forward to the next installment.

I know you (and some of our other readers) have commented on the 4-part story 'IN THE GYM'. I honestly believe that this particur [missing text] is one or the best written stories I've had the privilege to print in these pages. The story in [which] two grown men who know the rules and have in the past used them to mutual enjoyment. This time it gets out of hand - and they pay the price. Something has been learned. There is a reason for the story. I would never in a million years consider thin story rubbish.

"In The Gym" is game-playing and both men are enjoying them selves. They have "rules" they both know. It is a very interesting study of long-time lovers.

'In the Gym' part 2 - this is better, a collar and leash? Hmmm! 'Code Seven' - Dobey tells them to behave discreetly. Right! So they apparently, frequently, rush off to THE PITS, run in the front door, head for the stairs, etc. There must be regulars in that place who are cops, too. They aren't the only cops who hang out there.... I liked the story, tho. Just remarking.

[From a long, long letter comparing two stories, much snipped]: Both "Gotcha" and "In the Gym" cover only a few hours. Both make references to past occurrences that, have brought the characters to the events of the story. "In the Gym" gives the reader a handle on the story: Starsky is forty-five, he and Hutch share a home -- a rather large and expensive house -- and Hutch is head of Internal Affairs. Apparently, there have been a number of changes in their lives: they have survived the events of "Sweet Revenge" and have moved onward in their careers and their relationship. "Gotcha" only tells the reader that Starsky and Hutch have gone horseback riding, but not where or why. The reader is told that Starsky and Hutch are not living together but that, they are lovers, even though both are still dating women. There seem to to problems in the relationship but the reader is not informed of the specifics....Head of Internal Affairs is a strange position for Hutch, but certainly a route he could have taken after the events of "Sweet Revenge". The author does not explain how or why Hutch attained this position, but it has no bearing on this story. If Hutch is now forty-five and took this job immediately following "Sweet Revenge" then he could have been in the position for as long as ten years. The reader can only surmise based on what is presented in the story, but at least an explanation is included. "Gotcha" on the other hand presents a jealous and possessive Hutch. It is my impression from aired S&H that Starsky is the one with these traits and that Hutch actually wouldn't you say? "What's supposed to happen here? When you grow up, I mean?" runs from imposed possession. "Gotcha" failed to present, a good reason for Hutch's behavior....

IN THE GYM suffered from being split over three issues. My objections re this story are mainly in relation to the characterisation, not the quality of writing. We are asked to believe in a Hutch who is head of IA (IA? HUTCH?) At the age 45, and has changed so drastically in personality that he deliberately threatens his lover with something he genuinely hates. We know Hutch is a cruel bastard at times, but this fails to convince. I accept [M's] reasoning about the problems in their relationship -- if they're behaving like that, they've got problems!

I don't see how the characterizations of IN THE GYM can be faulted. We've all read stories where we didn't agree with the characters - MY Hutch wouldn't do that! Right? As long as the author can make us believe in her characters then the story is worth reading - and enjoying. I can't believe in a gay Starsky, but I've road plenty of stories where Starsky is gay. I accept that as the author's characterization and read the story with that in mind.

In IN THE GYM we are given a Hutch who is very far removed even from the fourth season character, and I would dispute that this has no bearing on the story. The man who waited so patiently at that bedside, who displayed so much caring throughout the four seasons, has become a creature of extremes - yet we are given no reason why, (unless we assume that all I.A. men change so radically) and are only told of the promotion at the end of the story.

By your definition, IN THE GYM can be regarded as pornography because Hutch certainly showed no love or tenderness towards his partner, only a desire for self satisfaction and a selfish guilt at the bitter end.

I suppose that you could argue that certain parts of IN THE GYM] could be called "pornographic". By using that reasoning, however, you could say that about almost ANY "/" story, that is, there are going to be incidents (in serious stories) where the lead characters may seem to be, or actually are, cruel or in sensitive to each other. You can't judge an entire story to be "pornographic" based on isolated scenes. Go back and read the story again, and pay particular attention to the resolution and the ending. If you still think it's pornographic, then you and I just obviously are operating within two different frames of reference. Well, to each her own. I will say this -- I realize I have to reconsider my statement that I've never seen anything "pornographic" in various S/H literature. I'd have to say that SURRENDER came as close to being out-right porn as I'd ever care to see. GOTCHA!, too, although that story was a real problem for me -- it turned me on, while completely turning me off to the characterizations. Who can figure these things out!

I do not find the bondage/domination theme appealing. At all. I don't want to see them hurting each other in anyway. Especially under the guise of lovemaking. For that reason, I did not care for GOTCHA or IN THE GYM. That is not meant to reflect badly on either author. Tho stories were both well written, but just not to my taste. As we have all said, one time or another, each of us have our own idea of who S&H are (In GOTCHA my Starsky once released, would've beaten Hutch to a pulp. End of partnership.) The idea of rape might be stimulating but the fact is anything but. It is a violation in the deepest sense of the word. Nobody has the right to take sex. No spouse, no lover, nobody. Period! Sorry, but the rape myth is one of my sore points.

Wo-ah there! I didn't say that IN THE GYM was pornographic. I said that by [another fan's] definition of the word it could be considered so. We each have our own idea of what does and does not constitute pornography; the only things on which I stick labels are parcels, suitcases and jam jars. For the record, and from my own interpretation of the word, I do not consider IN THE GYM to be pornographic. I do, however, consider it to be in poor taste.

I loved IN THE GYM and would like to see more (with illos, maybe?)

A Response by "Sally" and "Elizabeth"

In Hanky Panky #11, "Sally" (who appears to be a friend of the author) addresses fans; "Elizabeth," author of "In the Gym" has her name on the letter's header as well, but the letter's language suggests it was written by "Sally" only:

We aren't sure that we want to be 'lectured' about what we should and should not do in this fandom, but we do think Jean has a valid point. If we want this zine to continue, then more of us should support it. Under the guise of various names we supported HP in the form of short stories until the end of IN THE GYM. And then we stopped. There was, you see, an unnamed sequel to IN THE GYM, but we both felt - rightly or wrongly -- that this might be seen as some kind of justification for what Elizabeth had already written, and neither of us felt that any justification was necessary. [S] -- who said IN THE GYM was 'in poor taste' -- we can only apologize. It never crossed our minds that it would be cited in such a way, and since we have to assume that her complaint is genuine, then we are sorry she was offended. Having said that, perhaps [S] would like to reflect on how her words might have affected Elizabeth. [S] has put her complaint on record but Elizabeth has to live with the charge of having written something in 'poor taste'. While realizing that it is only one person's opinion, it is something neither of us likes to think about very much. We agree wholeheartedly with that part of Karen's letter regarding bondage, and we don't think Starsky or Hutch would deliberately hurt one another either. We've always felt that way. And before anyone starts wondering about inconsistencies between that statement and IN THE GYM, we have to tell you that [T] got halfway to one of the main points of that story and then abandoned it in her wish to 'object'. We did think about writing and explaining it, but the tone of [T's] letter was such that we felt our answer, at the time, would have been on regrettably acerbic lines. Besides. for all we knew, many of the silent majority who read HP might well have taken the point without our explaining it in words of one syllable. Which brings us to the point of this letter. We are awfully tired of hearing; in one form or another, those popular words 'this isn't my Starsky and Hutch'. We have heard it so many times from so many people about so many stories that, honestly fellow-fen. it has begun to grate on us. Some people make the statement about a story and then add that they still enjoyed it. Fair enough. But if everyone's S/H tallied precisely with everyone else's then fandom would have become boring a long time ago. [T's] 'objections' to IN THE GYM were concerned with characterization. We assume from this that in her opinion the S/H portrayed in IN THE GYM did not match her concept of the characters as depicted in the aired episodes. Surely this is just another way of saying this isn't my Starsky and Hutch? There is a very easy answer to this statement. It may not be [T's] S/H, but it is most definitely ours. And who is to say who is right and who is wrong? To the best of our knowledge and belief, while we have seen Starsky and Hutch in bed together, we have never seen them living together as lovers. So, what we write about their sex life is pure conjecture based on our concept of the characters as we saw them on television. We agree with [T]; Hutch can be cruel. But which is more cruel, to threaten someone with something they don't like (and who is to say that threat would ever have been carried out?) or to subject Starsky to the prolonged mental torture that Hutch, in our opinion, subjected him to in "Partners'? We know which we consider to be the worst of the two. According to our interpretation. There have been pleas for moderation and good sense in the pages of this zine. We endorse that wholeheartedly and would like to add a rider to it. If you see a story in these pages that you don't like, before you set pen to paper in a righteous rage, consider a couple of points: 1. Some of the stories in this zine are put in under pseudonyms for reasons of shyness/guile/caution/whatever. 2. This is the only zine I know of where stories go in unedited. I imagine [M] has more than enough to do already! Taking these two points into consideration, before you accuse a story of being 'pornographic' or 'in poor taste' or 'object' to it on the grounds that you think, in your opinion, that it is out of character, think for a moment about the writer, who may not be known to you. Maybe it is someone who has put her very first story for publication. Perhaps the reactions of HP readers will influence whether she tries to get more stories published, or is so appalled by what is said about her first baby that she never tries again. Maybe it will be someone like Elizabeth - no-one knows who she is! - who was both upset and concerned by what was said and now writes only for her own pleasure. Please, fellow-fen, think about what you will achieve when you set pen to paper to write indignantly about a story that you have not liked. Not everyone can brush aside the accusation that what she has written is in 'poor taste' or 'pornographic', and there have been quite a number of criticisms, both general and specific, about the writing in HP in the last few issues. Not all the writers in this fandom are working towards professional status. Some are doing it purely for fun and for the love of a television series, and want to share what they write with other people. If their efforts are constantly criticised for no other reason than that they do not coincide with a reader's concept of the characters, then perhaps some of these writers will no longer wish to share. And that would be a great pity. Silence can be much more effective than words sometimes. If readers of this zine only talked about those stories that they had liked, then a universal silence about the merits of what is possibly not such a good story would tell the writer of that story quite a bit.

Responses to "Sally" and "Elizabeth's" Letter

"Sally" and "Elizabeth": I'm a fairly placid being really, a great believer in peace and harmony who hates upsetting anyone, so my initial reaciton to your comments was one of regret. It still is, to a certain degree, as it was never my intention to hurt Elizabeth, or send her skuttling back to the security of the writer's closet. However, I think Elizabeth is over-reacting a little. Of all the letters commenting on IN THE GYM, the majority were in favor of it. Only a few of us didn't like the piece. Were the situations reversed I would tend to ignore the ramblings of the minority.

"Sally" and "Elizabeth": I couldn't agree with you more. I've always suffered from a bad case of stage-fright myself, which includes letting people see what I've written, so I can understand how you two must have felt when the arrows started falling. Please, please keep on writing and remember that not everyone felt the way your critics did. I, for one, would love to see the sequel to IN THE GYM and I hope you will reconsider your decision concerning its submission to HP.

"Sally" and "Elizabeth": what a sad attitude to take. NOBODY likes having their stories criticized, but what about the rest of us (me included) who really liked IN THE GYM? Don't our opinions count for anything at all? I got the impression from your letter that you're not into "serious" writing, that you do it for fun and your own personal enjoyment. That being the case, since your whole life and livelihood doesn't hinge on your writing, why should some negative criticism bother you so much?... I think, too, that just about every story in HP has been criticized at one time or another. Thank God that most of the writers [don't] seem to be crawling off into a corner to hide. If they all did, where would we be?

"Sally" and "Elizabeth's" letter in the last issue raised an interesting question: should a fan express a negative opinion in print about, another fan's story? When they said that "Elizabeth" wan upset about certain comments on "IN THE GYM" and was resigned to writing only for herself, it really disturbed me. On one hand, I think most fan writers (I assume) prefer to get feedback, positive or negative, on their work. Having written some fan stories myself, I know that I've learned more from negative criticism than from positive criticism, pleasant though the latter may be. On the other hand, a lot depends on the type or criticism that's given, and perhaps that's where the problem lies. I know I tend to react far too emotionally to a story I don't like, rather than restricting myself to constructive comments. That's something I'm going to try very hard to remember in future, even if it means keeping my opinions strictly to myself from now on. However, I don't think general "silence" where negative criticism is concerned is really going to help anyone improve on their writing. The stories that fans write are an important part of fandom and our responses to them constitute much of the communication that goes on. Any story that's submitted to a zine lays itself open for feedback, good or bad. Indeed, that's the only 'payment' a fan writer gets.

"Sally" and "Elizabeth": I'm not going to indulge in a snit fit in public, so I have written to you in care of [the editor]. I'd write direct, but I don't know who you are.... On criticism, again: we can only speak personally, but we regard honest, critical comment as a vital part of the process of improving our writing. Anything of ours that sees print, or is otherwise shared, is up for criticism. And since we like to receive it, we extend the courtesy of honest comment to others. Okay, so everybody doesn't like this. God forbid we should bruise a tender ego. I'd suggest, therefore, that if a writer does not wish her story to be commented upon, this should be indicated somewhere. Save everybody a lot of wasted effort.

"Sally" and "Elizabeth": your stiff upper lip is showing. For all those who contributions to HP have or will be your first time in print, these are the facts of life. Every time something is seen by two or more people, three or more opinions will arise regarding it. Every single one of those judgements will be absolutely right, and every single one of them will be absolutely wrong. Always. And every time a review is seen that is way unfavorable, the writer under discussion will A) consider suicide B) consider homicide C) consider the whole thing wasn't worth the trouble anyway, and D) go on to write something else. Writers don't write for reviews and comments. They write in spite of them. You cannot stop a writer from writing. That's what writers do.

"Sally" and "Elizabeth" - Your letter is very hard to respond to, but I'm going to try my damnedest. This reply won't be half as eloquent as your letter because I have such mixed reactions, but bear with me. I've got a lot of contradictory feelings concerning what you wrote. On the one hand, I sympathize with "Elizabeth". I'm sure anyone with the least bit of sensitivity would be angered and anguished to have their creative efforts publicly labelled as "in poor taste" and "pornographic". I know I would hate it if it happened to me. Her reaction is very understandable. On the other hand, I don't believe that anyone should feel constrained when writing their opinions of other people's work. That tends to be censorship. I don't know if there is a realistic way to reconcile these two conflicting attitudes. I suppose we could all try to follow the rules of common sense snd common courtesy when criticizing another's work. But each person has their own definition of these terms, and their own guidelines when it comes to what is appropriate criticism. I don't think silence is the answer, either, even though I personally subscribe to it. When I have nothing nice to say about a piece of work, I don't say anything at all. But there are writers who find silence infuriating. They prefer some feedback even if it is negative, to none at all. That way they can correct the flaws or refute the charges, as they see fit. A silence, especially a universal silence, delivers a message but says nothing to the point. So "what do I say to show the way?" I've got no answers except "Go with love."

I'm sorry you felt like your teeth were kicked in by the criticism of IN THE GYM, but that was one person's opinion. Why do the rest of us have to suffer the consequences? I would have liked to see the sequel, for what ever reason you wrote it. I admit I was having trouble with certain sections of the story (he did what! I don't believe it), but part of my difficulty was that it was published in sections. Fact is, though, I never stopped reading it... The enjoyment, of HP comes out of the fact that there's something for everybody; do change your mind and keen sharing with us.

"Sally's" Response to the Responses

This publication seems to go from strength to strength; I thought that the last issue contained some very interesting letters. Elizabeth and I were also much cheered by some of the encouraging comments from people who saw at least a part of our point of view. [E]: It seems to me you are saying that any critic is this fandom can say precisely what she likes - and some reviews in the old letterzine were, in my opinion, both unpleasant and unnecessarily personal - while the writer is supposed to grin and bear it. Well, that may have been the way it was, but is there any reason why things should not change? I'd like to see fans adopting a more reasonable, helpful approach towards the stories they criticise - some fans already take this attitude - tempering their comments with consideration for the writer concerned. Does it take very much more effort for a critic to use a little courtesy and restraint? I agree with your comment that writers will write no matter what happens. However, the important question is whether or not they will continue to publish their stories - particularly if those stories are in any way controversial. In addition to that, I think it quite possible that some writers have been wary of putting their stories forward for publication because they haven't liked the way criticism of other stories has been voiced. Who knows perhaps there is some great material hidden away that we'll never see. I really fail to understand why any writer in this fandom should be told that she either puts up with the critic of the I'll-say-what-the-hell- I-like school or do es not publish at all. I find that a very discouraging attitude. Frankly I think the writers in this fandom are very much more important than the critics. [D] -- You make some interesting points. I'm delighted so many people read your stories - but don't you think there's a difference between private criticism on a one-to-one basis and a public denunciation of being a writer of pornography? I'd really like to correspond with you outside the pages of HP about some of the other things you say, but I'm not sure if you are willing to forego your anonymity. However, if you are I'd be happy for [the editor] to give you my name and address if this can be done without inconvenience to her. I leave it in your hands whether or not to contact me.

2003 Introduction to My Lover, My Hero

In the intro to the 2003 fanzine into which this story was incorporated, the editor Flamingo writes:

The fanzine is a reprinting of an earlier novel and two short stories written around 1981. The first story written was 'The Incorruptibles' was produced as a limited edition challenge fanzine and was shared only with contributors and select friends. The novel 'My Lover, My Hero' developed and enriched the first story that earlier story. After the novel was completed it remained in manuscript form, shared among friends and never published or made generally available to the fandom. Shortly thereafter a follow-up story, 'In The Gym' was published in a small slash letterzine called Hanky Panky.

Among some of the earliest works [in Starsky and Hutch fandom] are stories that were handed from fan to fan and never published in any 'official' form. Today, with the Internet and the ease with which fans can instantly publish any writing on fan fiction lists or story archives, it might be hard to imagine fiction that was considered so private, so personal, that it could only be comfortable shared friend to friend... Those of us who are passionate about our fandom are always looking to share our treasures and find new ones. Once I learned of the existence of these rare manuscripts, I sought them out. They were usually found on the collections of long-time fans, the copies faded, worn, and much loved. When someone finally shared their copy of 'My Lover, My Hero' with me, I fell in love with it. Finding the two companion stories was a unexpected bonus. I consider these stories, 'Lost Classics.' These stories are very much in the theme of my Dangerous Lives, Dangerous Visions slash anthologies. The storyline is one of the most unique in the fandom, the topic different and daring. This zine will not be to everyone's taste.