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''See [[History of Slash Fandom]] for the main article.''

''See [[History of Slash Fandom]] for the main article.''

Fans certainly wrote and [[drawerfic|kept private]], or shared with only a few friends, homosexual stories about [[Sherlock Holmes|Holmes and Watson]], [[Batfandom|Bruce and Dick]],<ref>Dr. Fredric Wertham, writing about comic books' contribution to degeneracy and criminal behavior in his book ''Seduction of the Innocent'', wrote that not only did Batman and Robin's adventures contain gay [[subtext]] but that their relationship was obviously homosexual even to child readers. He later testified about this before Congress. Cultural reviewer Will Brooker revealed in his book ''Batman Unmasked'' that gay men had told Wertham in interviews that they saw Batman as gay; he did not make it up. It's very likely that fan fiction or fan-drawn comics of this nature existed, no doubt [[drawerfic|kept extremely private]], perhaps similar to Charles Crumb's work featuring child actor Bobby Driscoll.</ref> [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu_Manchu Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie], [[The Man From UNCLE|Ilya and Napoleon]]<ref>Considerable evidence points to ''The Man From UNCLE'' being the first media fandom, embraced by the same science fiction writers and fans who would go on to enshrine ''Star Trek''. See [[Francesca Coppa]], "A Brief History of Media Fandom" in ''[[Fan Fiction and Fan Communities in the Age of the Internet]]: New Essays'', ed. by [[Karen Hellekson]] and [[Kristina Busse]] (McFarland, 2006), p. 41.</ref>, [[The Wild Wild West|James and Artemus]], or [[Route 66|Buz and Tod]],<ref>[http://fultonhistory.com/newspaper%208/Schenectady%20NY%20Gazette/Schenectady%20NY%20Gazette%201962%20Grayscale/Schenectady%20NY%20Gazette%201962%20Grayscale%20-%203700.pdf A Senate probe into the role of television in juvenile delinquency] focused on ''Route 66'' because of its strong appeal to children and teenagers, questioning the appropriateness of sex and romance in the storylines. A memo from CBS network head James Aubrey, used as evidence in the hearings, specifically asked for more sex on ''Route 66'', saying that neither protagonist had expressed the “normal wants of a young man... to get involved with a girl or even to kiss her”.</ref> but it was ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'' that popularized the slash subgenre. The first such story may have been [[The Ring of Soshern]], written by [[Jennifer Guttridge]] in 1967 or 1968 and circulated only privately.

Fans certainly wrote and [[drawerfic|kept private]], or shared with only a few friends, homosexual stories about [[Sherlock Holmes|Holmes and Watson]], [[Batfandom|Bruce and Dick]],<ref group=note>Dr. Fredric Wertham, writing about comic books' contribution to degeneracy and criminal behavior in his book ''Seduction of the Innocent'', wrote that not only did Batman and Robin's adventures contain gay [[subtext]] but that their relationship was obviously homosexual even to child readers. He later testified about this before Congress. Cultural reviewer Will Brooker revealed in his book ''Batman Unmasked'' that gay men had told Wertham in interviews that they saw Batman as gay; he did not make it up. It's very likely that fan fiction or fan-drawn comics of this nature existed, no doubt [[drawerfic|kept extremely private]], perhaps similar to Charles Crumb's work featuring child actor Bobby Driscoll.</ref> [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu_Manchu Nayland Smith and Dr. Petrie], [[Ilya/Napoleon|Ilya and Napoleon]] in [[The Man From UNCLE]]<ref group=note>Considerable evidence points to ''The Man From UNCLE'' being the first media fandom, embraced by the same science fiction writers and fans who would go on to enshrine ''Star Trek''. See [[Francesca Coppa]], "A Brief History of Media Fandom" in ''[[Fan Fiction and Fan Communities in the Age of the Internet]]: New Essays'', ed. by [[Karen Hellekson]] and [[Kristina Busse]] (McFarland, 2006), p. 41.</ref>, [[The Wild Wild West|James and Artemus]], or [[Route 66|Buz and Tod]],<ref group=note>[http://fultonhistory.com/newspaper%208/Schenectady%20NY%20Gazette/Schenectady%20NY%20Gazette%201962%20Grayscale/Schenectady%20NY%20Gazette%201962%20Grayscale%20-%203700.pdf A Senate probe into the role of television in juvenile delinquency] focused on ''Route 66'' because of its strong appeal to children and teenagers, questioning the appropriateness of sex and romance in the storylines. A memo from CBS network head James Aubrey, used as evidence in the hearings, specifically asked for more sex on ''Route 66'', saying that neither protagonist had expressed the “normal wants of a young man... to get involved with a girl or even to kiss her”.</ref> but it was ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'' that popularized the slash subgenre. The first such story may have been [[The Ring of Soshern]], written by [[Jennifer Guttridge]] in 1967 or 1968 and circulated only privately.

The first slash story to be published in a fanzine was "[[A Fragment Out of Time]]" by [[Diane Marchant]], published in ''[[Grup]]'' in 1974. After this, other ''Star Trek'' slash stories appeared in some fanzines, slowly picking up steam through the end of the decade with entire [[fanzine]]s devoted to slash, and eventually [[slash conventions]].

The first slash story to be published in a fanzine was "[[A Fragment Out of Time]]" by [[Diane Marchant]], published in ''[[Grup]]'' in 1974. After this, other ''Star Trek'' slash stories appeared in some fanzines, slowly picking up steam through the end of the decade with entire [[fanzine]]s devoted to slash, and eventually [[slash conventions]].

One has to be careful with &'s and /'s these days! I used to make that mistake, using [[K/S]] all the time for speed -- luckily the people I was writing to didn't know either, so they intercepted my meaning correctly. I am indebted to [Sue S], [Sue M], and the rest of [[DobeyCon]] I ... (<u>After</u> I bought "[[Forever Autumn (Starsky & Hutch zine)|Forever Autumn]]," I may add! These business persons aren't daft!) You may gather I am not in favor of [[Starsky/Hutch|S/H]]. Or [[K/S]]. As for Han Solo and Chewie, or Hawkeye and B.J. references -- I don't feel well! This whole thing is getting out of hand, not to mention boring. What's the point? <ref> [[S and H (Starsky and Hutch letterzine)|S and H]] #13 (1980) </ref>}}

One has to be careful with &'s and /'s these days! I used to make that mistake, using [[K/S]] all the time for speed -- luckily the people I was writing to didn't know either, so they intercepted my meaning correctly. I am indebted to [Sue S], [Sue M], and the rest of [[DobeyCon]] I ... (<u>After</u> I bought "[[Forever Autumn (Starsky & Hutch zine)|Forever Autumn]]," I may add! These business persons aren't daft!) You may gather I am not in favor of [[Starsky/Hutch|S/H]]. Or [[K/S]]. As for Han Solo and Chewie, or Hawkeye and B.J. references -- I don't feel well! This whole thing is getting out of hand, not to mention boring. What's the point? <ref> [[S and H (Starsky and Hutch letterzine)|S and H]] #13 (1980) </ref>}}

The [[Robin of Sherwood Fandom and Slash Fanworks|absence of slash]] in [[Robin of Sherwood]] 1980s fandom provides a case study of how insecure slash fandom was about itself and its legitimacy<ref>Fans respected a polite request from the show's creator Richard Carpenter and refrained from publishing slash stories based on this show's main characters.</ref>, but in the [[History of Slash Fandom#Slash and the Arrival of the Internet|internet age]], slash has become increasingly normalized.

The [[Robin of Sherwood Fandom and Slash Fanworks|absence of slash]] in [[Robin of Sherwood]] 1980s fandom provides a case study of how insecure slash fandom was about itself and its legitimacy<ref group=note>Fans respected a polite request from the show's creator Richard Carpenter and refrained from publishing slash stories based on this show's main characters.</ref>, but in the [[History of Slash Fandom#Slash and the Arrival of the Internet|internet age]], slash has become increasingly normalized.

As fans moved online in the late 1990s, some used "slash" in their [[disclaimers]] as a warning in a derogatory way, assuring other fans that they were "safe" from slash on their site. An example: "All fics are rated at or below PG-13, and thar be no Slash here, so don't worry about running across something offensive. Make yourself at home!" <ref> [https://web.archive.org/web/20020224041307/www.geocities.com/honorh_macspam Hall of HonorH] (~2000) </ref>  

As fans moved online in the late 1990s, some used "slash" in their [[disclaimers]] as a warning in a derogatory way, assuring other fans that they were "safe" from slash on their site. An example: "All fics are rated at or below PG-13, and thar be no Slash here, so don't worry about running across something offensive. Make yourself at home!" <ref> [https://web.archive.org/web/20020224041307/www.geocities.com/honorh_macspam Hall of HonorH] (~2000) </ref>  

== Defining Slash ==

== Defining Slash ==

Because the early slash community kept such a low profile (as above), there weren't clearly written definitions of the term that people could refer to as they got on the net and came in contact with the existing community. So a term might experience [[Fannish Drift|fannish drift]] as newcomers used the term according to the way they interpreted it, rather than how the existing community used it. Slash was a term that experienced fannish drift in this manner. It has also evolved over the years in response to canonically gay characters and relationships becoming more common in mainstream television shows and movies.<ref>For examples, see ''[[Steven Universe]]'', ''[[Torchwood]]'', or ''[[Welcome to Night Vale]]''. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_television_programs_with_LGBT_characters There are many others]. The first canonically gay couple on television was Gordon and George in the 1975 sitcom ''Hot l Baltimore''.</ref>

Because the early slash community kept such a low profile (as above), there weren't clearly written definitions of the term that people could refer to as they got on the net and came in contact with the existing community. So a term might experience [[Fannish Drift|fannish drift]] as newcomers used the term according to the way they interpreted it, rather than how the existing community used it. Slash was a term that experienced fannish drift in this manner. It has also evolved over the years in response to canonically gay characters and relationships becoming more common in mainstream television shows and movies.<ref group=note>For examples, see ''[[Steven Universe]]'', ''[[Torchwood]]'', or ''[[Welcome to Night Vale]]''. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lists_of_television_programs_with_LGBT_characters There are many others]. The first canonically gay couple on television was Gordon and George in the 1975 sitcom ''Hot l Baltimore''.</ref>

During the initial era of K/S and other early slash pairings, and issues of "slashy [[subtext]]" and "[[slash goggles]]"aside, no one suggested that K/S and other pairings were established deliberately, as a matter of [[canon]].<ref>Other than by [[Sondra Marshak]] and [[Myrna Culbreath]], that is. The story of [[Shatner: Where No Man#Gene Roddenberry on Shatner, & Kirk|how they maneuvered Gene Roddenberry]] into considering Kirk & Spock's friendship in terms of "the Greek ideal" has become legendary.</ref> Slash was defined as fanfic containing noncanonical same-sex media character pairings. As is easy to see on countless discussion forums these days, the definition of slash has become more elastic. Many fans consider slash to mean, simply, a same-sex pairing (thus, they refer to ''Queer as Folk'' fan fiction as slash, though the characters are gay in canon). Still others look at, say, ''Stargate: SG-1'' fan fiction pairings of Jack/Daniel and Jack/Samantha and consider them both to be slash relationships, because neither is canon and both are designated with a slash mark.

During the initial era of K/S and other early slash pairings, and issues of "slashy [[subtext]]" and "[[slash goggles]]"aside, no one suggested that K/S and other pairings were established deliberately, as a matter of [[canon]].<ref group=note>Other than by [[Sondra Marshak]] and [[Myrna Culbreath]], that is. The story of [[Shatner: Where No Man#Gene Roddenberry on Shatner, & Kirk|how they maneuvered Gene Roddenberry]] into considering Kirk & Spock's friendship in terms of "the Greek ideal" has become legendary.</ref> Slash was defined as fanfic containing noncanonical same-sex media character pairings. As is easy to see on countless discussion forums these days, the definition of slash has become more elastic. Many fans consider slash to mean, simply, a same-sex pairing (thus, they refer to ''Queer as Folk'' fan fiction as slash, though the characters are gay in canon). Still others look at, say, ''Stargate: SG-1'' fan fiction pairings of Jack/Daniel and Jack/Samantha and consider them both to be slash relationships, because neither is canon and both are designated with a slash mark.

Thus, at different times, fans have tried to define exactly what slash is, and what it is not.

Thus, at different times, fans have tried to define exactly what slash is, and what it is not.

* disagreement even among slash fans as to "what is [[slashy]]" and "what should be slashed"

* disagreement even among slash fans as to "what is [[slashy]]" and "what should be slashed"

* present-day objections to Kirk/Spock slash by the ''Star Trek'' creators, including [[David Gerrold]]

* present-day objections to Kirk/Spock slash by the ''Star Trek'' creators, including [[David Gerrold]]

* present-day statement by [[D.C. Fontana]] flatly denying that the ''Star Trek'' creators intended slash to be [[Slash Goggles|implied]] or [[subtext]]ual [[canon]]<ref name="fontana">In May 2016, Fontana responded to a question by a Fanlore editor on "canon slash" in the ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' episode "[[Amok Time]]": "In answer to your question, NO - there were no homosexual double-entendres in the script - at least none that were deliberate.  If some viewers chose to read that into the dialogue, etc. that's their point of view, but certainly not ours.  Writer Theodore Sturgeon was trying to reveal Spock's inner human in a struggle with what his culture, his upbringing and his half-human/half-Vulcan heritage had instilled in him about emotion and controlling it in an out-of-control situation.  It also was a peek into the Vulcan culture that no one had seen before. That's ALL we were doing."</ref>

* present-day statement by [[D.C. Fontana]] flatly denying that the ''Star Trek'' creators intended slash to be [[Slash Goggles|implied]] or [[subtext]]ual [[canon]]<ref group=note>In May 2016, Fontana responded to a question by a Fanlore editor on "canon slash" in the ''Star Trek: The Original Series'' episode "[[Amok Time]]": "In answer to your question, NO - there were no homosexual double-entendres in the script - at least none that were deliberate.  If some viewers chose to read that into the dialogue, etc. that's their point of view, but certainly not ours.  Writer Theodore Sturgeon was trying to reveal Spock's inner human in a struggle with what his culture, his upbringing and his half-human/half-Vulcan heritage had instilled in him about emotion and controlling it in an out-of-control situation.  It also was a peek into the Vulcan culture that no one had seen before. That's ALL we were doing."</ref>

===Slash and Gay===

===Slash and Gay===

* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slash_fiction Wikipedia entry] on slash fiction, and its [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Slash_fiction talk page] offers a somewhat more outside perspective on slash, with lots of discussion

* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slash_fiction Wikipedia entry] on slash fiction, and its [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Slash_fiction talk page] offers a somewhat more outside perspective on slash, with lots of discussion

* [http://www.alternateuniverses.com/slashusage.html Usage of the word "slash" and the virgule "/" alone, at Alternate Universes: Fanfiction Studies], accessed 5.10.2011

* [http://www.alternateuniverses.com/slashusage.html Usage of the word "slash" and the virgule "/" alone, at Alternate Universes: Fanfiction Studies], accessed 5.10.2011

==References==

==References==