''Macho Sluts'' () is a 1988 book of erotic

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

by Pat Califia, published by

Alyson Publications Alyson Books, formerly known as Alyson Publications, was a book publishing house which specialized in LGBT fiction and non-fiction. Former publisher Don Weise described it as "the world's oldest and largest publisher of LGBT literature" and "th ...

. Then lesbian identified, Califia had written the stories between 1977 and 1988 during a period of fierce struggle between lesbian feminist SM practitioners and anti-pornography feminists in the San Francisco Bay area. Media scholar Carolyn Bronstein has characterized these articles, and the anthology, as lesbian romance fiction. As such, they made lesbians visible within the leather and SM communities, and lesbians practicing what came to be known as "power exchange" visible in the feminist community. Bronstein characterizes the collection as an activist response to anti-pornography feminists' characterization of "SM as a dangerous form of sexuality that reproduced the positions of power associated with heterosexuality." Exploring S/M fantasy concepts, it includes the stories ''"The Calyx of Isis"'' and ''"Jessie"'' along with six other shorter works, "''The Finishing'' ''School''", "''The Hustler''", "''The Surprise Party''", "''The Vampire''", ''"The Spoiler"'', and "''A Dash of Vanilla''". It includes lesbians, gay men, and those of indeterminate sexuality, with their broad ranges of fantasies. On its original publication the book was sold in a plastic shrink wrap with a free

badge A badge is a device or accessory, often containing the insignia of an organization, which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath (e.g., police and ...

stating "Macho Slut".

References

1988 short story collections BDSM literature Erotic short stories 1990s LGBT literature LGBT literature in the United States Alyson Books books {{LGBT-fiction-stub