Science Fiction gives us the opportunity to explore new worlds, concepts, technology, realities, and more. But, science fiction isn’t just about imagining a world that doesn’t exist– it allows us to grapple with real-world issues and topics through a fictional lens.
Sci-fi has a long history with examining conceptions of race, gender, sexuality, disability, and more. Bringing attention to diversity in sci-fi uplifts the voices of diverse authors, promoting new ideas and conversations in the genre.
By it's very nature, language changes over time due to various factors such as cultural influences, historical events, technological advancements, and generational gaps. New words and phrases are constantly being introduced to reflect the changing world around us.
Because of this, the labels various people choose for themselves also change over time. And indeed can exist in a constant state of flux. A label which is comfortable for one person can be anathema to another.
We have done our best here to choose labels which accurately reflect the subject matter we are highlighting. We cannot promise to never get it wrong, but we can promise to do our best to make it right when we mess up.
Carol Pettijohn created new content and updated this page during Summer 2023.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 Generic License.