We hope to make a difference.

The first issue of our anthology, “Solar Spectrum #1” has been nominated for a “Ditmar” Award — an Australian Science Fiction Achievement Award.

Indeed, our club, Spaced Out was nominated for six Ditmar awards: our anthology and newsletter, our website and three of our members were nominated. The fact that a “queer” club can be acknowledged in this way is a sign of changing times.

Less than three years ago, our club’s existence was greeted with a mixed response from the local SF community — some people were welcoming and accepting, while others were not.

We have evidently come a long way, and the Ditmar nominations are evidence of this fact.

The arrival of our second anthology is a similar sign.

Issue #1 was largely the result of a small number of dedicated people, mainly club members. The theme of that issue was an examination of difference; of being an alien in society. Such a theme was a wholly appropriate one for the premiere issue. Issue #1 was also produced with the aim to demonstrate that good science fiction could be written which contained credible queer characters or issues.

“Solar Spectrum #2” shows growth both within and outside our club. We have aimed to “push the envelope” (to use a cliché) with both our content and our expectations.

The content of this anthology reflects wider diversity. Some stories have queer characters, some stories have none. Within these pages, the occasional queer protagonists form a variety of characters — from hero to villain, from victim to avenger. Such is the way of real life.

We have also commemorated the 30th anniversary of the end of the Apollo Moon landings (December 2002) with a non-queer, non-fiction article.

This year, we are also delighted to be able to report that, in addition to providing a place for queer writers to write SF with distinctively queer topics, we have some stories by straight authors who have incorporated queer themes into their plots. The great thing about this is that it shows increasing acceptance of queer people as a normal part of society. We are still a long way from seeing a queer hero in a major SF TV show, but this is a good step in that direction. Welcome to the future; it just started to look even better.

We hope that this issue will be interesting! challenging! entertaining! and enlightening! for our readers. We also hope that readers will be inspired to come forward with material of their own for the next issue. Encouraging people to recognise, accept and enjoy diversity — that is part of our vision. We hope that, in our own small way, this anthology can go some way to making such a difference.

Miriam and Geoff
June 2002.