one thing that’s been so interesting about heated rivalry hitting the mainstream like it’s done is seeing many gay and queer men amazed that a woman wrote it and it’s treated like this almost shocking novelty.
meanwhile, in my experience, women writing m/m romance and smut is like… the norm. most of the people i follow who engage in writing are writing about men plowing each other and sparing no detail.
like it really puts front and center that women and their craft are generally ignored by men. all types of men.