Dark romance is a misunderstood genre that is often accused of "romanticising abuse". This petition is for all literary distributors to correctly label dark romance for both the mental health of readers, as well as to simply help readers find or avoid these books. Dark romance is neither erotica nor romanticising abuse, and forcing it into those categories is causing more harm to survivors and other readers.

First, there are two definitions for dark romance. This petition is about the former.

1. Dark romance the genre. This has been around since the dawn of time, seen in mythological tales warning women of the dangers of romance, such as with practically every story concerning Zeus. It gained steam in the early 1800s, with the Bronte sisters at the forefront. Wuthering Heights was at the pinnacle, and although it is different to modern day dark romance, so is basically every book of that time when compared to their modern genre. But those sisters brought light to the toxicity of relationships. They even publicly stated that they were not romanticising it. They were merely writing about the darkness that millions of women suffered in a time where society and the government refused to acknowledge marital rape (with France having only just abolished 'marital duty', which forced a woman to have sex with her husband whenever he wanted it, on 28 Jan 2026). The Bronte sisters, too, were attacked by the populace for writing such "sickness", with Charlotte addressing this after her sister's death, in the preface of Wuthering Heights. ["This notice has been written because I felt it a sacred duty to wipe the dust off their gravestones, and leave their dear names free from soil." - Charlotte Bronte]. 
   
   The genre focuses on the toxicity of relationships, hence the adjective 'dark' referencing the noun 'romance'. Just like how toxic food is still food. The dark romance label is an important distinction so those in abusive relationships can recognise unhealthy situations.
   
   
2. Dark romance the umbrella term. This came about recently because everyone wanted to be called a dark romance girlie and 'darkness is subjective' and 'you're gatekeeping'. This umbrella term encompasses everything that is remotely dark even if the relationship isn't, such as Light's Out. This has lead to readers seeing trigger warnings as a 'menu' and something to brag about. Then when they stumble upon an actual dark romance (the genre), they get triggered and attack the authors and readers because all of their previous dark romance (the umbrella) books depicted loving/romanticised relationships. Which is why they claim the dark romance genre is romanticising abuse, when it isn't.

WHY LABELLING DARK ROMANCE AS EROTICA IS WRONG

Even though graphic violence and rape outside of the romance genre is not forced into the 'adult' and erotica categories, we understand the need of correct categorization for material with explicit sexual themes. However, dark romance should not be labelled as erotica.

1. IT'S EXTREMELY SEXIST
   
   The main reason we're given about why dark romance books should be listed as erotica is because they have scenes that were written to be enticing. However, having explicit scenes does not make something erotic. For example: Gerald's Game, Game of Thrones, Dexter, Fourth Wing, The Wide Game, American Psycho, The Last Ship, and many other horror, splatterpunk, fantasy, sci-fi books all have explicit sex scenes. You get them in YA, thrillers, westerns, urban fantasies, etc, etc, and yet, none of those are listed as erotica because the occasional scene, even when written to entice, does not make a book an erotica anymore than having a murder in it makes it a horror or thriller.
   
   Especially since those enticing scenes when shown on TV, like in Gladiators, Dexter, Oz, etc (none of which are labelled as eroticas) often end up on porn sites, confirming that those scenes do entice. Whereas, you don't get dark romance readers doing the same with our scenes in books. There are free erotica based websites for that, and no clips from dark romance books ever end up on there.
   
   Dark romance should not be treated as erotica simply because it is a woman-dominated genre.
   
   
2. THE PURPOSE OF DARK ROMANCE IS NOT TO ENTICE
   
   Whereas the purpose of erotica is solely to entice, dark romance focuses on the build-up of the relationship between the MCs. Our trope lists include: friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, villain gets the girl, second-chance, forced marriage, arranged marriage, dark romance, etc. People search these terms because they are after the relationship first and foremost, not the sex.
   
   
3. LABELLING IT AS EROTICA IS ROMANTICISING ABUSE
   
   Dark romance (the genre) is hundreds of years of survivors' voices. It is not glorifying rape; it's simply drawing it into the light. Many victims are unable to leave their rapists. Most rapes are done by people we know. Many authors and readers of dark romance are survivors, and writing/reading graphic content is a way to process what happened. We can assure you, in no way are we glorifying our assaults. There is simply a relief in finding a community of people who know our pain. A community that acknowledges our trauma rather than avoids it because it's uncomfortable to hear about.
   
   But forcing dark romance books into erotica is basically telling us that it isn't traumatic. That it is normal. That is should be romanticised and sexualised, and that is wrong on so many levels.

4. IT IS HARMFUL TO NON-DARK ROMANCE READERS

   When people read nonconsensual acts under erotica, the stories focus on the rape fantasy. It is very clear-cut that that is what it is. With dark romance (the genre), that line is hard for non-dark romance readers to see when there's no label saying that it's about a toxic relationship. Then they ignore the Trigger Warning list and get traumatised and have a negative buyer experience. By separating dark romance from the other categories of romance and erotica, you can help people take care of their mental health, increase their comfort when shopping, meet the expectations of what they're after, and not romanticise/sexualise the assault within the pages.
   
   Also, if people are looking for an erotica and accidentally buy a dark romance, they're more likely to be annoyed because the focus isn't on the sex.

SUGGESTED SOLUTION: LABEL DARK ROMANCE (THE GENRE) AS: DARK DARK ROMANCE

1. This separates it from dark romance, the umbrella term.
2. By having dark dark, people will instinctively know that it might be darker than what they're used to, and so they're more likely to check the trigger warnings, leading to a more positive buyer experience.
3. It separates it from mainstream romance categories, which is what you're after.
4. By simply asking authors: "Is the relationship between the MCs toxic?" you can easily and correctly label dark dark romance books.

HOW DOES DARK ROMANCE HELP SEXUAL ASSAULT SURVIVORS EXACTLY?

As this petition came to be due to the hate I got after my latest release, I'm going to use it as an example. Keeping Her Under is a dark dark romance book about the relationship between an anaesthesiologist and his coma patient. 

I was assaulted by a doctor when I was too young to understand what he was doing was wrong. 

And I never spoke about it because society constantly pushes: "You flirted with him, so it can't be rape"; "It wasn't violent, so it can't be rape"; "You were too drunk to be traumatized, so it can't be rape"; "It wasn't that big of a deal, so it can't be rape"; "He's a prominent member of society, so it can't be rape" etc. So Keeping Her Under says all that but from the rapist's POV about a coma patient. And then, it's suddenly clear that those 'reasons it can't be rape' are utter BS. This book highlights that there is no nice rape. That just because it wasn't violent doesn't mean it wasn't rape. That even if the MC believes she teased him or consented - it's still rape.

It is not an erotica. It is not glorifying rape. It is validating a survivor's experiences by acknowledging that it is rape.

As for why she ends up with him: most survivors don't want revenge. We just want to move on. People tell us to forgive in real life, then attack us for being able to forgive FICTIONAL characters. I will never be able to forgive my actual abusers, but that doesn't mean I should be forced to carry that trauma when they've not lost a single night of sleep over mine.

Keeping Her Udner does not overwrite my memories or make me glorify my own assault. It simply allows me to talk about my own experiences in fiction form.

Click here for more information about Why SA Survivors Read Dark Dark Romance.