InsaneJournal

HARRY POTTER CAN'T BE GAY
Yes, you read that read dear f-list.

Harry Potter can't be gay.

My eyes have been opened so very wide this morning at this epiphany. At this startling, awe inspiring revelation.

And how did I come to discover this?

Well, it's simple.

I received an email the other day from a mod of a new up and coming HP based RPG - enigma_rpg - asking permission to use a stock photo that I had used when darkesthour_rpg was running. I kind of had to laugh because I don't own that stock photo and I have no rights over it, but understanding the reason for the email and appreciating the consideration in asking I was all for emailing back "yeah sure, go for it. My game isn't running, good luck on yours."

But, of course being the curious person that I am I looked into the game first. I was dubious when I saw they would be using the Mary Sue Checklist, for reasons in an excellent resource which can be read here

Then, I saw THIS. For those who are not inclined to click on links, it reads as follows:

Slash is welcome, but be realistic, not everyone is gay or bi and the world is, unfortunately, not always open to homosexuality. Also note that the sexuality that is given to a character in canon it can't be ignored (ie Harry can be bi, but not gay as he fancies Ginny and Cho in canon). In line with this, any canon relationship must be addressed. Smut is wonderful, but not in every thread. In addition the mods reserve the right to mock bad smut, please feel free to do the same.

*blinks*

I'm sorry, what?

Harry can be bi, but not gay as he fancies Ginny and Cho in canon

I had no idea that human sexuality could be so black and white! My gods, here all this time I was thinking so differently.

Now, I know that Harry is just a character. He's a figment of a very wealthy and rather unorganized woman's imagination. But let's just sit back and think on the implication of that statement.

Because a character has, in the all mighty canon, fancied two girls during his formative years - he can't be gay. Nope, sorry - even though those relationships with those girls can have fallen horribly to pieces (an in the case of Cho, did) - there is no way according to these rules that a person can write Harry as having discovered that he is in fact gay because - oh my gods - he fancied two girls at one point.

This game is a game that is canon compliant minus the epilogue, incidentally, so the fact that Harry marries Ginny in the epilogue and they even have children is moot. BUT, that being said, it wouldn't matter if Harry married Ginny, had thousands of fat, happy babies because if he discovered late in life that he was truly and honestly in fact gay...

Who are we to dictate his sexuality?

Frankly, I don't even care if you want to write him getting his rocks off with the Giant Squid, or routinely tapped Dobby back at Hogwarts. Hey, whatever turns you on have it. Because you should have the choice to do so.

I understand about wanting to have variety in one's game. Having a majority of male characters who only have teh buttsecks is frankly boring in this writer's opinion. I understand that completely.

However, don't try and sell to me your misguided reasoning of why a man cannot be gay and try and pigeonhole things in the terms of sexuality.

I may be taking this way too seriously, and perhaps you're right considering it's a Monday morning, I'm on my heavy flow day of my menstrual cycle and I've only had one cup of tea. However, just the implication that a man (even a fictional one!) cannot be gay because he, in the past, has fancied, been attracted or even had sex with two females...

That, my friends, is just staggering to me.

So, now that my eyes have been opened to this there are a few of my gay male friends I have to write some emails off to. Particularly my friend Phil, who back in highschool had several crushes on women, myself included, and dated one of my friends for two years (which, from my understanding, was a sexual relationship), but after high school came out of the closet and brilliantly told us all that he was gay and we love him no less, but even more for being true to himself.

I wonder how he'll take it when I tell him that his full on gayness isn't a possibility and that he can only be bisexual at most.

Should be an interesting conversation.

(and incidentally my blithe feelings regarding the stock photo diminished quite quickly after all of this)