zlacker

>>GavCo+(OP)
I'm a gay man and I think we are going to far with this PC nonsense. I had a hard time growing up in the 90s knowing I was different and being tormented by my peers, so I'm happy to see gay "normalized" in current pop culture more because I think it teaches the younger generation to accept themselves and others. However I feel that it's going to far, for example I started reading a novel the other day but gave up a third of the way through because every character was some form of LGBT or interracial or something. It made the story seem fake and unrealistic. I think editing classic books is wrong even if it is covering up something like hate or bigotry. History forgotten is history bound to repeat itself.

>>double+ls1
Another gay man here.

To me it seems like we have this paradoxical situation where the media want to simultaneously present inclusivity and diversity, but don't dare present any of the real diversity for fear of stereotyping. The end result is some token LGBTQ+ characters who are heteronormative, which is disingenuous.

If it is a choice between no gay character and some gay character who is essentially 'straight acting', I'd choose the former every time.

>>morbia+wB1
> ...some gay character who is essentially 'straight acting'...

I often see (edit: readers) mention that a story has gay/straight characters, even when (to me) there is no opening in the plot for characters to express their romantic inclinations. What exactly are you looking at when you perceive a character as $orientation?

>>wrp+3H1
You mean readers read the characters as gay even though it is never directly stated? Traditionally there are certain “tells” which are subtle enough that readers who are uncomfortable by queer characters miss the subtext. This is really a win-win.

Hollywood was also a master of this, althoug these days they tend to do the reverse: explicity show a character is gay but without the tells, since having both would just be cliched or “on the nose”.

>>bazoom+FR1
Exactly. I see a lot of book reviewers complaining about the presence/lack of characters of some type and I'm baffled, because in my reading of the text there was no revelation of that information. I want to know what particulars they are focusing on.