Fanfics with slash & sex...I don't get it

[abigailnus <abigailnus@yahoo.com>]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Kathryn Cawte" <kcawte at b...> wrote:
> 
> 
> -------Original Message-------
> 
> From: HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com
> Date: 05 January 2003 11:43:15
> To: HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [HPFGU-OTChatter] Fanfics with slash & sex...I don't get it
> 
> I honestly don't understand the appeal of all these 
> slash pairings. I suppose people will write what they 
> like, but I won't be reading any of it. I like the 
> characters too much as they are written to go changing 
> their sexual preference on them! 
> 
> Secondly - what makes you think we (us authors) are changing their sexual
> preferences, with the exception of people like Percy (who we know is dating
> Penelope) and a few other characters we don't know definitively what their
> sexual preferences are. How do you know there aren't already gay characters
> in the books? You seem to be working on the principle that all characters
> are hetersexual unless they definitively declare themselves to be gay, I
> prefer to assume that unless I have been given evidence either way a
> character's sexual preferences are totally undefined and I can pair them
> with any character I want.

Well, statistically speaking, it's perfectly valid to assume that a person 
is heterosexual until informed otherwise, because you have a 85-90% 
chance of being right.  Putting that aside for the moment, it seems to 
me that quite a bit of slash fanfic in the HP universe involves characters 
- at least one half of the pair - who are demonstrably straight.  I admit 
that there is no evidence on the sexual orientation of most of the adult 
characters, but a lot of slash pairings involve the trio, and there I think 
the evidence is incotrovertible.  Both Harry and Ron have responded 
sexually to members of the opposite sex, on more than one occasion 
and with more than more person.  The only member of the Trio who 
*might* be said to be on sexually ambiguous ground is Hermione - her 
feelings towards the three men in her life are unclear, I suspect not 
only to us and to them, but also to herself.  But then, there's very little 
in the way of lesbian slash fanfic, isn't there?  

The argument can be made that these are children, that their sexuality 
is as much a mystery to them as it is to us.  I'm not gay and I've never 
discussed this with a gay person, but from what I've read, my 
understanding is that most gay people know what they are from a very 
young age, even if they don't understand it, or don't want to accept it.  
I don't think the issue of Harry and Ron wanting to conceal their true 
preferences from their environment applies here either.  We know that 
Harry's attraction to Cho, for example, is genuine and not an affectation.  
We also know that it embarasses him, and Ron's reaction to the opposite 
sex is also of the 'girls have cooties' variety - note his reaction to Percy's 
having a  girlfriend as late as PoA.  Under those circumstances, it hardly 
seems that either of them would want to put on such an act in order to 
seem straight.

I think, however, that I actually have a canon that makes the orientation 
of the Trio clear without requiring any introspection on their part, and 
which neatly circumvents whatever inhbitions they might have.  I'm 
referring to the Veelas' dance at the QWC.  Harry and Ron both react to 
the Veelas, Hermione doesn't.  I admit that we've seen no evidence as 
to how the Veelas work their charm, but isn't it a fair assumption that 
they create the image of the ultimate female object of desire?  If that's 
the case, then people whose object of desire is not female - straight 
women and gay men - wouldn't be affected by them.

In fact, I think Veela magic may also point out to us the only canonically 
gay character in the series.  At the meeting with the champions' families 
before the Third Task, Harry notices that Bill has caught Fleur's eye.  We 
already know that Fleur is not above using Veela magic to attract men.  
We also know that it's not necessary for her to be interacting with men 
in order to affect them - Ron catches a dose of her magic while she's 
using it on Cedric.  Why then is Bill not shown reacting to her?  There are 
only two possibilities - either Fleur didn't try to use Veela magic on Bill or 
she did use it and it had no effect on him.  

Now, I suppose the argument could be made that Fleur feels 
uncomfortable enchanting Bill, as she still holds Ron partly responsible 
for her sister's rescue, but that doesn't make much sense to me.  Even 
if she won't use magic on him, why don't we see her talk to him?  She's 
a beautiful  girl even without magic, and Bill is only supposed to be a few 
years older than she is - I suspect she's received the attentions of men 
far older than him.  I think a compelling argument can be made that Bill 
is gay.  For one thing, it would explain why his mother, constantly on his 
case to cut his hair and look respectable, doesn't seem to be pushing him 
towards marriage.

Abigail

Oh, and by the way, Kathryn, you were complaining about the paucity 
of interesting female characters in HP canon.  My only serious 
involvement (as a reader) with fanfic was 5 years ago when I was really 
into X-Files fanfic, and if you think you've got problems I suggest you try 
writing stories with only one female character of any significance.