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

[Haggridd <jkusalavagemd@yahoo.com>]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Simon Branford 
<simon.hp at v...>" <simon.hp at v...> wrote:
> --- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "Haggridd wrote:
> > It is that 
> > the fanfics should follow the spirit of the original story (Thank 
> > you, ER!).  It is for this reason that slash should carry content 
> > labels.  Having read the original stories, one has certain 
> > expectation that deserve to be honored.  
> 
> So far in the story we have seen couples kissing (and only a few of 
> those). This implies that any fic containing more than this should 
> include a suitable warning, because it is not following 'the spirit 
> of the original story'. Whether or not a rating of R or NC17 
> constitutes such a warning is up for discussion, but not terribly 
> important.
> 
Simon, it is not that there is kissing per se, but the entire manner 
in which JKR handles it, which is in an "innocent" (for want of a 
better term) prepubescent (at least up til now) fashion.  This may 
well change as Harry gets older, but this has been the case at least 
up through GoF.  Even the one adult romance, that of Hagrid and 
Maxime, has been presented in an innocent, pre-bite-of-apple fashion.
R vsersus NC17 has no bearing on the stories so far.  If you are 
going to borrow movie ratings as they are applied today, the series 
would be PG at most, at least with regard to sexuality.  The "tube of 
goo" threatens that image in a most basic way and, I contend, is 
contrary to what has been written by JKR.

> I get the impression, Haggridd, that you believe the original 
stories 
> to contain nothing homosexual (whether same sex couples kissing, 
> showing feelings towards each other or more). I also know that 
other 
> feel similarly. However there is a significant group of people who 
> would (and do) disagree with this view.
> 
You are precisely correct.  I believe the original stories contain 
nothing homosexual.  This does not have anything to do with my 
feelings about being gay in RL.  I have stated those before, and will 
not decscend to that "some of my best friends are..." nonsense.
I repeat I believe THE ORIGINAL STORIES contain nothing homosexual.  
Every "example" that I have seen so far has been either an instance 
of wishful thinking, or the assertion that an absence of JKR's 
explicitly ruling out homosexual actions, intentions, thoughts, etc. 
in an interaction between characters means that there can be, should 
be, MUST BE a gay theme underlining the interaction.  To resurrect 
another line from a poster on the mother list, "sometimes a cigar is 
just a cigar."

I would enjoy and find it intellectually stimulating to agrue from 
the text any passage that you feel supports a gay relationship in the 
stories by commission, not omission.  Said discussion would be 
without rancor, as two fans of HP enjoying their mutual passion.  I 
fear though that any such discussion is doomed, because it appears to 
be the opinion of some on this list that to hold that homosexuality 
is not rampant throughout the HP books, and is a contant subtext, 
makes one a HOMOPHOBE, and therefore one whose opinions shall have no 
validity.  

Rest assured that any personal opinions I hold are of individuals, 
and I do not damn an entire segment of the population because of 
their unreasoning hostility.

> In GoF (Yule Ball chapter) we see Sinistra and Vector dancing 
> together. Quite a few people believe that this shows a happily 
> attached lesbian couple dancing the night away with their students.
>
How many dances did you go to in high school-- or comprehensive 
school, or public school-- wherre the girls danced together, either 
from shyness on the boys' part, or an imbalance of gender ration, or 
sheer delight in the music?  Were theses girls all lesbians? But 
y'know, you are right, it certainly could be.  If so, JKR surely 
didn't dwell much on it.  Sinestra and Vector certainly don't appear 
as an item anywhere in the books, do they?  I think it is a 
legitimate item of discussion.

> Others believe that some of Harry's comments and actions point 
toward 
> him showing homosexual feelings towards others, usually Draco or 
Ron.
>
Yeah well, this is where I believe a lot of wishful thinking is going 
on.  I have seen these arguments, and I find them specious, IMNSHO.
 
> Flourish has already given her view on teens sexual preferences. My 
> only addition to that would be that the teenage years are seen by 
> many as the time when an individual gets the chance to work out who 
> they are. In essence the chance for the person to become an 
> individual. For many a large part of this is the question of sexual 
> orientation. Would it not be natural to see this?
> 
> 
If JKR has her characters work them out so that some are demonstrated 
to be gay, then that will be canon.  Until then, not.
 
> So who is right on what the original series shows and what its 
spirit 
> is?

Why, that is and should be the point of a friendly, lively 
discussion, not a food fight.

Haggridd
p.s.  Are you the same Simon who posted on the FAP "Homophobes and 
where tO kick them" thread?  I thought you were very reasonable 
there.  I hope you thought the same of me.
> 
> 
> Simon