Stereotyping

[susanmcgee48176]

No: HPFGUIDX 86724

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Martha" 
<fakeplastikcynic at h...> wrote:
> "arealin" said:
> 
> > I think there are lines even JKR won't cross in her books. After 
> > all, even if we don't consider them children's books anymore, 
they 
> > are read by children and even if she thought it ok to introduce 
> > homosexuality issues to minors, I doubt her publishers would 
agree. 
> 
> Martha replies:
> 
> Without wanting to get into any sort of flame-war, I must make a 
few 
> points. Where is it written that children shouldn't read 
> about "homosexuality issues" or that publishers are unlikely to 
allow 
> these issues to be dealt with? Exhibit A: the books of Jacqueline 
> Wilson. She writes for specifically for children ("adult" versions 
of 
> her books, with with "adult" covers, are not available) and deals 
> frankly with all sorts of issues, including sexuality, living with 
an 
> alcoholic parent, mental illness, adoption, being in care, 
> adolescence... I could go on. I don't think I've ever heard of an 
> incident of anyone claiming her books were unsuitable for children 
> and young people.
> 
> To be honest, I think the reason that there are no overtly gay 
> characters in Harry Potter is because nobody's sexuality is dealt 
> with full stop, other than Harry's. OK, there are married couples 
in 
> the books, but what they get up to is entirely their own business. 
> For all we know, Arthur and Molly's bedroom is a rubber-sheeted 
> bondage dungeon with whips and handcuffs - no, I'm not suggesting 
it 
> actually is, I'm just saying - we don't know. (Apologies to anyone 
> with slightly squicky mental image now floating around in brain.) ;-
) 
> The point is, the only sexuality dealt with at all is Harry's, and 
> even that to a fairly minor extent. We know he kissed Cho, but 
that's 
> it. That's all we know. He's fifteen and from that we can infer 
that 
> he may well have certain... urges, shall we say (isn't there 
> something somewhere in Oop - just after the kiss, I believe - along 
> the lines of "whenever he had imagined a scene involving the two of 
> them it had always included a Cho who was enjoying herself"? No 
> prizes for what that may - or may not - refer to) but we don't 
> actually know. OK, and we see other couples kissing, but that's 
all, 
> and it's usually relevant to the situation. Roger Davies (is that 
> right?) and his girlfriend snogging in the teashop has the purpose 
of 
> making the situation more embarrassing for Harry (and presumably 
for 
> Cho, although again, we don't know).
> 
> I guess the point here is that there is little discussion of 
> characters' sexuality because it's not part of Harry's story - and 
> arguably because it's just not important either way. IMO it's not 
> because "there are lines even JKR won't cross" (not the way I'd put 
> it myself, either), or because Bloomsbury (Scholastic, etc) would 
be 
> afraid to publish it. It's because it doesn't figure in Harry's 
life. 
> The poor kid can barely work out that he's supposed to ask someone 
> out at the age of 15, after all. He's working on sorting out his 
own 
> life and his own sexuality. Other people's sexualities just don't 
> figure.
> 
> In any case, I sincerely doubt any publisher is going to refuse to 
> publish a Harry Potter book because it makes reference to something 
> like sexuality - this is Harry Potter we're talking about. Hasn't 
OoP 
> sold something like 2.5 million copies since release in the UK 
alone? 
> Think about it.
> 
> ~ Martha, contemplating writing a book called "Harry lives with 
> Sirius and Remus" ;-)


Oooohhh..I do love a juicy argument....

What about references to Fleur de la Coeur and Bill Weasley -- isn't 
he giving her horizontal language lessons?

I have NO problem with JKR's lack of explicit sexuality in the books. 
I believe you are absolutely right. If Harry gets there before the end
we may hear/see some of it.

But what I was suggesting is that all you see is mixed gender 
couples, and boy/girl pairings. 

So you are suggesting that there are lesbians/gay men right in front 
of Harry but he's not "seeing" them? All he sees are the boyfriends 
and girlfriends kissing at the pub....the married couples...he's 
oblivious to any other model...wow, now that's fascinating thought...

And I agree, JKR can now do anything she wants..but what she will do 
will be within the context and integrity of her own story...

Susan