Stereotyping

[jwcpgh]

No: HPFGUIDX 86728

Martha said:
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.) ;-
<snip> 
> > 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. <snip> > 
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 another post, Katherine Cawte said:
Why is it that society tends to see violence as a perfectly 
acceptable topic for children's literature but sex (and we're not
talking about Snape and Dumbledore going at it on one of the tables 
in the Great Hall, but rather homosexuality or a homosexual 
relationship being portrayed in a non-overt way similar 
toPercy/Penelope or Molly/Arthur) is some how 'wrong' or a bad 
influence?

And Susan said:
<snip> But what I was suggesting is that all you see is mixed gender 
> couples, and boy/girl pairings. 
> 
> So you [Martha]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 a 
fascinating thought...

Laura responds:

My, aren't we a lively bunch this morning!  Molly and Arthur into a 
major b/d scene, Snape and DD giving, shall we say, dualling (sorry, 
couldn't resist) lessons in the Great Hall...have a debauched 
weekend, did we all?  Gee, Kneasy, can Molly be a dominatrix as part 
of a mutually satisfying sex life with her husband and still be the 
model for the English mum?  

Now, about this gay character stuff...If these books had been 
written 40 years ago, everyone would have been white and male, in 
all likelihood.  The culture was not racially or sexually inclusive 
then; in fact, the discussions of the imbalances were just getting 
started.  We are now with homosexuality where we were with race and 
gender a generation or so ago.  JKR has clearly made an effort to 
create a mixed-gender, multicultural student body which reflects the 
reality of the world we Westerners live in.  Because the transition 
to a completely diverse society hasn't been completed yet, we as 
readers notice what she's done.  But because most of us take for 
granted the desirability of a diverse society, we don't think it's 
peculiar or politically loaded.  
If she had out gay characters, though, that would not read the same 
way as the gender or race inclusiveness she writes in, because we 
(that is, the culture in general) still haven't come to the point 
where being gay is considered a subset of normal.  It would be 
jarring, I think, and cause readers to devote too much attention to 
the gay characters because of their gayness.  
Added to that problem is that these books focus on an adolescent.  
Not having grown up gay, I can't say for sure, but from what I 
understand from my gay friends and relatives, awareness of one's 
gayness is an issue on top of the general sexuality stuff all kids 
go through.  In other words, everyone has hormones and feelings but 
if you're straight you are part of the common experience and you 
don't have to figure out what your sexuality means as part of your 
culture.  (I'm saying this clumsily-I hope I'm getting my point 
across.) You just know that you are a sexual being.  But if you're 
gay you have a whole other bunch of stuff to think about in addition 
to the hormones and feelings, which after all work the same way 
regardless of who switches them on.  
So just as Harry falls into "the norm" in other ways-white, male, 
not physically, mentally or emotionally disabled, etc.-he also must 
be straight and see the world from that perspective.  If that 
weren't the case, the story would be imbalanced.  We'd filter his 
experiences through his differentness, whatever that would be.  
That's not the story JKR wants to tell.  In another 20 years or so, 
I hope we'll be with sexuality at the same place we are today with 
race and gender.  Then we can expect gay characters to appear as 
part of the normal world.  Today, though, we're still working on 
it.  

A quick observation on the Remus/Sirius ship: it always strikes me 
when I read the Pensieve II scene that JKR has a girl in the exam 
room gazing with interest at Sirius.  And what's Sirius's reaction?  
He doesn't even notice.  He's busy checking out his homies.  Make of 
that what you will.  

Laura, who can't wait to order Martha's "Harry Lives with Remus and 
Sirius" book