gay characters

[slytherinspirit]

No: HPFGUIDX 71385

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, Trevor Peterson <laxer26 at y...> 
wrote:

>  
> First, the difference between debating someone's moral character 
and someone's orientation is that a person's moral character is 
actually definitely relevant to the plot.  For example, if Neville is 
ever so evil, it will affect (or is it effect, I dont remember) the 
story line.  
>  

Forgive me if this comes out as terse or bitter but my computer ate 
my long winded and (I thought) eloquent response to this post. I am 
pissed at it not anyone round here.

You are correct. That was a bad analogy to use. The point i was 
trying to make was twofold. Firstly, you refer to people arbitrarily 
deciding someone *must* be gay and then going on a witch hunt to find 
out who - this is no differnt imo to arbitrarily deciding that one 
ofthe heroes must be evil and going on a witch hunt to find them but 
usually when someone posts on Evil!Lupin or Evil!Neville or whatever 
their pet theory is people respon to it by saying - I don't think he 
is evil because A, B, C whereas when someone says I think so and so 
is gay here is my evidence what they are getting a lot of the time 
around here is 'why are you assuming anyone is gay, we shouldn't 
speculate on their sexuality'.

Secondly when it comes to irrelevent facts - well it's not relevent 
whether the Tutshill Tornadoes are the Man Utd of the WW or not (just 
interesting) but in threads like that again the posters get to defend 
their case not their right to even have the discussion in the first 
place.

My point wasn't aimed specifically at you but at the whole question 
of whethe people should be speculationg on the sexuality of the 
characters.


> laxer: 
> I agree with you here.  That is what made me post after the initial 
message, which can be viewed here: 

<snipped scene of James bullying Snape> Well that's why I was asking 
I wasn't sure exactly what you were getting at. Although I think the 
poster was trying to find some kind of explanation for 
James' 'because he exists' comment rather than looking to perpetrate 
a stereotype. It doesn't so much adress Snape's sexuality per se as 
othe people's perception of it. The poster doesn't actually seem to 
come down on either side of the 'is Snape gay' debate so much as 
suggest that James may perceive him as fitting a stereotype and bully 
him because of it. Frankly I think James is just an arrogant git and 
Snape happened to be a victim waiting for a bully to appear.

>  
> laxer:
> I haven't watched the movies so I don't know anything about the 
scene, but I did feel a lot of tension between the two in reading, 
because Snape wanted to prove how his skills are better then 
Lockhart's, who got the job he wanted.  
>  
Me -

Oh I agree there's tension. I just think it derives from a deep 
desire on Snape's part to kick the moron into the next century rather 
than anything else :)

btw I have really enjoyed your posts on this subject.

K