There was a tweet by Ian Hallard, husband of Mark Gatiss, expressing incredulity about a Sherlock/John romantic relationship happening in canon for Sherlock BBC
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I'm not too familiar with Sherlock (although I have guiltily read quite a bit of smut fic for it ;) ), but I do feel as though, in general, (and I could be totally off on this), in fiction there exists a double standard for the acceptability of homosexuality. A lesbian being attracted to a man "feminizes" her, and a heterosexual male being attracted to a man does the same thing, which is considered socially unacceptable. Gay men can be negatively stereotyped in fiction; they can be viewed as weak. Due to this stereotype, I think that some people have difficulty accepting a gay male protagonist, or even a male character who happened to be interested in just one particular other male character. A lesbian protagonist, on the other hand, is more likely to be viewed as strong, with an interesting, sort of off-beat charm. Alternately, a female character who is bisexual or doesn't have a clearly defined sexuality is often viewed as mysterious, interesting, or badass. (See Remy Hadley/Thirteen)
There are many people who view themselves as sexually and/or romantically fluid, where gender is inconsequential in terms of romantic and sexual partners, but that seems to be a bit of a taboo subject. I believe "Torchwood" is one of the few shows that has explored this.
From what I know of the character of Sherlock Holmes, he seems to follow his own whims and line of thinking. He likely wouldn't take the time to bother defining his sexuality because it would get in the way of more important matters, and due to the fact that he is often focused on his own thought process, he would be less likely to care how others define his sexuality. He could also very well be asexual or aromantic, finding that relationships or sexual encounters take away from his other activities. But then again? Who the hell knows about Sherlock Holmes? ;)
Therefore, I think it's entirely plausible for Sherlock to develop an interest in any character, and if he weren't to develop an interest, it wouldn't be due to their gender, but out of boredom or dislike. I have a similar opinion on House's sexuality, but that's an entirely different topic. ;)
Once again, all of this is merely speculation and my opinion, and based really only on things I have personally read or seen. Others may have a far different take.
There are many people who view themselves as sexually and/or romantically fluid, where gender is inconsequential in terms of romantic and sexual partners, but that seems to be a bit of a taboo subject. I believe "Torchwood" is one of the few shows that has explored this.
From what I know of the character of Sherlock Holmes, he seems to follow his own whims and line of thinking. He likely wouldn't take the time to bother defining his sexuality because it would get in the way of more important matters, and due to the fact that he is often focused on his own thought process, he would be less likely to care how others define his sexuality. He could also very well be asexual or aromantic, finding that relationships or sexual encounters take away from his other activities. But then again? Who the hell knows about Sherlock Holmes? ;)
Therefore, I think it's entirely plausible for Sherlock to develop an interest in any character, and if he weren't to develop an interest, it wouldn't be due to their gender, but out of boredom or dislike. I have a similar opinion on House's sexuality, but that's an entirely different topic. ;)
Once again, all of this is merely speculation and my opinion, and based really only on things I have personally read or seen. Others may have a far different take.
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