standing in front of the sink i'm pretending to wink

[fitz_clementine]

So I've been bumming around the house all day long. I had an appointment with Dr. Feelgood my friendly local mustachioed psychiatrist-since-high-school, who I only really see anymore to get pills ordered in to the university pharmacy, but the appointment's been postponed. This is irritating 'cause I'm all out of pills. Anyway, I didn't feel like

Comments

[spacklegeek]

Not at all. Actually I think your disclaimers were the only indication I had that you were less (more?) than sober.

I think it's a good discussion to have, because you're right: the only times we see explicitly (or even subtextually) LGBTQ characters are when it's a book somehow geared toward LGBTQ people. Or, maybe, they exist so the author can feel good about him/herself - "look! i'm including a gay character in my book! i am hip and aware and queer-positive!"

The only instance I can think of (twenty minutes after having woken up, here...) where that's not the case is SWORDSPOINT by Ellen Kushner. She created a society there where being more than straight isn't any kind of Big Deal - no one cares, just like no one cares if you are straight. It's not worth mentioning, beyond the idle gossip of who is sleeping with whom. (It's a great book for a lot of reasons; have you read it?)

Argh. I do wish Suzanne Collins (and JK R.) had addressed the idea of queerness, somehow. Just because Katniss (and Harry, maybe) aren't LGBTQ isn't an excuse to not have, say, Madge (or Neville) be queer. Especially Collins - include a contrast between the sexuality practiced in the Capitol, straight or gay, versus maybe the more "real" expressions of love/sex practiced in the districts. Or even, "Men marry women in District 12. That's just the way it is. I heard once that District 3 is more tolerant, but we're old fashioned here." Even something like that, which confronts the assumed heteronormativity head on.

...And I think this is very meandering, but maybe close to what I wanted to say, for still being mostly asleep.

[fitz_clementine]

I think I may have read short stories by that author and set in the world of that novel...but...no! Maybe I ought to put it on my "to-read" list.

...And Harry, maybe . Hee. :D

[fitz_clementine]

Oh, and I definitely interpreted Madge as having a crush on Katniss until we found out the Tragic Family Backstory reason why she gave her the mockingjay pin.