Oh, Diana Gabaldon, NO!
My apartment is unusually full of new books read and unread, both bought ones and library ones. This is fun. Latest one I finished was Lord John and the Brotherhood and the Blade. Fun story, John lovely as always, the plot better and plottier than the Outlander series (yay!) though the characters somewhat flatter (nay!) - with exception for our gentleman's family members, who are great. The romance, if that's the word for it, was also fairly engaging.
And then, to make sure I don't enjoy myself too much, there are moments like these:
"The thought, though, recalled to him what Minnie had said about the visit of Captain Bates's mistress. It wasn't impossible, he supposed; there were men who enjoyed the favors of both men and women - but it wasn't common, and such persons as he knew of that bent generally displayed a sexual indiscriminacy that seemed at odds with the notion of such a settled relationship as the word 'mistress' implied."
Bisexuals are rare and too slutty for mistresses! YAAAAY! (And once again, I fail the test for my sexual orientation. What else is new?)
Then there's dear John's view on the sexual act itself:
"He'd had Percy's arse twice, and loved every second of it, from the first tentative slick probings to the piercing sense of conquest and possession" - what's that, John? Perhaps you'd like to clarify things? "He was chary of lending his own arse, and seldom did, not liking the sense of being so dominated by another."
Topping = dominating! Because that's a cliché we can't live without!
And of course then we have darling Jamie showing up to give the bigot's point of view - and I'm willing to cut Jamie some slack for having been brutally raped and thus not being entirely unbiased where homosexuality is concerned, but: "[...]only men who lack the ability to possess a woman - or cowards who fear them - must resort to such feeble indecencies to relieve their lust." That is to say, a "pervert who cannot deal with women as a man, but minces about and preys upon helpless boys".
John calls him out on that bullshit, of course, but then what does he say? "I tell you, sir - were I to take you to my bed - I could make you scream. And by God, I would do it."
Ignoring, for a moment, how this is possibly the worst thing one could say to Jamie Fraser... wow. Ladies and gentlemen, it seems that however different views these two have on sexual politics, they're completely in agreement about one thing: Sex is something one person does to another. It's not something two people do together.
Jamie, whatever my 16-year-old self might have had to say about it, I officially declare myself over any desire to be "possessed" by you. John, I sincerely hope you someday find yourself thoroughly dominated by a bottom.
Diana, you... argh. I thought suicidal!Fergus was the most cringe-inducing moment you meant to have with my favourite characters. Evidently not. But then, considering that your venture into queer characters started with rapists and sissies, I don't suppose I should expect anything better from you.
And then, to make sure I don't enjoy myself too much, there are moments like these:
"The thought, though, recalled to him what Minnie had said about the visit of Captain Bates's mistress. It wasn't impossible, he supposed; there were men who enjoyed the favors of both men and women - but it wasn't common, and such persons as he knew of that bent generally displayed a sexual indiscriminacy that seemed at odds with the notion of such a settled relationship as the word 'mistress' implied."
Bisexuals are rare and too slutty for mistresses! YAAAAY! (And once again, I fail the test for my sexual orientation. What else is new?)
Then there's dear John's view on the sexual act itself:
"He'd had Percy's arse twice, and loved every second of it, from the first tentative slick probings to the piercing sense of conquest and possession" - what's that, John? Perhaps you'd like to clarify things? "He was chary of lending his own arse, and seldom did, not liking the sense of being so dominated by another."
Topping = dominating! Because that's a cliché we can't live without!
And of course then we have darling Jamie showing up to give the bigot's point of view - and I'm willing to cut Jamie some slack for having been brutally raped and thus not being entirely unbiased where homosexuality is concerned, but: "[...]only men who lack the ability to possess a woman - or cowards who fear them - must resort to such feeble indecencies to relieve their lust." That is to say, a "pervert who cannot deal with women as a man, but minces about and preys upon helpless boys".
John calls him out on that bullshit, of course, but then what does he say? "I tell you, sir - were I to take you to my bed - I could make you scream. And by God, I would do it."
Ignoring, for a moment, how this is possibly the worst thing one could say to Jamie Fraser... wow. Ladies and gentlemen, it seems that however different views these two have on sexual politics, they're completely in agreement about one thing: Sex is something one person does to another. It's not something two people do together.
Jamie, whatever my 16-year-old self might have had to say about it, I officially declare myself over any desire to be "possessed" by you. John, I sincerely hope you someday find yourself thoroughly dominated by a bottom.
Diana, you... argh. I thought suicidal!Fergus was the most cringe-inducing moment you meant to have with my favourite characters. Evidently not. But then, considering that your venture into queer characters started with rapists and sissies, I don't suppose I should expect anything better from you.