One (two?) of the reasons I love Tommy, and something that I don't think enough people in the fandom give him credit for, is the fact that he seems to be both a natural sub and very comfortable about it. There's a hella lot of cultural constructs involved in this, but at the risk of oversimplifying, masculinity is so tightly associated with heterosexuality and dominance that straight men find gay men ~threatening or ~offensive because being gay obviously means they're non-heterosexual, and possibly non-dominant, and thus challenge the idea of what it means to be ~masculine. (This is why it ties in with feminist theory, btw.)
I love that Tommy doesn't mind being seen as non-heterosexual, non-masculine, and non-dominant to an established gay man. This is a HUGE component in Adam's message of equality and embracing diversity. Like, here is Adam, the non-heterosexual man who is unapologetically sexual and pretty ~dominant. Contrast him with Tommy, the submissive, non-masculine, counterpart, and Tommy is the heterosexual one. The mindfuck is so awesome I still want to jizz every time I think about it.
I know I've seen you talk about this before, and it really is kind of shockingly amazing, isn't it? I mean, Tommy's never gonna be able to escape that image, not now. And he seems so very, very cool with it. I love that boy.
Thank you! I love this fandom because these are the types of conversations I end up having with fellow fans while driving back for 2 hours at midnight after a show. In between UNFing at Adam, of course, but there's legit thinky things here.
YES! This fandom.....although in fact it's often a RESPECTdom....has allowed me to meet so many people, become a part of so many communities where FINALLY I can be COMPLETELY myself. It's truly no big deal if people are straight or LGBTQ...all are in it together. hell, I even think there's some slight appreciation that as a lesbian, I'm not gonna get in anyone's way if they're drooling over Adam. *giggle* People aren't creeped out by differences in orientation......everyone's equal. I LOVE that! And YES to the legit thinky things! I enjoy the fic and comments - big topics are tackled and discussed....no one should EVER dismiss it as something less. :-)
This has got to be one of the best analyses of why I love their dynamic that I have EVER read. Couldn't have said it better if I tried... And, I didn't quite get ALL the implications until you spelled them out, and then I had to say "yes, that's true"!
Aww, thank you ♥ I've had many discussions on this issue before, and I was far less coherent at first. Like, I knew there was something awesome there but it took me a while to be able to articulate it. I love this fandom because there's a lot of thinky stuff in between the flail, and thus a lot of very intelligent people get drawn in too, so you get the most wonderful, intellectually stimulating conversations. While UNFing at Adam. It's the best.
This is an interesting statement. I hadn't thought about it this way. Probably because whenever I see them together my mind goes straight to the gutter. When you put it like this, it shows what a unique man Tommy really is. Someone could write a fascinating thesis on the psychology of their relationship.
Kind of makes me want to go back to college or something *wink*
LOL, funnily enough I just finished college so my head's kind of in the right spot to be doing thinky stuff. I totally know what you mean, I tend to drool and UNF at them for the first few hours. But the best thing about this fandom is that I've been able to have amazing conversations with other fans (some of whom study this shit for a living) and so I've been able to appreciate the implications of Adam as a mainstream artist in our current society, too. I actually know someone (met her at one of the shows, too) who just wrote her thesis on Adam and masculinity in American media.
I'm actually really interested in this kind of thing. I read an article on AfterElton about Adam's fan base and fanfiction. The author implied that fan fiction is actually a good thing for tolerance and acceptance of gays and to a lesser extent, lesbians. A lot of people felt that was a ridiculous statement but I agreed with him. The (mostly) woman who read and write fanfiction are mothers, friends, sisters, etc... They share their views with their friends, family, co-workers. They raise their children to be open minded and accepting. Sorry, I didn’t mean to get away from the subject of Tommy.
You’ve actually given me something new to think about. Thanks
One (two?) of the reasons I love Tommy, and something that I don't think enough people in the fandom give him credit for, is the fact that he seems to be both a natural sub and very comfortable about it. There's a hella lot of cultural constructs involved in this, but at the risk of oversimplifying, masculinity is so tightly associated with heterosexuality and dominance that straight men find gay men ~threatening or ~offensive because being gay obviously means they're non-heterosexual, and possibly non-dominant, and thus challenge the idea of what it means to be ~masculine. (This is why it ties in with feminist theory, btw.)
I love that Tommy doesn't mind being seen as non-heterosexual, non-masculine, and non-dominant to an established gay man. This is a HUGE component in Adam's message of equality and embracing diversity. Like, here is Adam, the non-heterosexual man who is unapologetically sexual and pretty ~dominant. Contrast him with Tommy, the submissive, non-masculine, counterpart, and Tommy is the heterosexual one. The mindfuck is so awesome I still want to jizz every time I think about it.
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Blows my mind, given my location and social experience....someone hetero being absolutely fine, and actually egging on, being assumed to be bi or gay!
Definitely impressed. Scores points with me.
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Couldn't have said it better if I tried...
And, I didn't quite get ALL the implications until you spelled them out, and then I had to say "yes, that's true"!
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Kind of makes me want to go back to college or something *wink*
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You’ve actually given me something new to think about. Thanks
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