The Dead/Evil Lesbian Cliche
Why this topic now? I was going through some old bookmarks and ran across this site about Willow/Tara and The Dead/Evil Lesbian Cliche. It bothers me.
Full disclaimer, though I hate that I feel the need to pull out "the gay card". I'm an openly bisexual woman, though I'm not really active in the gay community (Not because I'm in the closet but because I think there's a lot more interesting things about me than my sexuality).
I didn't watch BtVS as it aired, but I was active in other genre fandoms and, as I was in high school at the time, I took more of an interest in queer issues (self-discovery, yeah). I had vaguely heard about Willow/Tara, but I surely heard the uproar when Tara died. I knew all about Willow going "dark" and going on a murderous apocalyptic spree. And I shook my head at the homophobia that runs rampant in the media.
Years later, I finally watched the show, the uproar being a distant memory by that time. When I reached the end of Season 6, I had to go to my computer and look up that controversy again, because I couldn't see what the problem was.
Does Tara's death fit the cliche? Well, yes. That much is obvious. Tara dies. Willow goes on a rampage.
Do I care? No, not at all.
Lesbians had been used in the media at that point as a way to add sex appeal. Lesbian couples were written for the enjoyment of men. Joss Whedon gave us a couple written with just as much respect and love as any other couple on his show. Willow and Tara weren't "the lesbians" on the show. They were Willow and Tara, and they were together. He didn't sex them up for the pleasure of men (a la Xander's dream in Restless). He presented them as I wish more shows would be willing to present lesbian couples.
However, just as Willow and Tara were given no distinction due to their sexuality, their relationship ended in a manner similar to the rest of Whedon's couples: horribly.
Jenny gets killed just as she's about to reconcile with Giles.
Buffy has to kill Angel after he finally has his soul returned to him.
Riley leaves Buffy after her mom gets out of the surgery.
Xander leaves Anya on their wedding day.
Tara gets shot and killed after she and Willow get back together.
If the show had had happy, fluffy endings for every other couple, then I'd take issue with the way Willow and Tara ended. But it didn't. Hell, the show is known for putting couples through hell.
That was addressed, though, by the letter-writers and protesters at the time, apparently. Their answer: they didn't care. Willow and Tara should have gotten immunity from this Whedon staple to compensate for the long lack of good lesbian role models in the media.
How patronizing. I can say this since I already put down my gay card. After I watched the show and reread those arguments, I felt outright angry at this. All I want is for non-heterosexual couples to be on equal footing with heterosexual couples in the media. Joss Whedon gave us that. To say that Willow and Tara should have existed in some happy, special Whedon-place where nothing bad ever happened to them is insulting.
Lesbian couples should be fully integrated into the show, not put in some protective bubble for the sanctity of the movement. Willow and Tara were. An online friend of mine noted, and I quite agree, that having Tara die was an incredibly gay-friendly move for Whedon. Why? Because Willow and Tara were treated exactly the same as any other couple on the show. That's what we want, right? We got it, so why the hell complain about it?
I'm so very glad that Whedon didn't compromise the story for the sake of political correctness. And I realize I'm pretty darn late on this particular kerfuffle, but that's the way of things when one is a latecomer to fandom. But I still have an opinion, dammit. Plus, you know, writer's block on my fic. :(
*Just a note: This? 'Tis a rant. But feel free to share your opinion. Woe to any person that plays the homophobia card with me, though.*
Full disclaimer, though I hate that I feel the need to pull out "the gay card". I'm an openly bisexual woman, though I'm not really active in the gay community (Not because I'm in the closet but because I think there's a lot more interesting things about me than my sexuality).
I didn't watch BtVS as it aired, but I was active in other genre fandoms and, as I was in high school at the time, I took more of an interest in queer issues (self-discovery, yeah). I had vaguely heard about Willow/Tara, but I surely heard the uproar when Tara died. I knew all about Willow going "dark" and going on a murderous apocalyptic spree. And I shook my head at the homophobia that runs rampant in the media.
Years later, I finally watched the show, the uproar being a distant memory by that time. When I reached the end of Season 6, I had to go to my computer and look up that controversy again, because I couldn't see what the problem was.
Does Tara's death fit the cliche? Well, yes. That much is obvious. Tara dies. Willow goes on a rampage.
Do I care? No, not at all.
Lesbians had been used in the media at that point as a way to add sex appeal. Lesbian couples were written for the enjoyment of men. Joss Whedon gave us a couple written with just as much respect and love as any other couple on his show. Willow and Tara weren't "the lesbians" on the show. They were Willow and Tara, and they were together. He didn't sex them up for the pleasure of men (a la Xander's dream in Restless). He presented them as I wish more shows would be willing to present lesbian couples.
However, just as Willow and Tara were given no distinction due to their sexuality, their relationship ended in a manner similar to the rest of Whedon's couples: horribly.
Jenny gets killed just as she's about to reconcile with Giles.
Buffy has to kill Angel after he finally has his soul returned to him.
Riley leaves Buffy after her mom gets out of the surgery.
Xander leaves Anya on their wedding day.
Tara gets shot and killed after she and Willow get back together.
If the show had had happy, fluffy endings for every other couple, then I'd take issue with the way Willow and Tara ended. But it didn't. Hell, the show is known for putting couples through hell.
That was addressed, though, by the letter-writers and protesters at the time, apparently. Their answer: they didn't care. Willow and Tara should have gotten immunity from this Whedon staple to compensate for the long lack of good lesbian role models in the media.
How patronizing. I can say this since I already put down my gay card. After I watched the show and reread those arguments, I felt outright angry at this. All I want is for non-heterosexual couples to be on equal footing with heterosexual couples in the media. Joss Whedon gave us that. To say that Willow and Tara should have existed in some happy, special Whedon-place where nothing bad ever happened to them is insulting.
Lesbian couples should be fully integrated into the show, not put in some protective bubble for the sanctity of the movement. Willow and Tara were. An online friend of mine noted, and I quite agree, that having Tara die was an incredibly gay-friendly move for Whedon. Why? Because Willow and Tara were treated exactly the same as any other couple on the show. That's what we want, right? We got it, so why the hell complain about it?
I'm so very glad that Whedon didn't compromise the story for the sake of political correctness. And I realize I'm pretty darn late on this particular kerfuffle, but that's the way of things when one is a latecomer to fandom. But I still have an opinion, dammit. Plus, you know, writer's block on my fic. :(
*Just a note: This? 'Tis a rant. But feel free to share your opinion. Woe to any person that plays the homophobia card with me, though.*