From: Betty Ragan ragan@sdc.org
And like I said, I do basically agree with what Neil said in that post. On the other hand... I dunno, it kind of bugs me to see things like:
[Note: Hypothetical example *only*!]
Person A: I think Blake is gay. Person B: Why do you think that?
etc
Unfortunately you also get:
A: Blake is gay. B: Why do you think that? A: Because he is! B: Do you have proof? A: 25 episodes of proof. Just watch him with Avon. They're both camp as a row of tents. B: No they're not. A: Yes they are. B: Are not! A: Are!
ad nauseam.
And the same thing can happen with an assertion that Blake is straight.
Hmm. Here's a question, posed in all seriousness. If someone were to make a post saying "I think Avon likes ballroom dancing," would people feel the need to challenge that statement for support from canon?
Which strikes deep into the real heart of the whole great slash debate. It's about sex. People (for whatever deranged and unfathomable reason) care more about that than they do when it comes to preferred styles of dancing. (I would personally say that Avon Doesn't Dance. But not because he *can't*, you understand...) Fans construct their own ideals of the characters, develop an emotional investment in them, and assign greater or lesser priority to each aspect of that ideal. Sexual orientation tends to be near the top of the priority list. Dance floor expertise tends not to. (Although we might imagine a hypothetical fan who might argue passionately that his or her - though probably her - Avon is a ballroom dancer and not give a squit about who he sleeps with, it's unlikely.)
Similarly, the importance of the character to the fan is a major factor. If someone were to suggest that Chevner were gay, or Piri, or the third Decima from the left, I can't see many people batting an eyelid. They don't care about these characters. They don't have an emotional investment in them.
That's what it all comes down to - emotional investment. Fans talk about 'my Avon' or 'my Cally' in explicitly proprietorial ways. They tend not to talk about 'my Dastor' or 'my Groff' because they don't have sufficient interest in, nor care enough about, these minor characters. Some fans don't even know who they are anyway.
And if you get emotionally possessive about someone, you tend to get a bit heated when someone challenges your ideal. Like being told your best friend is a no-good cheating liar when you've no evidence to believe that.
Though he might be, of course.
Neil