A Four Letter Word
Authors Note: I’ve ranted myself blue in the face regarding my feelings about the fact that more characters on television are not gay or if they are they are only supporting characters meant for comic relief rather than characters with actual substance who the simple fact that they love someone of the same sex is the least interesting thing about them, so this is not exactly one of those posts. This is however an opinion post re: homoerotic subtext found in books, television and films, and those who have managed to notice it and perhaps delve deeper into it.
ans of almost any t.v. show, book or movie can find homoerotic subtext in just about anything, and some people will either write them off as desperate or crazy, while others praise their assessment as everything they’ve been thinking, but we’re unable to put into words.
It’s worth noting that love does not necessarily have to equal romance. It can equal obsession, passion, desire, and everything in between. There is an admittedly fine line between love and hate, particularly when there are those who hate who they love, and love who they hate.
The Love/Hate of Harry and Draco: I admit I have personally loved this particular pairing for a long time, it was in fact the first pairing I had ever read in fan fiction. For non fans of the pair there’s an obvious question of what the hell are you talking about? Why of ALL the people you could possibly find a possible love interest in would you pick Harry and Draco? The answer can actually be found in J.K.Rowling’s own writings, in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. In which the author herself describes Harry as quickly becoming obsessed with Draco’s actions. This is of course written in the context that one assumes Draco is inherently evil, but why is it so important to Harry when even his own friends are getting tired of this obsession? They have just as much reason as anyone to dislike Draco and be suspicious of him, but even they don’t think Harry’s obsession is a healthy one. Following him around every turn, is granted more stalker-ish than very romantic, however there’s also the fact that there is a very thin line between love and hate, and as evidenced by the now infamous Grey’s Anatomy quote, “I like you, in a really big way… that makes me hate you. Love you. So pick me, chose me, love me.” And after all this is the same author who thought that it should have been quite obvious Dumbledore’s love for his own enemy Grindlewald.
the Angel’s Sacrifice: If you have ever watched the CW’s Supernatural you probably already know where this one is going. There has been a great deal of comment six ways from Sunday about the characters of Dean and Castiel (or Cas) but none more succinctly put than the idea that this is an angel who has given up everything for one human being for whom he should owe nothing, but yet feels he owe’s everything. From the moment he pulled Dean up from hell, to killing his own family to protect him, and giving up all of himself a million times over for this other man.
Some things are a little more obvious like the line in Skyfall in which James Bond very blatantly suggests that he may or may not have had sex with a man some time in the past. Love does not have to be as obvious or outspoken as Chris and Eric’s, to be real. It can be a silent, unrequited love that burns just as strong as any other, however tragic it may sound.
