oops

[kindkit]

I just realized, from a prompt over at queer_fest, that the bisexual H. G. Wells on Warehouse 13, whom I've been eager to meet, is not the H. G. Wells but an original character, and a woman.

I thought there was going to be an actual queer man on a US-ian sff show. How stupid am I?

*sigh* I'm disappointed. Obviously it's good to have any (non-offensive) queer representation, but a queer female character isn't as thrilling for me personally as a queer man would have been. And my disappointment isn't helped by the feeling that showrunners tend to write in bisexual women rather than lesbians or gay or bi men because they think it's the form of queer sexuality that will piss off the fewest viewers, especially straight male viewers (who as we all know are the only ones that really matter).

I haven't actually met the character yet. I don't know if she's going to be written in an offensive way, as the "hot bi chick" out of a straight man's wank fantasy. Presumably she's not, since people whose judgment I respect think she's awesome.

But I'm sick of there not being any non-straight male characters on any science fiction and fantasy shows (except Torchwood, of course, and as some of you know, I have serious issues with the way Torchwood depicted same-sex relationships in comparison to female/male relationships). I want to see gay men and bi men. And lesbians, too! Why can't shows have several queer characters? Why can't a variety of queer sexualities be included?

Why is sff, which pats itself on the back as the genre that's about exploration and breaking boundaries and going beyond the mundane, so fucking gutless?



ETA: And having now met W13's H. G. Wells, I'm afraid I would much rather have James MacPherson back.

And I'm still trying to figure out why James's original crime, using the Phoenix to save his wife while knowing that doing so would kill other people, was supposed to be so evil. It's not the most ethical of decisions, and it's certainly a decision that it's not acceptable for a W13 agent to make, but it's also one that a hell of a lot of people would make in similar circumstances. It was never sufficiently explained how we got from that James to murdering!semi-sociopath!James.

It would've been so awesome if James had got to live and be Artie's boyfriend redeemed instead of turning to dust.

Comments

[kindkit]

I found the whole "HG is female" thin interesting

I'm waiting to see what they do with that; hopefully it'll be part of giving her more characterization than "unmotivated evil." (I haven't read your spoiler text, although I fear that it says something like "a romance between H. G. and Pete." *sigh*)

Part of my problem is that, since she was introduced in the same episode that James was killed off, it really does feel like he was sacrificed to make room for her in the storyline. And since I found James fascinating, and H. G. is not yet interesting to me at all, it's not a trade-off I'm thrilled about. No doubt I'll start to find her more interesting later, but I still don't want James to be dead. (Two dead kind-of-queer-reading Jameses in two shows is two too many.)

that's my personal sexuality represented up there on the screen, so I guess that's understandable

Totally. And it's not like there's a surplus of queer women characters on TV. I stand by what I said about many shows that want to include a queer character going for "bisexual woman" as the least audience-alienating option, but the problem isn't the inclusion of bi women, it's the lack of inclusion of any other queer characters. And based on the name, I'm afraid H.G. did get my hopes up. In large measure my current disappointment is about my own desire to see something like my own personal sexuality represented on the screen, but that's not an illegitimate desire.

*sigh* Someday, before I'm too old to see the screen and hear the dialogue, I'd really like there to be a sff show with several major LGBT characters who get to save the world and kick ass and have friendships and sometimes find romance, too.

there seems to be a lot of James/Artie fic out there, if that's any consolation

It is (it's certainly an improvement over the shocking lack of Henry/Big Guy Sanctuary fic!) and it isn't. Because fanfic doesn't really fix the canon, and I don't see why a past James/Artie relationship couldn't have been canonical. It would have made a lot more sense than the real canonical backstory (with a random woman-they-both-loved introduced to triangulate their feelings for one another, but not given any kind of characterization to make her plausible) and considering Artie's not the show's Hot Leading Man, alienating the viewers wouldn't have been as much of a concern. Well, except for those viewers who are absolutely horrified by the thought of two men getting it on, but damn, I wish TV showrunners had the guts of that video game producer and would just say, "fuck it, we're not catering to homophobes."

[st_aurafina]

Totally. And it's not like there's a surplus of queer women characters on TV. I stand by what I said about many shows that want to include a queer character going for "bisexual woman" as the least audience-alienating option,

That is definitely true, and I think that part of why I liked HG so much was that they didn't go for the titillation factor that you usually see with a bisexual female character. There's no Pete/HG romance, by the way, don't even worry. The character that she has the most chemistry is Myka, so strongly that I can't help wondering if they did write a romance in and were forced to pull it back. (Or maybe that's just me - hence I'm curious to see how it comes across to you, if you choose to push on with the show.)

And based on the name, I'm afraid H.G. did get my hopes up.

I'm so sorry - it didn't even occur to me, and I feel wretched for getting your hopes up in that way. That's a total privilege fail on my part - she fits perfectly with my vision of the world, and I forget that isn't everyone's.

In large measure my current disappointment is about my own desire to see something like my own personal sexuality represented on the screen, but that's not an illegitimate desire.

No! You're absolutely right to demand representation, and to be disappointed when it's not there. I can still enjoy fic and supposition and reading between the lines, but it's really just scrabbling for breadcrumbs. None of us should have to scrabble to see ourselves in stories.

I wish TV showrunners had the guts of that video game producer and would just say, "fuck it, we're not catering to homophobes."

That was bloody amazing, that was. I cheered.