“but why do we need to teach or mention asexuality in health class”
well my guy, maybe so asexual teens dont think something’s wrong w them ???
I had to learn that something was off about me when I told someone I don’t get crushes and they gave me this intense soul searching stare. Then I proceeded to ignore said off feeling until senior year of high school because I thought that I’d ‘grow outta it’ or I ‘wasn’t old enough to know’ and ‘I just have to try harder and get a boyfriend and it will all figure itself out’.
if u want receipts i will write it out for you but honestly???? context + historical queer coding in literature + super queer historical and mythological references = a gay ass man
Victor Hugo: *Literally uses all methods used in classical literature to allude to a character being gay when talking about Enjolras*
Some people: Yes but Hugo never wrote him getting railed by a guy in the middle of the Corinth during the barricade scenes so clearly he is a heterosexual.
Okay though! This’ll just be me ranting about queer coding in general, and may turn into an essay.
First things first, and it’s not even too mythological: Enjolras being described as a ‘Savage Antinous’. Antinous was the lover of Hadrian (emperor; Antinous’ much older sugar daddy), and BELIEVE IT OR NOT super gay. Beginning in the 19th century, Antinous was used as a way of saying someone was gay without actually saying it (and when did Hugo write Les Mis? Oh dear, the 19th century!). Antinous: young, beautiful, very gay, described as a twink (literally; ‘eromenos’ was a historical way of saying pillow princess, and it’s used to describe Antinous).
Hugo? Used Antinous as a way of saying ‘yes, gay’ without actually saying it. If he had gone out and said it, he never would have been published, as simple as that. This was also the reason he described Enjolras as ‘chaste’ and ‘virginal’; being gay? Not the worst thing ever but not great. Being gay and sexually active? Absolutely not. Many authors used chaste as a way of saying ‘gay but not gay enough for you to refuse to publish my book’.
Side note: Antinous is often compared and depicted to a son of Apollo. Apollo.
Other couples they are compared to: Orestes and Pylades. Achilles and Patroclus. Nisus and Euryalus.
To unpack that:
Nisus and Euryalus – Virgil describes them as friends AND lovers, who – believe it or not! – die together. (Also Euryalus was described as ‘eromenos’ as well)
Orestes and Pylades – okay this one is! Okay kills me. Orestes and Pylades? Are a prime example of authors using coding. Their relationship has always been used as a way of describing homoeroticism without actually saying the words. Also – Orestes is a tiny bit sentenced to death. Pylades refuses to leave his side, even though he had not committed the crime.
Grantaire was described as ‘an unaccepted Pylades’ in his first introduction. He then dies next to Enjolras (after asking permission), therefore is an ‘accepted Pylades’, which just kind of hurts all over.
Believe it or not, the very queer Lord Byron used Orestes and Pylades in letters to his male lovers. Also used by him and others? Achilles and Patroclus.
Honestly, is there any reason to explain Achilles and Patroclus except to say: used by every author writing a queer character, or even writing to partners. From the aforementioned Lord Byron to Oscar Wilde and everything and everyone in between – queer coding at its most obvious and purposeful.
All dying next to/for each other. All queer. All historical uses of coding.
(Also don’t think I didn’t notice you saying @enjoloras instead of enjolras)
Fact: bisexuals make up a majority of the LGBT population.
Fact: the majority of bisexuals are closeted.
Theory: If all bisexual people came out, straight people would no longer be the majority.
Do we really make up a majority? Cause the way we’re erased i had no idea. Like really. I thought we were in minority…
The Human Rights Commission of San Francisco released a groundbreaking report on Bisexual Invisibility in 2010 which revealed that, even though only 28% of bisexuals are out (compared to 71% of lesbians and 77% of gay men.) bisexuals out-number gays and lesbians combined, Many studies have followed which verify this data.
Bisexual Invisibility more like Bisexual Invincibility
reblogging for the last comment
I’ve had a lot of bi people tell me “I thought bisexuality was almost nonexistent?” when I brought this up.
Bisexuals make up the majority of the LGBTQ+ community and a huge percentage if not the majority of people in general.
It’s easy to feel like you’re alone if you’re bi or questioning. The most powerful thing we can tell bi youth is ‘you are not alone’. It’s what saved my life as a kid.
I’m experiencing the Harry Potter series for the first time since accepting my bisexuality. Now is the time for all the headcanons.
Gay:
Albus Dumbledore: He had a summer romance with Gellert Grindelwald, but his love was ultimately unrequited.
Fabian Prewett: Bill may have taken after his uncle in terms of piercings, but his earring was a typical statement of rebellion & not an unconventional sign of commitment.
Seamus Finnigan: Youthful crush on ‘pretty boy’ Diggory aside, Seamus only ever really had eyes for Dean.
Justin Finch-Fletchley: Gilderoy Lockheart was his first crush, but certainly not his last.
Albus Potter: He takes after his namesake. In hindsight he had a huge crush on Goncalo Flores of the Brazilian Quidditch team. Scorpius Malfoy is his soulmate.
Lesbian:
Professor Hooch: She played for the other team. Literally.
Professor Grubby Plank: She wrote an award-winning essay on the homosexual tendencies of unicorns, which Rolanda found fascinating.
Gwenog Jones: The manager of the Welsh National team proposed to her long-time girlfriend on the pitch, after securing a place in the 2014 QWC. Thankfully, unlike her beloved grandmother Gwendolyn, Vilami Moran responded with affection rather than broomstick-based assault.
Bisexual:
Harry Potter: The bi who lived. Need I say more?
Dean Thomas: While the Patil sisters were indeed the best looking girls in school, Seamus really was in a category of his own. The pair were wed in Ireland in 2015 after the marriage equality referendum was passed.
Cho Chang: Attraction aside, she knew she would never love another man like she loved Cedric. Her fling with Marietta was as eye-opening as it was short-lived. Eventually, escape to the Muggle world allowed her to make room in her heart for a wonderful woman.
Marietta Edgecombe: The ravenclaw’s feelings for Cho were mixed in with guilt and fear of being found out, as well as Cho’s grief. As such, they were doomed from the beginning. Though she never had much luck with her mother, Marietta has always been honest with her husband Zacharias. He understands the complexity of love & loyalty.
Cedric Diggory: He had admirers among both sexes while at school & dated accordingly.
Viktor Krum: The former triwizard champion found love back in Bulgaria. His partner, Lev Zagrof certainly is a keeper.
Bill Weasley: Veela charm has a more measured effect on the curse-breaker, because he can see the beauty in both sexes. What happens in Egypt stays in Egypt.
Remus Lupin: Lycanthropy wasn’t the only reason the Gryffindor faced stigma. He dated girls throughout school, only realising the fullness of his feelings for Padfoot as they fought for their lives for the first time shortly after leaving Hogwarts. What followed was They had 4 yrs but they deserved forever. Moony was heartbroken upon Sirius’ arrest. But with the help of Tonks he found happiness again, learning that there is no limit to love.
Sirius Black: He did indeed get all the girls, at least the ones he wanted. Padfoot was very fond of Marlene McKinnon, but he could not ignore the emotional connection or the sexual chemistry he had with Lupin. The pair may have argued like an old an old, married couple but they never became one. Sirius came out of Azkaban a changed man. During the war,he was in no position to be in a relationship, but the pair remained incredibly close until Sirius’ death.
Kingsley Shacklebolt: Dumbledore wasn’t the only one with style. The Minister of Magic wore his gold hoop in memory of a lover long gone, but this did not stop him building a bright future with Andromeda Tonks.
Professor Sprout: Having been in a relationship with Filius was no reason to deny a perfectly natural attraction to both sexes.
Professor Flitwick: His height wasn’t the only reason he learned to duel.
Scorpius Malfoy: In the end, the Slytherin didn’t have to choose between red-haired witches and green eyed boys. He was welcomed into the Weasley family, best friend on one arm, boyfriend on the other.Rose made a wonderful maid of honour when the time came.
Pansexual:
Nymphadora Tonks: The open-minded metamorphagus accepted that gender, like colour was on a spectrum. For her, the concept of attraction was fluid and ever-changing.
Teddy Lupin: He takes after his Mum in more ways than one.
Asexual:
Charlie Weasley: Who needs dates when you can have dragons??
bringing this back today for the start of pride month. still overwhelmed by how well this comic went down and with how many people relate. it’s easy to think aro-ace people are all totally accepting of their identities and really proud of who they are. i guess on websites like this you see a lot of people proudly putting their identity in their bio, a flag in their profile picture.
in fact i think a lot of aro-ace people really hate that part of themselves, hide it, and struggle for a long time to ‘accept’ who they are and feel any sense of ‘pride’. that’s the feeling i wanted to capture here. the disappointment, the loneliness, upon realising that you can’t feel what is such a wonderful thing. the embarrassment of not being ‘normal’, of being some random sexuality that nobody irl has heard of, and letting down those around you because you can’t be who they want you to be. how desperately you want to change, how desperately you want to feel. but you just can’t.
i know not all aro-ace people feel like this. i know lots of aro and/or ace people feel able to be in relationships, to feel closeness and have partners in other ways. but i think it’s important to be aware that some aro-ace people do feel like this.
the comments on this comic have mostly been great but a few have been very frustrating. a comment it got a lot was along the lines of ‘aw!! you don’t need to have sex to be in a relationship!’. you completely missed the point, hah. this is not a comic about sex. it’s about a lack of feeling, the lack of something beautiful other people seem to have. another comment that popped up a few times was ‘maybe she’s a lesbian’. well maybe lesbians and aro/ace girls have more in common than people think – maybe they both often struggle to accept that they feel no attraction to men, even though society has conditioned them to do so, sometimes spending years trying to force themselves to like men in that way, when they just can’t.
this comic is called ‘wanting and not wanting at the same time’ because she wants to love. but when it comes down to the reality, she can’t fulfil the requirements of that. she wants to love someone forever, to get married and have children and grow old with her soulmate, but she doesn’t want it with this person. or that person. or anyone she meets or will ever meet. a sort of catch 22, i guess.
hope that makes sense. thanks for listening, and have a lovely pride month ❤️
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