🏳️‍🌈Pride Month- Celebrating Representation in TTRPGs🏳️‍🌈

[MGibster]

Because of the nature of coding in the 70s and especially the 80s, it's often difficult to separate things that are obvious now (see, e.g., practically anything put out by George Michael) as opposed to those things that seem insanely obvious now but ... weren't intended (see, e.g., Top Gun).

Wait? What about George Michael? Dude was up to his eyebrows in babes. And when is Elton John going to find a nice girl and settle down? Aw, hell, he's probably worried no one woman could accept his Rock 'n Roll lifestyle.

 

[Sacrosanct]

Rufus and Burne are recipients of pretty much the same subtext projection as Bert and Ernie. They're two guys who live together and don't actively engage in obviously heterosexual behavior (though Burne does hang out at the bar - so maybe he's open to hook-ups of an undefined nature).
I think it's mainly a bit of harmless fun, though it does get a bit tiring about Bert and Ernie because it's so commonly used and kind of obscures the more overt example that the Muppet duo serves - how two people who are SO different can still be best of friends.

Or Cary Grant and Randolph Scott. At the time, they were "just roomates". Even when Grant got married to shake rumors he was gay, he got divorced shortly after because he wouldn't make Randolph move out. In hindsight, it's pretty obvious. Although, I wish we could also normalize straight male relationships like this. That would help solve a lot of problems of toxic masculinity as well...

 

[MGibster]

Or Cary Grant and Randolph Scott. At the time, they were "just roomates".

And supposedly when Betsy Drake was asked if Cary Grant was gay she replied, "Why would I believe Cary was homosexual when we were busy %@#!ing?" Maybe he was bisexual. He lived 43 years before he met me. I don't know what he did."

How about J. Edgar Hoover and Clyde Tolson?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Because of the nature of coding in the 70s and especially the 80s, it's often difficult to separate things that are obvious now (see, e.g., practically anything put out by George Michael) as opposed to those things that seem insanely obvious now but ... weren't intended (see, e.g., Top Gun).

Or the theory that Billy Joel’s Piano Man is a song about a piano player in a gay bar who doesn’t know it’s a gay bar.

See also the early Batman serials in which he and Robin change in the back seat of the car.

 

[Sacrosanct]

And supposedly when Betsy Drake was asked if Cary Grant was gay she replied, "Why would I believe Cary was homosexual when we were busy %@#!ing?" Maybe he was bisexual. He lived 43 years before he met me. I don't know what he did."

Well, just because someone has sex with someone of another gender doesn't make them attracted to that gender. Happens pretty frequently, actually. Especially in situations where one is trying to "keep appearances".

 

[Tun Kai Poh]

Anyway, back to the topic of queer RPG creators, here's a nice article in Beyond...

Community Spotlight: 9 Queer Creators to Follow This Pride Month

For Pride Month, we're highlighting talented queer creators who are involved in the Dungeons & Dragons community!

www.dndbeyond.com

 

[aramis erak]

Rufus and Burne are recipients of pretty much the same subtext projection as Bert and Ernie. They're two guys who live together and don't actively engage in obviously heterosexual behavior (though Burne does hang out at the bar - so maybe he's open to hook-ups of an undefined nature).
I think it's mainly a bit of harmless fun, though it does get a bit tiring about Bert and Ernie because it's so commonly used and kind of obscures the more overt example that the Muppet duo serves - how two people who are SO different can still be best of friends.

Bert and Ernie were outed as gay by one of the writers responsible for much of their story....

Bert and Ernie are indeed a gay couple, 'Sesame Street' writer claims

Former “Sesame Street” writer Mark Saltzman said Bert and Ernie’s relationship was modeled after his own with his life partner, Arnold Glassman.

www.nbcnews.com

In re SJG, they happen to have a PBG setting, the Vorkosigan Saga Sourcebook and Roleplaying Game, which happens to be about a setting with an entire planet populated entirely by gay men (Athos), and a Vor Lord, Dono, who goes to Beta Colony, and becomes Lady Donna, causing a whole secondary crisis in one of the novels the sourcebook is based upon. Barrayar is noted as sexually and morally old school, ableist, and generally regressive; it's constantly compared to Beta Colony, which is sexually flexible, engineered a stable functional hermaphrodite third gender, and have a whole complex code of earrings to tell you the gender of the wearer, their gender(s) of interest, their availability, and their (general) level of sexual adventurousness...

The surprising thing about SJG is that they have been openly LGBTQ friendly for a long time, despite being in one of the, uhm, less enlightened states...

Movement Advancement Project | State Profiles

Check out Texas's LGBTQ Policy Tally at the Movement Advancement Project. Read more and find your state's tally at https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/profile_state/TX

www.lgbtmap.org

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I thought I would put this here since it's not quite worth a whole thread on its own.

I just finished watching the Flash's last season (now available on Netflix). It was a surprisingly satisfying ending, given how uneven (being nice) the series has been for a while, mainly because it had a lot ... and I mean A LOT of fan service for people that watched the greater Arrowverse. It was pretty much 100% fan service, to be honest.

But the reason I am putting a comment here is that for whatever faults the Arrowverse, which started in 2012, had as a superhero show, it did an amazing job in terms of representation. No, it wasn't always perfect. But in terms of mainstream shows, it consistently featured queer characters and queer relationships ... and did so as part of the regular setting.

 

[MGibster]

But the reason I am putting a comment here is that for whatever faults the Arrowverse, which started in 2012, had as a superhero show, it did an amazing job in terms of representation. No, it wasn't always perfect. But in terms of mainstream shows, it consistently featured queer characters and queer relationships ... and did so as part of the regular setting.

I stopped watching The Flash a while back mainly because the Iris/Barry romance creeped me the %#%# out, but I did like how they handled some of the representation. The first time I noticed was when they just casually mention the captain's (chief's?) husband during a conversation. It wasn't a big deal, it wasn't a defining aspect of his character, it was just casually mentioned without any attention being drawn towards it.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I stopped watching The Flash a while back mainly because the Iris/Barry romance creeped me the %#%# out, but I did like how they handled some of the representation. The first time I noticed was when they just casually mention the captain's (chief's?) husband during a conversation. It wasn't a big deal, it wasn't a defining aspect of his character, it was just casually mentioned without any attention being drawn towards it.

One of the things I loved about the Arrowverse is that, outside of the titular characters on each show*, heterosexuality was not a presumption. It was entirely possible to find out that characters (other heroes, villains, and random people) had same-sex relationships or partners, and it was just an accepted part of the show that was unremarked. The only slight exception was when Supergirl debuted a trans superhero (Dreamer) which they did focus on the issue involved a little more, but still avoided the "Very Special Episode" feeling. IMO.


*And even with this, Legends of Tomorrow had a bisexual lead.

 

[Gradine]

The surprising thing about SJG is that they have been openly LGBTQ friendly for a long time, despite being in one of the, uhm, less enlightened states...

Movement Advancement Project | State Profiles

Check out Texas's LGBTQ Policy Tally at the Movement Advancement Project. Read more and find your state's tally at https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality-maps/profile_state/TX

www.lgbtmap.org

They're in Austin though, and Austin is basically Portland, except hot, dry, and with actual diversity.

 

[Sacrosanct]

They're in Austin though, and Austin is basically Portland, except hot, dry, and with actual diversity.

As a Portlander, ouch.

No lies detected though....

(Well, we are incredibly diverse as far as LGBTQ and religions go, but we are not the most diverse city ethnically.)

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

They're in Austin though, and Austin is basically Portland, except hot, dry, and with actual diversity.

...and, again, in Texas.

At this point, being in certain states (such as Texas or Florida) is tantamount to being a frog in water with the temperature slowly increasing, and hoping it hasn't hit boiling yet.

 

[Sacrosanct]

...and, again, in Texas.

At this point, being in certain states (such as Texas or Florida) is tantamount to being a frog in water with the temperature slowly increasing, and hoping it hasn't hit boiling yet.

Very true. Austin might be a great city, but it's still subject to state law.

 

[Gradine]

...and, again, in Texas.

At this point, being in certain states (such as Texas or Florida) is tantamount to being a frog in water with the temperature slowly increasing, and hoping it hasn't hit boiling yet.

This is true. No matter how progressive an enclave inside it might be, there are still parts of my country where the state can legally take my daughter away from me if she enters it.

It's a good thing that place isn't home to popular children's destin- oh crap

 

[aramis erak]

This is true. No matter how progressive an enclave inside it might be, there are still parts of my country where the state can legally take my daughter away from me if she enters it.

It's a good thing that place isn't home to popular children's destin- oh crap

In 2003, I found out that, in Florida, the only people who can legally spank children are school principals. (Source: airport police captain at Tampa Int'l.) If you're not white heteronormative protestant christian, check the laws about children before travelling.

Even if white, heteronormative, protestant christian, still, check the laws that may affect you. Certain religious observances may not have protection under local laws when applied to your children, natural or otherwise.

Oh, and from personal experience, it really helps to have a federal senator's home and office numbers in your phone's directory...

 

[MGibster]

In 2003, I found out that, in Florida, the only people who can legally spank children are school principals. (Source: airport police captain at Tampa Int'l.) If you're not white heteronormative protestant christian, check the laws about children before travelling.

So I went through the trouble or hiring a principal to spank me for no reason?

In game related news, Strahd from Curse of Strahd is bisexual. He's got himself a pretty boy locked up in that castle of his. In Delta Green, Reinhardt Galt, a literal Nazi who engages in cannibalistic rituals that make him immortal, likes to invite attractive women and pretty men to his compound where he romances and then murders them.

 

[aramis erak]

So I went through the trouble or hiring a principal to spank me for no reason?

In game related news, Strahd from Curse of Strahd is bisexual. He's got himself a pretty boy locked up in that castle of his. In Delta Green, Reinhardt Galt, a literal Nazi who engages in cannibalistic rituals that make him immortal, likes to invite attractive women and pretty men to his compound where he romances and then murders them.

Most depictions of Vampires have them as enrapturing their prey, without regard to gender.
The Vampire need not be sexual, but the prey is often shown to feel it as a sexual embrace, not just a life draining one. Sometimes it's subtextual, someones it's overt. But that Dracula kept poor Renfield halfway between vampirism and mortal... the original is a classic case of subtext reading... there are several which seem stretches... such as Dracula/Renfield being a closeted homoerotic relationship...
Vampirism is, at least in fiction since 1800, often used to subtextually examine non-heteronormative relationships. Interview with a Vampire comes to mind. As does Forever Knight.

 

[MGibster]

Most depictions of Vampires have them as enrapturing their prey, without regard to gender.

Strahd can be seductive and subtle when he chooses to be, especially if a person is clever or attractive. Men and women of beauty and cunning amuse Strahd for a time - playthings to possess or discard as he desires.

While exploring Castle Ravenloft, the players might come across Escher, a handsome young man, who the book describes as a "consort" of Strahd.

Sometimes it's subtextual, someones it's overt.

With Strahd, it's on the overt side of the text here.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Most depictions of Vampires have them as enrapturing their prey, without regard to gender.
The Vampire need not be sexual, but the prey is often shown to feel it as a sexual embrace, not just a life draining one. Sometimes it's subtextual, someones it's overt. But that Dracula kept poor Renfield halfway between vampirism and mortal... the original is a classic case of subtext reading... there are several which seem stretches... such as Dracula/Renfield being a closeted homoerotic relationship...
Vampirism is, at least in fiction since 1800, often used to subtextually examine non-heteronormative relationships. Interview with a Vampire comes to mind. As does Forever Knight.

And Guillermo came out on What We Do In The Shadows.