Homosexuality in the Forgotten Realms

[Kae'Yoss]

(as well as a nymph-dryad-elf heroine lesbian love triangle!)

How much did the Valar Project pay to have that included?

 

[Treebore]

People have obviously not attended celebrations at the temple of Sune. Those clerics swing in every direction possible. Their creed is "Love is Love", no matter what form or manner it takes place in.

BTW, these ceremonies are not for the faint of heart or those who like to be ignorant of certain aspects of humanoid behaviours.

 

[dragonlordofpoondari]

Good looking doesn't equal gay.

It does if you're lucky ... and gay.

And if one race has tendencies for homosexuality, it's dwarves. They don't care about the gender, only about the length of the beard.

That is actually a really good point. Elves are like otters and dwarves are like bears (this is actual terminology, folks ... I didn't make this up).

Okay, so far we've determined that elves and dwarves may have homosexual tendencies. That goes a long way towards explaining why, despite their long lifespans, elf and dwarf population sizes remain relatively stable over generations. In fact, in many settings, these races are described as fading from former glory; their populations are in state of steady decline. That and the odd war against unspeakable evil. Cliche or not ... oh my gawd, they're so gay!

 

[Faraer]

Ed's personal version of the Realms is neither supported or published by the IP owner, thus, its status as canon is conceptually very, very, questionable.

As on a recent thread, you're seeing a contradiction that doesn't exist. It's not just Ed's 'personal version' of the Realms, and it's not just theoretically canonical, but also in the practice of the other current authors and the publisher, who consistently consult, reflect, and use verbatim his non-print-published lore, whether posted online or contributed privately. There is no contradiction to Ed's depiction of Realms sexuality in the published books, no alternative picture, rather many incidental and offhand confirmations of it. It is simply, as Kae'Yoss and Kuje say above, that the print-published books were and are formally or informally bowdlerized for an audience which includes young people. For just this reason, references to lesbianism and female bisexuality get past this editing more often than male -- we can see that is isn't attributable to Ed from his quite equitable non-edited writings.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

People have obviously not attended celebrations at the temple of Sune. Those clerics swing in every direction possible. Their creed is "Love is Love", no matter what form or manner it takes place in.

BTW, these ceremonies are not for the faint of heart or those who like to be ignorant of certain aspects of humanoid behaviours.

Huh? That wasn't Sune. It was Sharess. Sune's more about the poems and butterflies-in-stomach situations. Sharess is the one to see about having fun.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

That is actually a really good point. Elves are like otters and dwarves are like bears (this is actual terminology, folks ... I didn't make this up).

Let me quote Jerry on that: "I am not gay. I am, however, thin, single and neat. Sometimes when someone is thin, single and neat people assume they are gay because that iis a stereotype."

Remember that elves live in the forest, often in tree homes. They don't tend to have closets!

Okay, so far we've determined that elves and dwarves may have homosexual tendencies.

Nope. We have determined that they fit some stereotypes about it.


The often heard part about elves being gay does fit another stereotype: roleplayers are bachelors living with their parents and not too keen on hygiene. It fits because from such a guy's point of view, everyone who can feed himself and keep himself clean and neat without the help of his mother simply has to be gay. Real men can't cook or wash.

That goes a long way towards explaining why, despite their long lifespans, elf and dwarf population sizes remain relatively stable over generations. In fact, in many settings, these races are described as fading from former glory

Yet another stereotype.

Which is what I consider a strong point in the 3e Realms: here, while both races had those problems, they were overcome: The Thunder Blessing gave the dwarves (minus the duergar) a boost in their birth rate, and for the elves, the Retreat is over, and even reversed, with old realms reconquered and all that.

 

[Kae'Yoss]

Kae'Yoss and Kuje

I must have gained a couple of levels in Realms Expert - I'm mentioned in the same sentence as Kuje!

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

And if one race has tendencies for homosexuality, it's dwarves. They don't care about the gender, only about the length of the beard.

Given that most campaigns have the males greatly outnumbering the females, if dwarves are sexually active, they either have group marriages or a high percentage of homosexuals. (Or a brisk trade in dirty stone carvings.)

 

[kuje31]

I must have gained a couple of levels in Realms Expert - I'm mentioned in the same sentence as Kuje!

And hey, I've seen you around a lot and I haven't disagreed with you that much, so I can agree, you seem to know your Realmslore.

 

[dragonlordofpoondari]

... stereotypes ...

Kae'Yoss ... I was making with the funny, not trying to get your dander up, chum!

Admittedly, though ... I'm not as funny as I often think I am!