Re: 9CWL (2-12)


Robin wrote:
ameijers wrote:

IMHO, this whole moving-to-the-city uber-arc might have been more
interesting if Seth was straight. Would Amos have stood a chance in hell if
Edda was roomies/dance partners with a hunk? Or would her supreme will and
loyalty have triumphed? Would her mom have popped a blood vessel if she
didn't know Seth was gay?

Frankly, I like seeing a gay character as one of the regulars -- not
just as an occasional show-up-for-the-joke figure -- because it gives
the strip the chance to explore the special sort of friendship that
women can have with gay men. It's not the same as girlfriends, not the
same as boyfriends, not the same as siblings. And aside from "Will and
Grace," I can't recall seeing it addressed as anything but a novelty in
any other storyline.

Seth's boyfriend seems to fill the part when silly gay jokes are
needed, which is okay. They aren't part of the main concept, but they
can still be fun.


I'm also continually surprised that the depictions seem to pass without
comment or outrage from readers, even when we see Seth and his
boyfriend holding hands or embracing. Lynne Johnston must be shaking
her head in wonderment.

I suspect that it has to do with the papers that carry Chickweed. The
strip is subtle enough that I'd suspect it does better in college towns
and major metros, where a gay character isn't such a novelty in real
life. By comparison, FBOFW runs in all sorts of papers, including in
towns where the dudgeon can be high over this sort of thing.

Also, I think the Lawrence-comes-out storyline was, at the time,
something of a departure for Johnston. My guess is that, with the
passage of time but also with a greater number of "issue" arcs in
FBOFW, that storyline wouldn't cause half the furor it did back then.

Mike Peterson
Glens Falls NY

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Relevant Pages

  • Re: 9CWL (2-12)
    ... interesting if Seth was straight. ... Would Amos have stood a chance in hell if ... I like seeing a gay character as one of the regulars -- not ... boyfriend holding hands or embracing. ...
    (rec.arts.comics.strips)
  • Re: THERE WERE A GOOD 6 DEROGITORY GAY SLURS ON FG LAST NIGHT....
    ... think that Seth agrees with Joe's views on sexuality? ... you wouldn't use "gay" in any place ... you wouldn't try to use it as an insult. ... It's sort of like in South Park when Cartman takes fake offense to ...
    (rec.sport.disc)
  • Re: THERE WERE A GOOD 6 DEROGITORY GAY SLURS ON FG LAST NIGHT....
    ...  Joe and Seth... ...  Making fun of gay ... you wouldn't try to use it as an insult. ... It's sort of like in South Park when Cartman takes fake offense to ...
    (rec.sport.disc)
  • Re: Which book sounds most compelling?
    ... society in which the path to being a basketball star easier for the ... that nobody is likely to give us a serious chance to try to do it unless ... negative connotations the formerly-used terms had, and "gay" is well on ... connection to homosexuality. ...
    (rec.arts.sf.composition)
  • Re: CampSOTG
    ... guy"......do ultimate players not watch that show? ... seems you are defending FG as being intelligent satire yet many ... "thats gay" slogan does not really mean anything sexual. ... Personally, I'm no Seth. ...
    (rec.sport.disc)