NuTrek: A homosexual's perspective

[leedstickets]

Greatly enjoyed the new trek.. have the odd issue (see other posts) with the veering off from storylines we're familiar with... but otherwise, I'm pleased.

Kirk is the quintessential Alpha male, ruggedly heterosexual and a sex symbol (especially now, in his very lean and unblemished form).

As a ""friend of dorothy", I would have been pleased if Spock (who's actor Mr. Quinto has a very fetching range of neckerchiefs) may have been tempted to dabble with a bit of man love.

Without changing continuity (even though canon has been changed by the time travel), I wonder if the new (fabulous) Trek might intoduce a character that is a bit fruity?

 

[Sector 7]

I hope not. I am a gay man, but I hate the stereotype that all gay men are "fruity" or girly. Unless I tell you... you would never know I am gay. MOST gay people are not the flaming queers one sees on television.

 

[leedstickets]

I apologise... I am also someone that nobody would "assume" was gay... I occasionally use terms like "fruity" (I can be fairly floral in written speech), but only in jest.

 

[Sector 7]

I am neither angry nor offended by your post. I do get angry about the stereotypes, though.
In many other threads, I have advocated for the inclusion of a gay character. (More correctly, a character who happens to be shown as gay at home/off duty... I'd hate to have one who's being gay is some kind of plot point.) I would much rather have their being gay portrayed as an accepted norm.

 

[Sci]

I wouldn't mind seeing a gay character in the next film at all, but I don't think it would be appropriate to retcon any of the TOS characters -- all of whom were established to have sexual relationships with the opposite sex -- into gays or lesbians. I wouldn't necessarily object to revealing that someone like, say, Scotty, was bisexual though.

 

[leedstickets]

I think a very gently acknowledged gay character, without making it an issue, would be the best way forward (without presenting it as a big issue).

Given that that many things in the new timeline have changed, and we didn't necessarily see everything about some of the less prominent stars originally, a major charachter with the odd gay (or bisexual) tendancy wouldn't be a shock.

 

[Kpnuts]

Greatly enjoyed the new trek.. have the odd issue (see other posts) with the veering off from storylines we're familiar with... but otherwise, I'm pleased.

Kirk is the quintessential Alpha male, ruggedly heterosexual and a sex symbol (especially now, in his very lean and unblemished form).

As a ""friend of dorothy", I would have been pleased if Spock (who's actor Mr. Quinto has a very fetching range of neckerchiefs) may have been tempted to dabble with a bit of man love.

Without changing continuity (even though canon has been changed by the time travel), I wonder if the new (fabulous) Trek might intoduce a character that is a bit fruity?

As a gay bloke, I find myself embarrased by this post.

 

[cubbie]

Scotty, was bisexual though.

I thik Scotty prefers Ewok type aliens. Why else does keenser keep climbing things?

 

[leedstickets]

I again hope that nobody construed my text as insulting... I'll confess that I write badly...

...what do you (Kpnuts or anyone else) think about having a person subtley being gay (presuming we've not already seen many, given that there can be no way to "tell") in ST?

 

[Herkimer Jitty]

Well most of the subtle gay characters, to my knowledge, have been brutally killed or retconned out of existence. Not a great track record.

Lieutenant Hawk? more like.... Lieutenant Dead.

...I need better jokes.

 

[scottydog]

I have no problem with a gay character. It would have been mildly interesting if there was some subtle reference to Uhura having once had a relationship with the green chick, but with the exception of Kirk's blatant womanizing, any reference to a character's sex life has to be subtle. Trek isn't about sex; it's about space exploration.

 

[Jeyl]

Trek isn't about sex; it's about space exploration.

Ya, well it's not about racism, the cold war, sexism, marriage, the environment, whales, religion, but it still dealt with all of those.

I myself relish the aspect of a gay/bisexual character in Star Trek. It can be done, all you have to do is make a character that everyone can like. Take Captain Jack from Doctor Who/Torchwood. He is so awesome as a character that his orientation didn't bother me in the slightest.

 

[Jeri]

Captain Jack doesn't have an orientation; he's every direction at the same time.

 

[IndyJones]

Trek isn't about sex; it's about space exploration.

That's true, but sex comes up quite a bit. For this film we know that Kirk (and his parents), Spock (and Sarek and Amanda), Uhura, McCoy, Gaila, and Cupcake (presumably) were all heterosexual.

So while I don't want a character to be gay just for the sake of inclusion, sexual orientation does come up quite often. And it shouldn't be any more diverting to have a gay character than it was in any of the relationships on screen.

 

[Civil Shadow]

Scotty, was bisexual though.

I thik Scotty prefers Ewok type aliens. Why else does keenser keep climbing things?

*points to crotch* GET DOWN!

...but seriously.

For this film we know that Kirk (and his parents), Spock (and Sarek and Amanda), Uhura, McCoy, Gaila, and Cupcake (presumably) were all heterosexual.

There's a key word in that sentence, and you've chucked it in brackets to make it even more obvious. Kudos.

If, in the next movie, a main character were shown to be in a homosexual relationship or tryst or simply:

"Hello fellow male, for I am also male, have you noticed the posterior on that other male who passed us by? I found it aesthetically pleasing."
"Well no, dear sir, I did not, but I am not weirded out in any way since this is the 23rd century and that's how we roll."

Whatever. It wouldn't be a hard retcon (probably - I can't recall any explict I AIN'T GAY from any TOS characters), and I certainly would hope no one would see it as character assassination.

 

[Cyke101]

Well most of the subtle gay characters, to my knowledge, have been brutally killed or retconned out of existence. Not a great track record.

Lieutenant Hawk? more like.... Lieutenant Dead.

...I need better jokes.

If it helps, I laughed

 

[Gryffindorian]

But Lt. Hawk's orientation was just a footnote in some pocket-book novel, which isn't really official canon. (Unless there was a deleted scene wherein he was smooching with another guy.)

There have been bi/gay Trek characters before. Jadzia Dax was one of them; you'd have to assume the symbiont Dax was at least bisexual. Garak comes to mind, too. Mirror Kira Nerys was bi.

Kirk has always been the epitome of a macho straight guy; making the new Kirk gay wouldn't quite work. It would probably work better with either Sulu (an homage to G. Takei) or Chekov (that Anton Yelchin is hecka cute).

Personally, I don't really care about people's sexual orientation as it is a very small aspect of one's character.

 

[scottydog]

Trek isn't about sex; it's about space exploration.

That's true, but sex comes up quite a bit. For this film we know that Kirk (and his parents), Spock (and Sarek and Amanda), Uhura, McCoy, Gaila, and Cupcake (presumably) were all heterosexual.

So while I don't want a character to be gay just for the sake of inclusion, sexual orientation does come up quite often. And it shouldn't be any more diverting to have a gay character than it was in any of the relationships on screen.

True enough. Well said.

 

[Photoman15]

You obviously don't understand movie/tv trek. If you're not the main cast, no one gives a shit about seeing your private life (and the possible revelation that you're gay/bi). If you're a guest star, and unless it's part of the story (plot advancement), you won't see it. That's the problem I have with Phase II's "Blood & Fire". Trek has never had an extended personal scene with anyone other than the main cast (and even that was usually the big 3). Peter's love scene was too much cramming. DG said it will matter it part 2, whenever that comes out...... I told him I'll wait and see.
Really, though, if that episode was written for TOS or TNG, it never would have made the final edit, if even filmed. It revolved around a glorified and regular ND (non-descripts).

 

[TK421]

As a straight fella, I couldn't care less if there was a character who was gay so long as it's an interesting character.

Being gay is not interesting enough on its own.

Neither is being straight. Which is why interesting characters tend to "do things."