Why are tumblr users so obsessed with making every character gay or LGBT in general?

submitted by jacques1102 from self.TumblrInAction

So a friend of mine wanted me to create a tumblr page a year ago, and i did eventually decide to do it despite the stories i've herd about it.I got back into South park almost a year ago, and when i tried to look up fanart for a few characters,i've noticed like half the art depicts every character as either gay or LGBT.Even for characters that are in canon straight.Like no offense but are people that desperate for LGBT representation that they have to fantasize every character(especially the kid characters)as being closet gay or non cis gender?

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[–]lunarstrain 16 insightful - 2 fun16 insightful - 1 fun17 insightful - 2 fun -  (3 children)

Fetishism and consumerism.

You're a teenage girl and you get off on fictional gay men, so much so that you wish you were one, and that has become a foundational part of your sense of self due to weirdo internet leftist ideology being so hortative of make believing and deviancy. You're also very into fandom and because young people are overwhelmed with how much content is easily accessible and not encouraged to develop any meaningful skills, including socially, or hobbies outside of media consumption, what you're currently consuming is also a significant part of your sense of self and how you relate yourself to others.

This is how you end up with an unholy marriage of these two aspects that borders on a manifestation of some kind of mental illness, that we are all forced to witness when we dare look up our favorite TV shows, books, and movies.

[–]LyingSpirit472 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Don't forget some good old fashioned hatred: They hate their "other" so much, and they know their happiness is built into the media consumption, that if they take a character from the "other", they truly believe their "other" will never be happy again. After all, that's what would happen if you did it to THEM.

[–]OuroborosTheory 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

that's why I call them teenyboppers: they JUST discovered horniness, met up with others who have, and it's channeled through a fandom that itself is created as a commercial product

also why I just sigh now when a 17-22-year-old bangs the drum about how "now we know about the truth about Issue X and anything else is not just unacceptable but objectively wrong"; they flip-flop so often that by 2024 we'll be at radical feminism and "I don't see race" again

because of the Ouroboros

[–]SerpensInferna 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

This is a very insightful, concise explanation of something I've been struggling to put into words. Thank you!

[–]ether(drag queen groomer) 8 insightful - 1 fun8 insightful - 0 fun9 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

I think I can answer this from at least a personal standpoint; I am a bisexual woman who had a trans phase for a few years and I was actually into the fandom side of South Park during that time. A lot of it is projection - if someone sees a character that they themselves relate to, they will insert some of their own features or ideals onto them. It's also why they get so defensive, because you can't just say "no, Eric Cartman isn't trans, WTF" and instead of them taking it as a stance on the character, they take it as an attack on them themselves. And sometimes it's just plain old fashioned misogyny/homophobia/whatever. Eric can't be a somewhat sassy little kid, he's GAY because only GAY people act the way he does, guys!! And also I'm "gay" and I relate to him so, like, how could he not be guys!!!!

[–]jacques1102[S] 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

I think that's why there's a lot of fans that are obsessed with Butters dressing up as a girl in the marjorine episode.Some people are legit interpreting it as butters actually being trans when they miss the point entirely with it.They chose butters because he's the most emasculate boy out of all of them, yet for some strange reason some people take it as proof that he's a closet transgender.

[–]LyingSpirit472 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Well, yeah, he's been convinced he was bi-curious before by Cartman sexually assaulting him, and he's been nearly convinced to join with NAMBLA without much problem. He's these fans' dream prey.

[–]Dzonatan 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Some people think male/female performance is like a breaker switch rather than a volume knob. Butters may be a pussy but if he'd be given a choice he'd rather fuck one.

[–]Musky 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I am a bisexual woman who had a trans phase for a few years and I was actually into the fandom side of South Park during that time

Oh my god, please tell us more about that hilarious phase of your life. And why?

[–]Adventurous_Ad6212 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Ffs we already had Tweak and Craig and Mr.garrison... mr.slave... big gay al, the lesbians who kicked the shit out of the Persians need I go on?. Im pretty damn gay and let me tell you I have never once felt that there is a lack of representation in tv shows especially shows like south park.

[–]jacques1102[S] 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Yeah and no offense but it feels like these people will keep demanding until like 70% of the kid characters are under the LGBT umbrella.There's not only demands for a lesbian creek, but i've seen headcanons of characters being trans, and in the game they made Wendy polysexual/gender fluid ,kyle asexual,and a few others a different sexuality/non cis gender as well.

[–]jacques1102[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Oh and PS:Their sexualities and gender in game aren't really canon and are just part of their superhero persona but some people are legit taking it seriously despite 0 evidence to back it up.

[–]jet199 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Frankly a lot of this stuff is rapey/sadistic.

You are forcing characters to do things and be with people they would never want. If you ever read any of the associated fanfic the character will often literally be going "I don't want to do this" the whole time.

[–]Q-Continuum-kin 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Your comment made me realize a weird connection. In most fiction the idea of a "love potion" is frowned upon like something you can't control and which goes haywire easily. This type of fanfic seems to follow this same type of idea but it's presented as if the mental enslavement of forced "queering" is a positive because the characters are catering to their specific desires.

[–]INeedSomeTime 7 insightful - 1 fun7 insightful - 0 fun8 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Many reasons. To put them shortly:

  • majority of Tumblr users are straight women (but certainly a lot of them now identify as some flavor of non-binary or trans men to hide this) they just fetishize gay men, so they love to make characters gay and ship them

  • they clearly see "cishet" as something negative and boring, so making them anything but cis or het is seen as a cheap way of making characters interesting (if they're OCs)

[–]fuck_redditThou/Thee/Thy 5 insightful - 4 fun5 insightful - 3 fun6 insightful - 4 fun -  (2 children)

"You can't fight being gay. I used to think that being gay was a choice, but, you don't get to decide. Japan picks who they pick, and that's that. I don't understand this stuff. Heck, I didn't even know Don King got raped, but... I do know that if you try and resist it, you make yourself miserable your whole life. Everyone was so proud of you, Ah I was just being selfish. I wanna be proud of you too."

[–]Adventurous_Ad6212 4 insightful - 2 fun4 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 2 fun -  (1 child)

XD fuck i love southpark

[–]IndianaJonesTroons... why did it have to be troons? 2 insightful - 2 fun2 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 2 fun -  (0 children)

me too

[–]IkeConn 5 insightful - 3 fun5 insightful - 2 fun6 insightful - 3 fun -  (0 children)

You can't fix stupid.

[–]ShekelPa 5 insightful - 1 fun5 insightful - 0 fun6 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

It is their way of subverting the "heteronormative"

[–]wylanderuk 4 insightful - 1 fun4 insightful - 0 fun5 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Baiting material maybe?

What I don't get is how they get so fucking bent out of shape at the creators when their headcannon is proven wrong.

[–]LyingSpirit472 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Because they put too much stock in their headcanon, and if you say their headcanon is wrong, you're saying THEY'RE wrong. You're saying their idea is wrong, you're saying they wouldn't get to be part of the team who makes the show. You're saying you reject THEM, personally, from the fandom by not letting them in it.

[–]Femaleisnthateful 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

I've never been able to understand tumblr. I don't have an account so I only get a glimpse before I get shut out but it seems to be largely trans and porn oriented (and I was just looking for Star Trek memes).

[–]TheOnyxGoddess 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

Do you watch Lower Decks?

[–]Femaleisnthateful 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I do not. I consider all Nu Trek an abortion.

[–]IndianaJonesTroons... why did it have to be troons? 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

My guess is that they're too uncreative to write their own characters, so they want to suck clout out of pre-existing characters that are already famous.

[–]Dzonatan 6 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 0 fun7 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Your guess is right.

Likeable characters have actual motivations and goals that drive them to do things. Their depth isn't just carnal and their catharsis wont come from just secreting bodily liquids.

[–]WhenImBannedJihad against the woke 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Muh representation. Except gays are overrepresented in the media considering they are about 2~% of the population.

[–]iamonlyoneman 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Because that's what the userbase wants, and they drive away someone who doesn't like their flavor. It's like being blatantly pro-Australian on rdrama.net, you're gonna have a bad time until you leave.

[–]GrilledTofuIdentifying as a block of tofu 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I don't understand either, to be honest

[–]deusex 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Being LGBT: Cool and a way to self-insert their own traits Being Straight: Boring and lame. Too close to reality.

Simple as