And I agree with you wholeheartedly on the need for role models. When Ian McKellen (later Sir Ian) came out he received a moderate amount of flack from some other actors of his generation who were still closeted. He waved it off, simply saying that he wasn't going to lie about his own life, but was nevertheless reasonably 'discreet' until bloody Thatcher's Section 28, when he came out stridently against such an attack on the rights of a portion of British citizenry. He was already a hugely popular classical actor, and had a CBE, and generations of schoolchildren had watched him 'do' Shakespeare.
So, like politicians and judges who were publicly out at the time, he was another voice that said "Gay IS normal, der." (but, you know, eloquently ...) When he was knighted three years later, it was as though the Queen was stamping her agreement.
Re canonical suggestions, I'm going to have to reread and mark them up (and I need to reread badly), but long before I discovered fandom I took it as read that Draco was gay. I was just astonished to see how many people thought Harry was, too!
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Date: 2007-10-21 11:24 am (UTC)And I agree with you wholeheartedly on the need for role models. When Ian McKellen (later Sir Ian) came out he received a moderate amount of flack from some other actors of his generation who were still closeted. He waved it off, simply saying that he wasn't going to lie about his own life, but was nevertheless reasonably 'discreet' until bloody Thatcher's Section 28, when he came out stridently against such an attack on the rights of a portion of British citizenry. He was already a hugely popular classical actor, and had a CBE, and generations of schoolchildren had watched him 'do' Shakespeare.
So, like politicians and judges who were publicly out at the time, he was another voice that said "Gay IS normal, der." (but, you know, eloquently ...) When he was knighted three years later, it was as though the Queen was stamping her agreement.
Re canonical suggestions, I'm going to have to reread and mark them up (and I need to reread badly), but long before I discovered fandom I took it as read that Draco was gay. I was just astonished to see how many people thought Harry was, too!