#queer spawn

[veryferaldistributions]

“My Two Dads” was Simply Ahead of its Time: A Short Essay by an Offspring of Same-Sex Parents

In 1987, the show “My Two Dads” premiered on NBC, staring Paul Reiser, Greg Evigan, Staci Keanan, and Florence Stanley. Nicole Bradford (Keanan) is a 12-year-old girl whose mother Marcy Bradford dies suddenly, and she is “willed” more or less to two men her mother was once in love with, Michael Taylor (Reiser) and Joey Harris (Evigan), who were lifelong friends before they fought over Nicole’s mother. Despite attempts at blood tests, the paternity of the child was never confirmed, and after a rocky start, Michael and Joey agree to live together and raise Nicole as a family.

What we have here is a simple, relatively family friendly, prime-time sitcom that shows a very positive interpretation of a kid with same-sex parents. And it is delightful.

I am speaking openly as a queer person raised by two mothers (now four w/step-moms). When I decided to try this, I was bracing myself for the absolute worst most offensive thing I’d ever seen.

And I swear to God, what I got instead is one of my new favorite shows of all time. The characters are lovable and well-rounded, the acting is great, the humor is actually funny, and, whether this was intentional or not, is one of the most progressive shows of its time.

I keep seeing people throwing around the word “homophobic” with this show, and I’m here to politely and firmly disagree with that. Instead, I will opt for the word “dated.” “My Two Dads” was still a product of its time, so I firmly believe many of the choices regarding Joey and Michael’s dating life were made to appease the censors. I never felt like any decision was made in malice to target the queer community. (Not to mention, I could/will make a whole LIST of reasons why Michael and Joey are 100% in love, if not an active couple, despite many attempts to convince the audience they are straight.)

I spent a good chunk of the show laughing to myself and saying “it’s like homosexuality doesn’t even exist in this universe” for how much NOBODY cares about Nicole having two dads or questioning why the dads live together. (Them being potentially gay is only questioned ONCE in the series.)

In the 90s and early 2000s, people never shut up with the questions once I told them I had two moms. I somewhat think this exclusion was also a writing tactic, not wanting Nicole to have to constantly repeat what the audience already knows.

There are jokes that haven’t aged amazingly well, but I feel like it was much more that the writers were ignorant as opposed to being active bigots.

I also really appreciated this show’s depiction of a kid who has a great and loving relationship with a parent she may not be or isn’t biologically related to. Nicole doesn’t care who her biological father is, and loves Joey and Michael equally. Again, as someone with two moms, I get really defensive over the notion that someone isn’t your real parent unless their DNA matches yours. (Side note, always say “biologically related to” as opposed to “REAL parent” whenever asking someone about their parentage. Please. It hurts every time.)

If I admittedly had one qualm about the show, I’d say it hasn’t aged amazing in terms of sexism. Throughout the whole show, it always felt like the women Michael and Joey dated were either complete jerks or bimbos. With the women they finally end up with being boring and rushed. And they also at one point have a female boss, and…it’s pretty bad. Nicole and Judge Margaret were great (Judge being my 2nd favorite character, behind Michael.), but other female characters not so much.

But overall, I really do love this show. It’s one of those really nice warm & fuzzy shows, too (Think “Full House” with slightly funnier writing. Yeah, I said it!). I really wish more queer viewers would try it.

[rozenphox]

tall people problems

[thearcher1003]

I am in a local queer gc. A new member joined recently. We were giving our intros. I said I am aroace. He asked what it means. I explained. And the response I got?

"Did you grow up in a conflicted household?"

"What?"

"Then it sounds like a case of hormonal imbalance"

🙃

[strogoff-era]

Some JCR/Graham Gore for @the-terror-rarepair-month. My only propaganda for this ship is their dynamic would be best-dog-owner/best-dog and I think it's amazing

Some context for the bottom drawing bc I have thought so much about it (copy-pasted from discord so forgive my syntax) :

"The context is that Graham likes to be called/act like a doggy (in a sfw way) sometimes because it’s a good way to relieve stress and all. He usually only does that around close friends like Dundy or Crozier. But Jcr is staying at Crozier’s for a few days so he eventually gets to see Graham in puppy mode. Ross doesn’t mind, he thinks what Graham is doing is cute :) He also loves dogs and recently adopted a dog with Ann (idk which breed but she is a spoiled little princess bc her owners love her very much 😭).

But that leads to Ross calling Graham a « good girl » instead of a « good boy » at some point, bc he’s so used to his own female dog. He apologizes but Graham actually likes being called a good girl 🥺 But only Ross is allowed to call him that"

[everyoneisgayandtrans]

[checkpointcherry]

at the risk of my words being taken horribly out of context, i really really wish there were more people in the hetalia fandom who would let arthur be good. like a genuinely good man with good intentions and a good heart. i feel like the way the fandom used to treat ivan is the way we treat arthur now, as being the sort of bigot used to inflict trauma on the nations you’re treating as your protagonists. i understand the viewpoint of historical accuracy but it seems so disingenuous when alfred, matt, yao, ivan, etc are allowed such grace. but besides that i just love him and it’s so hard to find people who feel the same way. i want him to be as soft as the rest, to have been able to heal. i want him to be accepting not only because there’s been so much pushback in his own life, but because inclusivity is punk. i want him to support and compliment his loved ones simply because he loves them. i want him to take the struggles of his own life and use those experiences to make the lives of those who come after him easier. i want him to not shy away when he’s kissed. i want him to think of himself as beautiful and talented in the way he thinks francis and feli and kiku are. i need him to be a sweetheart i guess.

[animentality]

Homosexual lifestyles are a privilege granted by the excess of capitalism you hate so much if you care so much about the poor there are plenty of charities and volunteer work that you could do yourself with little government input required

capitalism invented homosexuality??

damn.

you're right. pride month was invented by the corporations after all.

[pockettraash]

Thinking and thinking and thinking

[hnm-tech-support]

What’s your sexual orientation?

Ohoho, perfect timing! I just got this new shirt for "pride"... It's something ancient humans used to celebrate apparently!

This is the flag for 'omnisexual' which I think really suits me~ (There was also 'pansexual' but I don't really like the colors as much.)

(I got my brother an aroace pin because he IS, but he doesn't have pride in anything but his job! Such a dork...)

@kirbyoctournament

[helo-i]

[veryferaldistributions]

Signs of Michael and Joey’s romantic relationship in M2D:

(In no particular order.)

* They live together and co-parent a child.

* Actually say aloud they want more kids. Together.

* Fostered a second child, for a brief period of time. Likely would have adopted him if the law permitted it. (Ooh, now I’m sad.)

* They call each other “babe.” Constantly.

* Michael’s whole speech to his mother defending his relationship with Joey as parents. Even bringing up that she’d be happier if he was married to a woman. It was treated deadly serious. No laugh track.

* Joey calls Michael’s mom his “mother-in-law.” And she calls him her “son-in-law.” Again, no laugh track for these comments.

* Mrs. Taylor being the almost stereotypical neurotic mother of a gay man. Think Mrs. Bates. (Sorry, Michael.)

* Joey’s father struggling to understand his son’s choices in life mirroring conversations parents have with their queer offspring.

* Nicole walking in on them “pillow fighting” in the “Joey’s MIL” episode. Joey was trying to suffocate Michael in anger, but the implication that they were having “adult time” was still obvious.

* Michael dressing up in drag as Joey’s pregnant wife (Felicia) with whom he has 10 children.

* They frequently touch each other. Clothes adjustments, face grabbing, friendly punches, pats on the back, etc.

* Constant winking comments like “does this mean we’re dating again?” “whatever happened to ‘honey, I’m home’?” and “how come you never send me roses?”

* Alludes to their separation as a “divorce” in “Pop, The Question.” Played almost completely straight.

* They go to a marriage counselor in the same episode.

* “We’re nothing like a married couple!”

“How would you describe your relationship?”

“We live together, we raise a kid, we fight like hell. So, what, every Thursday?”

* Are somewhat hesitant in their responses to the “are you gay?” question she poses. (Michael STILL calls Joey “babe” in their answers.)

* Them getting drunk in episode one and waking up in the same bed. Clothes on, granted, but still.

* Michael’s definition of a friend: “Friend- Someone I have seen naked!”

* “And you are?”

“Joey Harris. The other father.”

“Ah. Divorced?”

“No, we’re living together.”

* Are VERY easily guilt-tripped by Nicole into living together as a family instead of being separated co-parents.

* They have the gayest “straight” friends I’ve ever seen.

* Clearly the commentary in “The Family in Question” mirrors comments made about real-life same-sex parents. Mainly that the media is questioning two men’s ability to properly parent a child.

[thearcher1003]

Fit check cause I felt pretty

I didn't have any pride clothing so wore my most colourful jacket lol

[not-poignant]

Baldur’s Gate 3 - 3/? - Palmarosa - Astarion/Raphael

Title: Palmarosa Rating: Explicit Pairing: Astarion/Raphael Tags: (Check AO3 for the full list) Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Deals with a devil, Contracted sexual slavery, Bad BDSM etiquette, PTSD, Communication issues, Flashbacks, Trauma recovery and Retraumatisation, Dark and disturbing themes, Blood consumption, Minor character death, Canon typical violence, Dominance/submission, Top Raphael, Bottom Astarion etc.

Summary: (Set post-game / end-game) The love of Astarion’s life has disappeared to go live in the daylight with the druids, and Astarion is stuck in the darkness once more, yearning for sunlight with every fibre of his being, while bitterly reflecting on all the things that were denied to him in the end - love, sunlight, the option to kill thousands of people and become a near-god…

Raphael knows Astarion’s desperate, and comes to him with not one, but two horrid contract offers that Astarion loathes and dreads in equal measure - but the prize at the end of both are too good to turn down, and he’s become too cynical to care about how much of a good idea it is to give his body to a devil for a month or two, because really, comparatively, how bad could it be?

Palmarosa (Baldur’s Gate 3) - Raphael/Astarion - 03 - Parchment and Wine

In which Astarion negotiates an infernal contract with Raphael, and watches his freedom trickle through his fingers.

[novelconcepts]

When all three non-binary siblings have successfully acquired top surgery, the jokes just kind of make themselves.

[crumblybook]

'What is a true woman?' asked Richard suddenly. Herbert thought it must be very uncomfortable to live with a person who asked these disconcerting, rather silly questions.

- Elizabeth Bowen, The Lover (Collected Stories, Vintage, p.61)

[musical-chick-13]

The THING is. When people (I am including myself in this) try to talk about how "Why is there overall less of an emphasis on women's stories and female characters and f/f shipping, especially when according to the stats we see being shared, fandom is significantly populated by queer women, hmm this seems a bit strange," there's ALMOST ALWAYS this assumption that it comes from a place of gender essentialism or purity culture or hating every single man for existing or something. ARE there some people who mean that? Yeah, there are going to be people like that in EVERY group of people who try to talk about anything. But when people complain about this, it's most generally because WE EXPERIENCE STRUCTURAL MISOGYNY IRL, AND NOW WE ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME SOCIAL EFFECTS WITHIN SOMETHING THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE "FUN." THAT IS THE PROBLEM.

And this goes for when people try to talk about racism in fandom spaces as well. And ableism. And transphobia. And any other form of prejudice you can think of. Is talking about this in one (1) context that is not directly political going to forever eliminate bigotry? No. Obviously not. But the thing about systemic bias and prejudice is that IT IS PRESENT AT EVERY LEVEL, EVEN THE "FUN" ONES.