Even fiction should have its boundaries, but perhaps the most realistic element to stories is just how little their boundaries are respected. For some reason, there’s a mod in existence to make Dorian, the gay Dragon Age character, straight.
BioWare forums and groups are constantly discussing why people are so upset about this, and despite numerous explanations by patient group members over and over again, they just don’t seem willing to accept that straight washing a gay character is completely inappropriate and queermisic.
No, it is not the same as headcanoning a straight character as gay, bi, aro, ace and/or pan. Queer audiences have long had to settle for headcanons because there is so little representation. When we do get representation, it’s often in tragic figures or characters about to meet an untimely end. Straight characters are everywhere, so why go to the lengths of turning a gay guy straight?
Queer characters are treasured by the queer community because they are so often the only bits of positive representation we get. It’s so rare to see our own stories reflected in anything - especially in geek spaces such as fantasy, which has no problem at all depicting elves and other imaginary creatures but so often forgets to include any actual kind of marginalised representation.
To take Dorian, and make him straight, is an act of disrespect. Fans see themselves as owners of their domains but they are not. We are all guests. These characters are not ours. Dorian’s story is his and it is so focused upon his gay identity. It doesn’t matter how hot you think he is, if you’re a woman then he’s not yours to romance. And if playing as a guy makes you feel uncomfortable, then reflect on that and why having your identity respected matters.
Fans have argued that the issue shouldn’t matter because it’s a personal choice to mod or not, but it really is not personal. Mods are created to be shared so others can use them and play them. People then talk about them and post them online. Gaming now is completely social, even if you don’t do online play. That’s why there is so much money been poured into share buttons and why games companies are so willing to let people post so much game content online (or even allow the existence of mods). They want people to share it and talk about it. It’s not a personal choice, it is a political statement to change a gay character straight whether gamers intend it to be or not. This is a time where in some parts of the world conversion therapy for gay people is still seen as acceptable or even desirable. In the UK and US, there are many, many instances of bi, pan, ace and aro people facing conversion therapy. Any attempts to change a person’s queer identity so that they are not queer, is entirely disrespectful.
Straight characters make up well over 95% of all gaming characters. Stick to romancing them. Dorian is not yours.
Comments