(Note: I wrote the second part of this for Ancient Worlds this Saturday.)
Then who would sue me if I portrayed Theodoric the Great as bisexual?
The questions arises naturally from this: Too gay for Greeks: Lawyers threaten Alexander suit. Supposing, of course, that I manage to finish my novel (ha ha), publish it (ha ha ha) and sell the movie rights (HAHAHAHAHAHA - sorry, can't breathe).
Nah, it would not happen. Alexander is a Greek icon, while nobody gives a damn about Theodoric. Who would sue me? Theodoric was born somewhere between Austria and Hungary, according to Jordanes. I just can't see Austrians or Hungarians getting all worked up on such a thing. He is a Germanic hero, but which modern Germanics would take offence at that?...
Very few, I hope. That CNN article is wrong on so many levels. Where are the protests for the staggering insensitivity of those lawyers AND the flippant tone of the article? "Playing a gay conqueror"...? I think that homosexuality is a purely personal matter and as such it has to be respected like everything in the private life of a person. It's not my lifestyle, but I hate bigotism on all sides.
And then, listen to the reasons... "it's not historical". Well, how historical is it that Alexander had thick eyebrows and an American accent? Where is it written? Be sincere, then, and say you consider homosexuality a sin, and get ready to be thrown out of your practice for a surfeit of religion. Or be even more sincere, you brave 25 lawyers, and say you feel threatened in your or your partners' rampant Greek manhood, which seems to me more to the point.
It's crazy... a Politically Correct movie (I haven't seen it and don't judge its quality or historical believabilty, I just mention its attitude towards modern issues) bashed by anti-gay lawyers in supposedly uber-PC Europe. Ooookay.
Let me get back to my Theodoric who is as un-PC as could ever be, for a simple reason: not being well-versed in Arian-Germanic morals of the time, I do not want to make any more historical blunders than those I'm already making as it is. Should something turn up in my studies, I'll be sure to mention it. For the moment, be content with him congratulating a male friend with a slap on the backside and later having a bath with him. And kissing another on the cheek. And... hey, does this count as being bisexual?...
***
I don't want to get into weighty topics because I don't want to offend anyone, but I kept wondering why I was so riled by that lawyers vs. Alexander thing. They are more offended by something that amounts to love than by all the cruelties that occur normally in most works of fiction - and in real life. A typical example is infidelity, so often downplayed and even romanticized or made funny. I got thinking about this while wondering whether my Dragon is intolerant because there are no same-sex lovers, and something kept pushing it out of my mind. I put in lots of men being nice to each other, and the same for the women, and everybody can think what they want; but if there's a subplot that really made me sad and uncomfortable, it was Brida's betrayal. And yet nobody would protest for this, though it causes one of the worst kinds of pain that can exist. But put in two warriors declaring their love for each other, as it happens in Alexander (or so I gather), and horror!
I am so tired about everyday pettiness. Couples hurt each other with barbs that would never be accepted between friends, just because "after all we love each other, nooo? (snicker)". People who want to improve the world begin by making life miserable for their neighbour who doesn't share their views. This socially accepted and approved torture hurts me much more than seeing a same-sex couple kiss, and I'm not going to stand for it any longer. |