Fridge Logic: The Repression in some "Inclusive" Tropes
There's an odd sentiment that crops up from time to time, especially when talking about some distant future, and that's the "Everyone is Bi" world (often realized as pansexual, rather than bi). At first glance, this sort of world is often considered to be more "tolerant". Afterall, bi- or pansexual is part of the LGBT umbrella, so that's tolerance, right?
The problem, though, is that it's not inclusive. It's not saying that everyone is fine being who they are (which is what we should all strive for!), it's that, in the future, people will all have the same orientation (which just happens to be non-straight). Worse, is that this is usually passed off as being more "evolved" or "enlightened" (although this implication is rarely stated outright), as if bi-/pansexuality were some ideal state.
No orientation is an ideal state. Not heterosexuality, not pansexuality. The idea that "everyone is bi in the future" has the implicit undercurrent that such as state is better, and whether it's actually said or not, such characters often act like the difference between heterosexuality and pansexuality is just being narrow-minded or prudish.
Our society rarely looks harshly at the idea of a majority turning into a minority, but this toxic message is clearer if you look at it from the perspective of other minorities. In general, for any attitude or interaction between a majority and a minority, or one minority and everyone else, you should imagine reversing the interaction. If it "suddenly" becomes racist or sexist or bigoted, it was always racist or sexist or bigoted. If it still sounds fine, then it was probably always fine.
So what about "in the future, everyone is bi"? That means that, between now and the future, people stopped being straight in order to be bi-/pansexual instead, and that's better. It doesn't sound nearly as good when reversed: "between now and the future, people are going to stop being bi-/pansexual in order to be straight instead." Hardly an "inclusive" idea.
And it's also important to consider the other minorities, as well. An "Everyone is Bi" world doesn't just mean that there are no straight people; it also means there are no gay men or lesbians, and certainly no asexuals. So this "enlightened" future is also telling gay men that, if they were more evolved, they would also want to have sex with women. And lesbians? You should all want to get some dick, too.
And God forbid you're asexual in such a "Free Love Future". We don't want to have sex with anyone, let alone everyone. It's frankly offensive to be told, "Not only is it more enlightened to have sex, but it's more enlightened to have sex with everyone!" Clearly anyone who doesn't want sex is just repressed, right?
A lot of this comes from one of the most fundamental misunderstandings about sexual orientations, which causes so much toxic intolerance: it suggests that sexual orientation is just an imaginary line in someone's mind that will disappear with the right perspective. You aren't into men and/or women (or neither) because it's a fundamental part of who you are, you're really into them because you've decided somewhere in your mind that that's what you want to be! It's all a choice!
This is what leads to irrational fears of "turning kids queer", or the constant bombardment of condescension that most asexuals have to deal with. "You're not asexual, you just haven't met the right person yet!", "You're not asexual, you're just a prude!", "You're not asexual, you just had a bad experience / were abused / some other excuse that means it's all in your head!", "Asexuals don't exist!"
At its worst, this is also the reasoning behind the heinous act of "corrective rape". The perpetrators of such an act believe that lesbians or asexuals (or even sometimes gay men) can be "turned straight" through being forced into having sex. Their "perspective" is just wrong, and they'll come around to the "correct" orientation as soon as a "correct" experience causes a perspective shift.
"Corrective" rape is a huge problem across the world. Although lesbians are the most well-known victims of this hate crime, it's also a serious problem for asexuals, as well.
Obviously, the sorts of media that has a Free Love/Everyone's Bi future aren't the sort that would condone corrective rape, but the latter is an extreme example of the same premise as the former. "Once we get past our hang-ups, then..."
Because being a different orientation is just a hang-up, right?
The problem, though, is that it's not inclusive. It's not saying that everyone is fine being who they are (which is what we should all strive for!), it's that, in the future, people will all have the same orientation (which just happens to be non-straight). Worse, is that this is usually passed off as being more "evolved" or "enlightened" (although this implication is rarely stated outright), as if bi-/pansexuality were some ideal state.
No orientation is an ideal state. Not heterosexuality, not pansexuality. The idea that "everyone is bi in the future" has the implicit undercurrent that such as state is better, and whether it's actually said or not, such characters often act like the difference between heterosexuality and pansexuality is just being narrow-minded or prudish.
Our society rarely looks harshly at the idea of a majority turning into a minority, but this toxic message is clearer if you look at it from the perspective of other minorities. In general, for any attitude or interaction between a majority and a minority, or one minority and everyone else, you should imagine reversing the interaction. If it "suddenly" becomes racist or sexist or bigoted, it was always racist or sexist or bigoted. If it still sounds fine, then it was probably always fine.
So what about "in the future, everyone is bi"? That means that, between now and the future, people stopped being straight in order to be bi-/pansexual instead, and that's better. It doesn't sound nearly as good when reversed: "between now and the future, people are going to stop being bi-/pansexual in order to be straight instead." Hardly an "inclusive" idea.
And it's also important to consider the other minorities, as well. An "Everyone is Bi" world doesn't just mean that there are no straight people; it also means there are no gay men or lesbians, and certainly no asexuals. So this "enlightened" future is also telling gay men that, if they were more evolved, they would also want to have sex with women. And lesbians? You should all want to get some dick, too.
And God forbid you're asexual in such a "Free Love Future". We don't want to have sex with anyone, let alone everyone. It's frankly offensive to be told, "Not only is it more enlightened to have sex, but it's more enlightened to have sex with everyone!" Clearly anyone who doesn't want sex is just repressed, right?
A lot of this comes from one of the most fundamental misunderstandings about sexual orientations, which causes so much toxic intolerance: it suggests that sexual orientation is just an imaginary line in someone's mind that will disappear with the right perspective. You aren't into men and/or women (or neither) because it's a fundamental part of who you are, you're really into them because you've decided somewhere in your mind that that's what you want to be! It's all a choice!
This is what leads to irrational fears of "turning kids queer", or the constant bombardment of condescension that most asexuals have to deal with. "You're not asexual, you just haven't met the right person yet!", "You're not asexual, you're just a prude!", "You're not asexual, you just had a bad experience / were abused / some other excuse that means it's all in your head!", "Asexuals don't exist!"
At its worst, this is also the reasoning behind the heinous act of "corrective rape". The perpetrators of such an act believe that lesbians or asexuals (or even sometimes gay men) can be "turned straight" through being forced into having sex. Their "perspective" is just wrong, and they'll come around to the "correct" orientation as soon as a "correct" experience causes a perspective shift.
"Corrective" rape is a huge problem across the world. Although lesbians are the most well-known victims of this hate crime, it's also a serious problem for asexuals, as well.
Obviously, the sorts of media that has a Free Love/Everyone's Bi future aren't the sort that would condone corrective rape, but the latter is an extreme example of the same premise as the former. "Once we get past our hang-ups, then..."
Because being a different orientation is just a hang-up, right?
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