I'd intended to post this a while back, but got distracted .... And I think we've sort of been around with this basic idea before, although maybe not from the same angle. But discussion is always fun! *grin*
Modern psychology recognizes a difference between sexual/affective orientation and gender identity. Not everybody agrees with that distinction, and as is often the case, reality is a bit trickier than theory. Obviously gender ID and orientation are
related, but I find the difference between them an interesting thing to explore in fanfic. Feeling more masculine or more feminine, or near-equal parts both -- or neither -- may or may not be reflective of the gender we're attracted to. And at least with teens who are working through ALL this stuff in a way that's NEW, it can be hugely confusing. "If I'm a masculine girl/feminine boy, does that make me gay?" (The answer is 'No,' although confused teens may wonder about their orientation, or even if they're transsexual).
Anyway, like I said, I'm always intrigued by the intersection of these two aspects of self-identity, so I was wondering how others view Cedric and Harry in terms of *gender* identification, not just affective orientation? I laid out my own personal view of the two in the first conversation in chapter 4 of
Past Present (
here) -- which is not begging for readers, mind, as I've already been madly posting announcements for it like a, well, mad thing, ha. I tend to see Harry as somewhat gender neutral. Androgynous, but in a way that doesn't read as really feminine or masculine, while Cedric is androgynous in ways that are both. At one point, he calls himself a boy-girl, and Harry observes that he relates to others in ways that are as much traditionally feminine as they are masculine. To some degree, I base my personal reading of Harry on my understanding of his character in the books, but Cedric is a lot more of a
blank. (To be fair, I think Harry could be read in the books as more masculine than I read him. It depends on how one weights his personality traits, but I'll admit, I have a
real hard time with overly
feminine Harry.)
But I was wondering how y'all see Harry and Cedric? Similar? Very different? Does it fluctuate depending on story, or is it set in stone? What influences your readings of them? I know the whole issue of "girl-ifying" one of the boys in a same-sex pair (often the younger, smaller, or overtly prettier) is an old issue in slash fiction, perhaps as an inability to rethink romantic interaction in non-gender-stereotyped ways, but ... to what degree might it be reflective of gender ID for that character? Like I said, I have a hard time with feminine Harry, as that reads OOC to me and the books are in his POV, so we know him pretty well. But other characters are less clear.
Thoughts?
(P.S. I turned off the email notifications to me, but I'll jump in here and there if I have anything to add. Have at it guys.)
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zooeyrye 
chipper
