Somebody stop me!

[emmagrant01]

Before I hurt myself.

But seriously, I have a question. It appears that most people who participate in slash fandoms are politically liberal (or left-wing, if you prefer that term). I realize that means many different things in different countries, of course, but when I cruise my f-list, I see lots of people who support gay marriage, who oppose the war in Iraq, who oppose the Bush administration in the US, and so on. It could just be a product of who happens to be on my f-list, but I'm not sure.

So are slashers, in general, more liberal than the average person on the street? Why or why not?

If you're not liberal and are a slasher, do you feel like a minority? Do you find it difficult to express your views?

ETA: The terms "liberal" and "conservative" mean different things to different people and aren't even opposites -- it's possible to be a liberal conservative, for example. I would love to hear what the word "liberal" means to you if you're applying it to yourself, or even if you don't.

I'm also curious to hear from people who don't support gay rights and believe homosexuality is immoral, yet who read and/or write slash. I know you're out there! I'd love to hear what you think!

Comments

[muffytaj.livejournal.com]

No, they are no more liberal than the average person. In fact, some slashers I've seen are more conservative than hetters.

[emmagrant01.livejournal.com]

Interesting! I know that the people who are likely to see this entry at all are probably predisposed to being more liberal, so I don't kid myself that the opinions I get here are really representative of the larger community. You're the first person who's said this, though. Is it based on the people you know in fandom, or on something else?

[muffytaj.livejournal.com]

Some people I've known in fandom, who are all: "We write slash, but the idea of real life gay people getting married is GROSS!1!!!11one!" *twitch*

That and the people I know who write het or gen are the most liberal I have ever known. So it's kind of a balancing act, and with the people I've known, the non-slashers win the more liberal. Or at least the more vocal :p Hell, I write squick, and I'm more liberal than half the slashers I run across.