Thank you for your insightful piece. I enjoy many of your videos about WoT! Without disclosing too many details, I am a bisexual fan and increasingly consider myself non-binary, although I am seen as male in my day-to-day life.
I agree that if there are issues, they are mostly due to omission rather than trying to say something horrible about LGBT+ people. I also do appreciate the moments of frankness. For instance, some rather explicit moments in my reread were when Ailil and Shalon were revealed to be having an affair, and the mention that sister-wives of the Aiel are considered married to each other. (I also appreciate the polyamory, though in most cases, it does not appear too explicitly LGBT+ if a man is with several women, etc.)
Now, for the bad. As mentioned above, there is an issue with Aran'gar. While there shouldn't be an issue with a "trans" (her experience is kind of unique) villain, it is an issue when in such an expansive world, there are no good trans people. What if a trans woman was a novice in Salidar, or there was a non-binary channeler who could use both saidin and saidar? This would balance out any issues with Aran'gar.
Also, Galina is one of the most openly lesbian characters and her presentation is a bit gross too: a misandrist Red, also Black Ajah, and her ex-lover rejects her for wanting to be pillow-friends as Aes Sedai. There's also Elaida's past with Meidani Eschede, and Juilane Madome being a loyalist. However, it's balanced out by some good (albeit minor) lesbians/bi women: Seonid, Arrela, Solain. Personally, I do see Siuan and Moiraine as bisexual. I am fine with them breaking up, but find them together to be more exciting than the men they end up with.
There also definitely must be gay or bisexual men. The Black Tower must have pillow friends from a lot of young men being in one place, right? Same as most armies, the male Aiel societies, and Green Warders are probably in love with each other as well as their Aes Sedai a lot. There's the whole "navy" stereotype after all.
In the end, I don't think about it so much, even as an LGBT+ reader, but it is always worth discussing. Personally, I like the escapism aspect in WoT a lot, and I think that LGBT+ characters are treated better in-universe than a lot of other major fantasy stories.
Queer Themes in the Wheel of Time
in Books and eBooks
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Thank you for your insightful piece. I enjoy many of your videos about WoT! Without disclosing too many details, I am a bisexual fan and increasingly consider myself non-binary, although I am seen as male in my day-to-day life.
I agree that if there are issues, they are mostly due to omission rather than trying to say something horrible about LGBT+ people. I also do appreciate the moments of frankness. For instance, some rather explicit moments in my reread were when Ailil and Shalon were revealed to be having an affair, and the mention that sister-wives of the Aiel are considered married to each other. (I also appreciate the polyamory, though in most cases, it does not appear too explicitly LGBT+ if a man is with several women, etc.)
Now, for the bad. As mentioned above, there is an issue with Aran'gar. While there shouldn't be an issue with a "trans" (her experience is kind of unique) villain, it is an issue when in such an expansive world, there are no good trans people. What if a trans woman was a novice in Salidar, or there was a non-binary channeler who could use both saidin and saidar? This would balance out any issues with Aran'gar.
Also, Galina is one of the most openly lesbian characters and her presentation is a bit gross too: a misandrist Red, also Black Ajah, and her ex-lover rejects her for wanting to be pillow-friends as Aes Sedai. There's also Elaida's past with Meidani Eschede, and Juilane Madome being a loyalist. However, it's balanced out by some good (albeit minor) lesbians/bi women: Seonid, Arrela, Solain. Personally, I do see Siuan and Moiraine as bisexual. I am fine with them breaking up, but find them together to be more exciting than the men they end up with.
There also definitely must be gay or bisexual men. The Black Tower must have pillow friends from a lot of young men being in one place, right? Same as most armies, the male Aiel societies, and Green Warders are probably in love with each other as well as their Aes Sedai a lot. There's the whole "navy" stereotype after all.
In the end, I don't think about it so much, even as an LGBT+ reader, but it is always worth discussing. Personally, I like the escapism aspect in WoT a lot, and I think that LGBT+ characters are treated better in-universe than a lot of other major fantasy stories.