https://www.tumblr.com/squaloropera/749207242108256256/hey-ask-me-about-the-inherent-heteronormativity-of?source=share
Okay explain because I'm interested
Oh thank god. You will regret this.
Now, the first thing to do here is to explain exactly what I mean by ‘top/bottom’ discourse. What I’m referring to, specifically, is people arguing over fictional characters (usually) and their preferred positions in penetrative sex. These characters being gay, almost exclusively. Pretty fucked up, but now that we have that point of reference, I can explain better. Now, there is no inherent heteronormativity in thinking a character prefers to bottom or top, but the discourse here is usually where the problem lies. First of all, roles of ‘top’ and ‘bottom’ aren’t exclusive. A top can bottom, a bottom can top, there is no set rule. Thinking anything otherwise dangerously borders on ‘____ is the girl of the relationship cause he only ever takes’ territory. This is the heart of this heteronormativity claim. In general, this discourse will be in the comments of any fanart or fanfiction of a gay fictional pairing that happens to be sexual. Usually, you’ll find at least a few comments of ‘Nooooooooo, ____ totally tops!’ and with the expectation that said character should always be the more sexually dominant one, even if there’s no penetrative sex being displayed and the word ‘top’ is being used to refer to sexual dominance. The core of this discourse is never actually about the actual meaning of ‘top’ and ‘bottom’, but in fact the words are being used in place of ‘the girl’ and ‘the guy’. If you replace ‘____ is the bottom!’ with ‘____ Is the girl in the relationship!’ it suddenly makes the comment make sense, and also reveals the sinister nature of top/bottom discourse.
I hope this was coherent, lol.
Hey ask me about the inherent heteronormativity of top/bottom discourse in fandom