even without the overblown love confession

butterflydm:

I just strongly disagree, in general, with the idea that if I can’t have textual queerness in a show, then I’m better off (as a queer person) if the subtextual queerness is scrubbed out of existence for the show in question, leaving only straightness. I disagree with that on so many levels.

I would prefer textual queerness in this specific situation (and other situations like it) and I will be vocal in wanting that, but, yes, I would rather have subtextual queerness than to watch a show where even the subtext is only straight-straight-straight. This whole current idea that subtextual queerness is worthless (or even degrading somehow) just… is something I very much disagree with.

Subtext is a conversation, quiet whispers between people who are in on a shared secret. Subtext surrounds and shapes the text, even when the people who can’t read that subtext don’t understand how.

Yes, it’s wrong that the numbers are so strongly stacked against queer subtext becoming text while het subtext becomes text regularly and often doesn’t even have to spend any time as subtext and just gets shoehorned into text by authorial fiat, but I feel like the current argument going on in SPN fandom is saying we should throw the baby out with the bathwater. Subtextual queerness is not representation (we agree on that) but that doesn’t make it worthless.