For some reason I'm seeing homophobic/biphobic Katara on my feed and fanart of it (I don't know how the algorithm thought I liked that shit) but I just don't understand how that trope even came to be especially since it seems like a vast majority of the people who are into that are Zukka fans or either think she would specifically be homophobic to Zuko. (Which doesn't make sense in the first place due to their relationship in Canon. Also isn't it canon that Aang is the only one who lived in a "open-minded" and "accepting" society while everyone else was discriminatory?)
Homophobic Katara has been making a resurgence lately and it comes from misogyny (and homophobia itself). For a couple of reasons.
In the show, Katara actually points out and makes fun of Sokka for his homophobia and misogyny. Zukka fans decided that since Sokka was gay/bi, this meant that Katara was being homophobic towards him. Which wouldn't even be true even if Sokka were canonically gay. Gay men acting on internalized homophobia is still homophobia. And in reality, Sokka is like, the straightest person in the series. Either way, Katara is right to call him out.
Katara is the only character who holds explicitly feminist views and cares about social justice. Not just "girls can fight, too," I mean that she actually uses the word sexist to call people out. So naturally, people decided that meant she was a bitch. And the person who most gets called out for being sexist is her brother.
Part of it also comes from fear of zutara. Some people feel the need to go out of their way to make Katara be extremely antagonistic to Zuko (who they headcanon as gay and back up with extremely homophobic evidence, like one time he moved his wrist a certain way, or he has a slight lisp). Which also comes from misogyny, ignores the actual valid reasons Katara was antagonistic to Zuko, and also ignores that they became close friends and allies. Besides, even when they were enemies, when Katara realized she had said something unintentionally ableist about Zuko's scar, she immediately apologized. No way would she make homophobic jokes about him.
I've also seen people say "oh, Katara and Zuko are friends, she just uses slurs against him all the time, and only him." Which also mischaracterizes Katara and is also still homophobic. Katara does tease Zuko once after they become friends, about his portrayal in the play, but when she saw that he was really bothered by it, she became serious and asked him what was wrong. The idea that she would call someone she was friends with slurs as a joke is complete disrespect to her character. And like always, I tend to think people on tumblr don't actually have friends if they think this is an acceptable way to treat people. Remember when we talked about how gay people can still be homophobic? Casually throwing around slurs and saying that straight people can use slurs against gay people "but it's okay because they're friends" is homophobia. Saying that it's okay for a straight person to call a gay person a slur because she specifically doesn't like him, "but she's not actually homophobic, it's just him" is homophobia.
It's also funny that people cry about how we need to respect Zuko and Katara's platonic friendship, but also need to headcanon them as sexually incompatable to ensure that they remain six feet apart at all times.
Anyway Zuko and Katara are both bi and friends can make out with each other sometimes, as a treat.
I don't think it's actually canon that the Air Nomads were more "open-minded," at least not in the original series. I know that was added later to the comics, but the show describes the Air Nomads as living in gender segregated temples, which is not something that a society that is open-minded about sex and gender does. Aang doesn't notice when Sokka is making homophobic remarks towards him sometimes, but that's more about his age, and he gets extremely insecure in his masculinity during the Ember Island play and takes it out on Katara as a result.
And isn't it a fun coincidence that Katara is yet again the victim of misogyny in a situation where another male character gets labeled as more progressive than her? Interesting, that.
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