So not going to lie, I’m still quite unsettled with the events that happened a few nights back. Now, I completely understand that people don’t wish to see any degree of fighting/debating as the world is already chaotic enough, and Tumblr is often used as a place of escape/relaxation.
But please understand in turn that sweeping away an issue that intersects with my identity is also exhausting. I’m just a bit unsettled that my voice was silenced when I was merely attempting a calm, collected conversation. I’m unsettled that LGBT individuals were, to my knowledge, the only ones blocked (especially in light of avoiding homophobic/biphobic claims). And frankly, I’m unsettled that any of this was an issue to begin with.
I wasn’t done talking, nor done explaining the issue at hand. The discussion wasn’t over. And I was cast aside as a “pot-stirrer/drama starter” for attempting to talk through an issue very near to me. It’s just a bit disheartening to be labeled and treated as such, and to watch the more aggressive/insistent individuals carry on like nothing ever happened. Is this not an issue?
In case anyone needs further context-
I was defending an author and her respective headcanons from being attacked, as were a few others. Anons were insistent on tearing it and her down, even though she’s well within her right to interpret the text/characters however she wants. Said anons began to stir up things on another blog, and subsequent harmful words were brought to my attention. In an attempt to talk things through, defend the author, and perhaps right some wrongs, I engaged in discussion.
Yes, it was a post on someone’s blog. Yes, people are well within their right to post their opinions on their own blogs. But also, this is an interactable, public space. I don’t believe publicly posting something makes it exempt from comments/discussion. Especially, when it’s wrongfully calling out someone I respect.
I completely understand that don’t like/don’t interact can also apply to blogs. For example, I see many posts/headcanons I disagree with, but choose to carry on and ignore them, simply leaving people to their individual spaces. But once again, with someone being clearly misconstrued before me, it was something I couldn’t quite ignore.
I wasn’t trying to “start drama,” nor was I trying to be any sort of aggressor. I was simply attempting to talk things through- particularly if there were any sort of misunderstandings. Because, from my eyes, it seemed like there were plenty. It seemed like so much was getting lost in translation, ie-
The Misunderstanding: If you don’t believe Peeta Mellark is canonically bisexual, you’re biphobic/homophobic.
The Actual Argument: If you don’t accept others headcanoning Peeta Mellark as bisexual or any other sexuality, you may want to examine your own biases/viewpoints.
The Misunderstanding: You cannot headcanon/believe Peeta Mellark to be straight/heterosexual.
The Actual Argument: You can headcanon Peeta to be literally anything you want, as long as you respect others who share differing opinions.
And, even from our side, I thought there could have been a potential misunderstanding. Ie-
The Potential Misunderstanding: Peeta Mellark cannot be anything other than straight.
The Potential Argument: I believe Peeta Mellark to be straight for xyz reasons in the text, but accept the headcanons/the views of those who think differently.
However, when I tried to bring up the latter point, which was admitting my OWN fault/misunderstanding in the discussion, I was blocked. I simply asked if the blog in question accepted others having the varying headcanons, and I was blocked.
This already didn’t sit well with me, as it seemed to be silencing LGBT discussion. Which, for someone attempting to avoid the harsher “homophobic/biphobic” labels, such an action appeared quite contradictory. This later intensified when I learned another LGBT aligned user was also blocked. To my knowledge, no one else who later engaged in the discussion was blocked. And many users were making similar comments/engaging in similar levels of debate.
That was one issue, but the other issue that I find bothersome the “writing-off” attitude this is receiving. Again, again, I completely and wholeheartedly understand people wanting to avoid debate-aligned topics. I know we’re all hurting from 2020, and I know times are hard right now. But if people are hurting and feeling uncomfortable from an unresolved issue, why is it okay to simply treat it as “haha petty fandom fighting?”
I know I’m dredging this along when it has already died out in a lot of people’s eyes. I get it. But from someone who was repeatedly told that I couldn’t possibly be gay because I’d never dated/slept with a woman, and was consequently forced into a deeper place of self-questioning/loathing, please understand that such a hanging topic makes me agitated. I don’t wish to be silent. I simply wish to respectfully talk/debate wherever necessary.
