@turings i think that’s one of the topics where i can see both sides... on the one hand i definitely agree that misogyny influences the way we relate to and interact with female characters, and obviously i’m always in favour of more f/f content that for the most part otherwise only really seems to spring up in fandoms with canon f/f ships in large amounts (and as someone who has little to no interest in reading fic for canon ships unless it’s the kind that fixes canon decisions i disagree with, i really wish there was more more big non-canon f/f ships than there are)
but on the other hand... as a lesbian who is at best made uncomfortable and alienated by fictional m/f and at worst outright repulsed by it, i definitely have a long list of female love interests to male characters i straight up ignored lol (unless there was another woman to ship her with). i also definitely understand not wanting to engage with female characters that exist as little more than proof of heterosexuality for the male main character and otherwise have no motivation or character arc of their own, and i feel those minor female characters differ quite significantly from male minor characters in that male minor characters are for the most part not minor in a gendered way, if that makes sense. like, i might find a minor character interesting enough to read or write fic about them if they have a trait that can be explored further, but if that trait is “female love interest and prize/emotional motivator/etc to the male hero” really all i can feel towards that character is gay rage at lazy male writers lmao.
i fully support people who are able to do more with those characters in interesting ways (i read a fantastic fic just yesterday that centered on the fridged girlfriend of one of the male characters and how her story might have differed if she fell in love with one of the other minor female characters instead, and that’s content i will always love) but i don’t feel like i’m obligated to invest time and energy in a) validating canon het b) sexist writing. and i think that’s where the problem lies in the way people talk about this nowadays, the sense of obligation. i’ve rambled about this before but when people write f/f out of obligation because they feel they have to meet a quota to look good, it tends to be soulless and sterile and i honestly prefer nothing to content like that which just alienates me even more.
tl;dr: i’d give my left arm for people who aren’t lesbians and bi women to collectively give more of a shit about f/f but i also feel that in order for that to happen media has to go a long long way in providing us with the kind of interesting, complex and sprawling relationships between women that we get with two men, and i also am a mean gay who will hate and erase canon m/f wherever i find it sjaddkj
