queer shouldn't be PG just for being queer

[mickeym]

This just really...well, it's pissing me off. I'm scrolling through my flist, as you do, and come across a story that sounds interesting, as happens...until I scrolled just a teeny bit further and saw the full headers, and got smacked in the face with this:

Rating - PG. Because of slash and some word choicing. (the bolding is mine)

Now, if you're rating it PG because of language, FINE. I still don't see the purpose in PG/PG-13 since we're supposed to all be adults, but whatever.

But what the fuck is up with rating a story BECAUSE OF SLASH? That's like saying "hey, you're queer, so you can't be rated G".

I'm probably getting worked up over nothing, but it feels discriminatory to me. I don't know if I should say anything to the author (or how I would say it) or not. I just...is it just me? Or does it feel inherently wrong to say you're rating something based on the fact that it's m/m (and some word choicing)?

Comments

[tealin.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, I saw that article, too. I felt like I had a mild case of mental whiplash, after reading it-- surprising tolerance for the most part, contr asted with folks like thewoman you quoted. Oh, and someone calling the police because they were 'all over each other'. Still, no one assaulted either couple. That's progress, eh? /snark

[kaiz.livejournal.com]

I felt like I had a mild case of mental whiplash

Word. One step forward, two steps back it seems. *sigh*

I could really wish that people would stop trotting out "but think of the children" as a justification. I mean, it is *that* traumatic for them to explain, "Sometimes two boys/girls fall in love with each other, just like your mom and dad did" ?

Anecdote time: I subscribed to a gen mailing list way back in the dark ages and a minor kerfuffle arose because someone wanted to post a (gen) crossover to the list that featured a (canonical) lesbian couple. The couple wasn't having sex in the story, mind you, they were just mentioned as being a couple--seeing how, like, they were in canon! It wasn't allowed because it contained 'mature themes' or some-such, although the author was allowed to post a link to it. *facepalms*