Guillaume Mistwalker wrote:Actually, I must side with Bromo here. CLEO and Ceasar can do as they wish in their bedrooms — and, if they are into kinky sex, then by all means let them enjoy it. Though, I suppose it is revealing to know this, Spider, as another person has also told me this before. Here is why it is revealing.
At one of the old electoral celebration balls, I was dancing with Pat when the topic of homosexuality came up — being a bisexual, I like to make sure my identity and community isn't 'erased', and talked up Lady Gaga being bi.
CLEOPATRA at that point said, "Ewwww, that's gross G" in a typical biphobic manner, only to assure me a little later that she "didn't care" what people did in their bedrooms but that she doesn't want to know. I wish I believed that was true.Clearly if CLEO and Ceasar haven't informed us of this fact before, it may be because of a sense of shame they have — as is often the case when people "come out" or are "outed". Seeing as the Xigalias have just been outed (!) as being into BDSM, it shouldn't be met with social stigma. We have people in government apart from them who are into BDSM, some who are out and proud.
Though I may disagree with CLEO and Ceasar politically, it doesn't follow coherently in my political beliefs to attack them or belittle them for being into BDSM while I wouldn't want others to say things that were biphobic to me.
Nonetheless, it does raise questions to me, especially on the intersection between LGBTQ+ Studies and Politics with gender. In LGBTQ+ discourses, we have terms (and they exist in BDSM communities too) about who is 'bottom' and who is 'top', ie who has power in romantic and sexual situations. This power is often a gendered power, shown by "masculine" tops and "feminine" bottoms. Knowing this, I can reasonably see CLEOPATRA being a "top" or a "dom" — and, even if she isn't, there exist such things as "power bottoms". Considering this, I think it is also at odds with things CLEOPATRA has said to me in the past about her support of "Biblical" gender roles. Back when I was celebrating Transgender Day of Remembrance last November, CLEOPATRA and I had words about the nature of transgender topics which she summed up with her verbal support for "traditional" and "Biblical" gender roles. In this case, "traditional" (or "heterosexist") gender roles requires a 'woman' to be subservient and to be cared for while a 'man' must have honour and follow his duty to his 'woman': in sum, these gender roles are at odds with the behaviour of a 'woman' being a "dom", a "top", or even a "power bottom".
So, if it is true that CLEO and Ceasar are/were into BDSM, it is nothing to be shameful about — but they may be closeted because of a sense of shame they have because this enjoyment they have is at odds with the "traditional gender roles" they take pride in and which they purport, and may make sense in their dual-world reality cast in secrecy.
Hypocrisy, explained very nicely.