#i'll take homophobia for 800 alex!

[rainbowsky]

The Road is Long

By now most people have likely heard some mutterings about shakeups in turtledom. Let's talk about that a bit.

Disclaimer: As always, everything I say is a reflection of my own understanding of things, my own values and ideas and opinions. There are precious few verified facts available here, so we can never know for sure what the real truth is. Therefore, don't take what I say as fact. It's just my opinion, some melancholy musings, and a bit of CPN. Totally fake, of course.

Today is a day of tremendous grief among turtles, as it is believed by many that the person who was handling the LRLG posts has been shifted off of DD's staff. They made a contribution to the rumor house saying simply, "See you next time."

When I saw that I was heartbroken, as were many turtles. If you've been following LRLG at all, "See you next time" has frequently been their sign-off when making a post. If it's a goodbye, it would be a fitting - and poignant - one, made sadder by the context of this situation.

It's also an important reminder that nothing is permanent. We may see more from LRLG one day.

As of my screen cap, the post already has 18,000 comments. Most of them are tearful and grateful, showering LRLG in thanks for all the blessings and stories they've shared with us. Turtles are crying together, sharing supportive messages and gratitude, and being overall the sweet-hearted people they tend to be. Just loving GG and DD and restating their commitment to support them both through thick and thin.

The top comment is a photo of some turtle graffiti, saying, "The summer that belongs to us, no one can take away."

Of course, it wouldn't be a turtle post without some CPN, and many turtles have been pointing out that if the staff changes and removal of LRLG is real, then all the posts from LRLG are likely also real.

But we already knew that. LRLG has come through with proven messages time and again. This is just more confirmation of what many turtles already believed.

But why is this happening?

No one knows the whole story, and most of it is speculation based on various events and situations that have been unfolding over the past several months. However, the generally accepted narrative at this point is that DD's management has begun to cave under pressure from toxic solo fans who have been pushing a lot of demands, causing a lot of commotion and threatening to boycott the YH concert next month.

Up until recently DD's team has been completely ignoring these behaviors (and IMHO, rightly so). No one knows why the approach has shifted, but there are a lot of possible reasons. One of the likeliest being that investors/backers in DD's career and projects, and in YH (since it's now on the HK stock exchange) have caught wind of the toxic fan situation and are getting nervous.

From the perspective of a single-minded moneybags it looks a lot like DD's team isn't keeping the traffic happy, which wouldn't bode well for their bottom line. So of course, they will want something done to restore order.

What they don't appear to be aware of is just how much of DD's traffic is from turtles. As CP fans, turtles don't have the status to make demands like solos do (nor are they so toxic), so they just have to sit by and watch these changes that are harming turtles. They have no recourse.

Some turtles are disillusioned with DD because they've always seen him as the guy who would never back down. Some are angry and hurt and turning away from DD because of it.

What they don't seem to realize is that it's completely out of DD's hands. He would not be at liberty to go against what his backers want. They will no doubt have convincing reasons why this is what's best for his career, and why it's necessary.

This is just more of the squeeze GG and DD have been under from the beginning. They are commodities - they are businesses. GG said it in his interview not long ago. They all work for 'the star'.

“There are two Xiao Zhans, one of them is here, that’s me. There is another Xiao Zhan, the Xiao Zhan in quotes, but he is probably not me anymore. We are all working for him, including myself.”

As businesses that employ a lot of workers and bring in a lot of money, GG and DD aren't at liberty to do whatever they want. They have financial and contractual considerations to deal with. They have reputational and governmental issues to deal with.

The central focus of business and financial entities is always how to avoid and mitigate risk. To those with a stake in GG and DD's careers (and with every new project and endorsement the number of stakeholders grows), the important thing is to ensure maximum profitability with minimum risk. Fan wars represent risk. Toxic solo demands represent risk. Fan boycotts represent serious risk. Turtles - to some degree I'm sure in the minds of many - represent risk. Danmei and all things associated with it represents risk.

If GG and DD want to keep doing what they do, they will have to keep these stakeholders happy. They have a financial and contractual obligation to do so.

The reality is, we've always known GG and DD are in a precarious position. We've always known the government is against danmei. We've always known that things were tightening up and getting worse and worse every year.

Turtles have no standing as fans. As I've said many times when talking about endorsement brand candies, it's highly unlikely that turtles are taken into consideration when calculating GG and DD's fan bases and fan power. When everyone is sitting around the table having deep conversations about how to keep fans happy, it's highly unlikely that turtles are taken much into consideration, if at all.

DD's team has been ignoring toxic motos and their demands, but they've only gotten worse. They've been leaving hateful comments and lists of demands in response to everything his team posts, and elsewhere. They reported YH to the government for unfair ticketing of the concert*. They've been vocal enough that stakeholders and even some passersby will be aware of their discontent. They've been threatening to boycott the YH family concert next month (which, by the way, turtles have stepped up and bought all the tickets motos refused to buy, and will be making a big showing there).

*And they apparently discovered in response that YH isn't the producer of the show, it's produced by another company in a province that the gov't department doesn't have jurisdiction over. So there are theories that maybe the ticketing approach was part of the production agreement.

And it seems finally someone came along and demanded that DD's team does something to appease these toxic little bitches motos. These aren't just some random group of fans, they're organized and ring-led by DD's biggest fan club. That's the sort of thing that will make stakeholders nervous.

The changes to his Weibo bio are likely part of this - not necessarily directly as a result of motos, but also because of what I was talking about before - risk. Danmei is officially condemned by the government. CQL is a danmei drama.

And some of the changes to his team seem to have happened long before now. Remember, we used to get a lot of exciting, affectionate, interesting content from YBO. The video updates, the comic strips, the little anecdotes from his daily life. All of that has gone away a long time ago, and we've been getting increasingly dry, increasingly unimaginative, officious updates (maybe time to rebrand as 'Yibo Officious' 🤔?).

More of that is likely to come. DD's team appears to be wielding a sledgehammer now, not a poet's pen. Just this morning they posted some photos from DD's Moncler event, and attempted to crudely photoshop the numbers from his sleeve.

For those who were unaware, the text on the sleeve reads: "MF: 032/33." This is a Moncler FRGMT varsity jacket with a limited edition of 33 in the world. DD's is 32 of 33. (And has a big yellow flower on it, I might add.)

Why would they try to hide that DD is wearing one of only 33 jackets that exist in the world? Obviously because 32 is a number that will be associated with turtles/GG. But in attempting to obscure it they are acknowledging that it's a CP number. And who chose that number?

Well, repos say that DD spent a lot of time trying on clothes and deciding on an outfit, and we know how much he loves the numbers 2 and 3 (ai zan - love Zhan). The kadian of the jacket would read, "Zhan love/ZhanZhan."

As some c-turtles have rightly pointed out: the team can photoshop the numbers, but they can't stop him choosing them. They can remove LRLG, but they can't stop him choosing to award a prize to the seat at row 2 #30 (and then switching it to row 3 #20 when he was told there weren't 30 seats in each row) at the Chunzhen brand event, and they can't stop him from sitting in seat #5 at the Born to Fly theater during ADLAD. They can change the time when photos are posted on Weibo, but they can't change the time he sets his watch to in the photo.

EDIT: I have a theory about why this whole photoshop thing might not be as bad as it seems. More about that here.

DD will always be DD. He will always love GG. He will always care about turtles. He will always need (and deserve) our support. If he loses it, then the motos win. Don't let them succeed at their nefarious, hateful agenda. DD doesn't deserve that.

Is this the right move for DD's career?

I was among those who thought DD's team would never back down. They'd held strong for many months. But we should never underestimate the driving force of money, and like it or not (and correctly or incorrectly), in the eyes of investors motos represent traffic and profit. The money men will take over the vehicle if they feel its heading in the wrong direction. They don't care what they destroy if it saves their bottom line. But will it work?

Only time will tell, but I'm unconvinced right now. For a few reasons:

Everyone knows, paid ransom only leads to more kidnappings. The more management teams cave in to toxic fans, the more toxic they become. The more emboldened they become. The more they sharpen their knives and shoot off their mouths. It's only going to get worse. And we're talking about people who are already so full of themselves that they physically attack turtles at events. How much worse will it get? What will their next demands be?

Motos' ability to carry traffic is questionable. While DD is consistently doing well, his fans aren't doing anything spectacular for his endorsements or projects. BAH, Luoyang, his films, they did well but weren't the blockbusters some were expecting. And turtles are pulling a LOT of weight for him. If the goals of solos were successful and turtles were gone and it was only motos left, what would that look like? Maybe it's an inferiority complex from constantly being outgunned by shrimps, but I think motos vastly overestimate their own power as a group.

Further to my previous point, turtles are more powerful than they get credit for. They are constantly counted out and underestimated. DD's team might have factored the risk of upsetting solos, but I doubt they've fully calculated the risk and potential harm of alienating turtles. Although my belief (and hope) is that turtles will stay strong. Turtles have taken so many blows over the years, and they still hold the line. As one turtle heartbreakingly put it in response to LRLG's post, "😭😭😭😭😭😭I cry and I cry for nothing else. It's because the two treasures are too difficult and wronged 🥺🥺🥺 Please rest assured that we will never let go of our original intention to protect them 💚❤️💛 we will never break our promise." Some turtles get it, and it only makes them stronger and more committed. Others will be hurt and walk away. And while GG and DD are going to be fine, while their careers will likely continue to thrive, there is something special that turtles give them that is irreplaceable. If things take a bad turn with this team it wouldn't be the first time an outsider came along and carelessly destroyed something beautiful that they didn't understand. Even without the numbers game, there's a personal cost here that only turtles and GGDD will recognize and pay.

A lot of turtles are feeling emboldened, too. A lot of them are tired of covering their faces, hiding their colors and bowing down. It will be interesting to see how that factors in to everything.

We will just have to watch and wait, and see what happens. Regardless of any misgivings I might have about these issues and about his revised team, I will still continue to love and support DD. More than ever, actually. He will need our love.

LRLG is a role, not an individual

Some of you might have noticed over the past couple of years, that LRLG hasn't always kept the same tone, writing style, inflection, etc. in the messages they've shared. Many people - myself included - suspect that's because there have been shifts in staffing before, and the person doing the LRLG messages has changed in the past.

What hasn't changed is the messages or the manner in which they've been shared with us. If that's true, it's because LRLG was a role or a task that continued to be managed and filled regardless of who on staff was available to take care of it.

It's possible that role has been eliminated from the plan moving forward, which would be different from simply shifting who makes the contributions to the rumor house. I don't know for sure, but it seems like maybe there's no one left on his team who is in on it.

But that doesn't mean that LRLG won't show up again in some other capacity, or perhaps at some time in the future. Maybe the contributions will come from GG's side. We don't know.

My thoughts

Like I said earlier, this is all based on conjecture. No one knows all the details from behind the scenes. There could be a lot more to this issue than we realize. We just have to stay strong, and be patient.

In any case, it's a sad time for turtles, and there's no doubt about that. I am grieving these changes along with everyone else. It doesn't help that it comes right at the time I'm deeply grieving the anniversaries of the deaths of 2 close loved ones.

So I'm sad, very sad. Heartbroken is a better word.

I really didn't GAF about CQL being removed from DD's profile. If anything it's a bit of a relief. It can no longer be a factor. People can stop arguing about it, it can stop being such a focus. It's such an inconsequential thing. But YBO acting like turtle antis? Editing out candy and possibly removing LRLG? GUTTED.

The noose keeps tightening, and GG and DD and turtles are always the ones to pay the price.

This whole thing feels like nothing less than the triumph of homophobia, stupidity, mindless self-importance, toxicity and hate, and I've seen enough of that lately to last me several lifetimes.

One thing I know deep in my heart: GG and DD love turtles, they appreciate us, they care about us, and they will find a way to feed us and show us their love. They are smart, mischievous and resourceful, and they seem to thrive on challenges.

So take heart, my friends, and stay strong. Everything is going to be OK. The road is long.

A final word to the motos: I hate to break it to you, honey, but he's never going to marry you.

EDIT:

Follow-up post on whether everyone's wrong about LRLG leaving here.

Follow-up post about whether DD chose these changes here.

Follow-up post about the photoshopping of the jacket sleeve (and my theory about why YBO might still be our ally) here.

#fandom reflections #lrlg #bxg perspectives #ggdd controversies #solos belong to moling su sect #it's in the air it's all around #i'll take homophobia for 800 alex! #🔴🟢

[rainbowsky]

Hi rainbowsky☺️ thanks for all the fun posts. I love them a lot! I am a fruit from 2021. Toxic mtjj has recently attecked fruit with this claim. 'The court ruled that bjyx is a disgrace to Mr. Wang Yibo.'

I am trying to find information on this, but I can't seem to find it. Do you know anything about it?

Hi remember! Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying my blog! ☺️

If I've said this once, I've said this a thousand times, block and ignore toxic people (and report where appropriate). Don't give them the time of day. They are trying to hurt you. Ignore, ignore, ignore.

As for this particular claim, this emptyjiejie is misrepresenting what happened in order to upset turtles.

They're talking about the Lyfen case, where a BXG sued Lyfen for failing to give them a prize they had legitimately won. Lyfen's homophobic defense was that they were trying to protect DD's reputation by disassociating the contest/event from BXG.

Lyfen won the case. Of course they did! Anyone who thought the ruling would go against Lyfen is out of touch with reality.

This is a lone BXG against a large corporation with high powered lawyers. The BXG never stood a chance, regardless of what basis Lyfen argued its case upon.

Lyfen was the defendant in the case, and a brand arguing it was trying to protect its reputation and the reputation of its spokesperson is already at an advantage. I'm not an expert in Chinese law, but in most courtrooms around the world all Lyfen would have had to do to win the case was prove that, in their mind, they were acting in good faith. They wouldn't have had to prove anything beyond that. They wouldn't even have had to prove anything negative about turtles, just that as a brand, they were acting based on what they felt was best for their company and their spokesperson. If they weren't acting illegally in doing so, they win.

LGBTQ rights aren't protected under the law in China. In a country like China where there are no legal protections in place against LGBTQ discrimination (and where, in fact, the current government - which is very homophobic - is increasingly cracking down on LGBTQ people), courts are going to side with a defendant who is arguing against being associated with 'deviant queer culture'. According to the law in China, queerness isn't a protected class. Quite the contrary.

The courts didn't rule that BXG are a 'disgrace', they ruled that Lyfen was within their rights to not want to associate with them. Even if the courts had made that determination that BXG were a bunch of disgraceful, immoral monsters, anyone wanting to cite a LGBTQ repressive institution on matters pertaining to the morality of homosexuality/queer culture... uhhhh*... 🤔

I have said this before, but anyone who smugly cheers on this kind of thing is a fucking asshole, and a homophobe.

*This reminds me of shrimps gleefully quoting a bottom-feeding paparazzo as 'proof' that BJYX isn't real. Solos don't actually GAF about right and wrong when it comes to attacking BXG. They'll throw all morality out the window if they think it can help further their anti agenda.

Block and ignore, block and ignore, block and ignore.

And please, if you read any of my posts, make it this one.

I talked a bit more about brand antis here.

#i'll take homophobia for 800 alex! #antis go home #solos belong to moling su sect #ggdd controversies #ask

[rainbowsky]

Anonymous asked: Hi rainbowsky,I don't know whether I should ask you this or not but it's been bugging me a lot and I can't even sleep last night due to my findings about [emphatically redacted].

With all due respect, Anon, wake up.

That BS is thoroughly debunked, and the (very meagre) 'evidence' is so obviously photoshopped, grasping and fake, that it amazes me anyone could believe it. There is no evidence that the two have ever even met, let alone been in a room together.

These aren't 'rumors', they're anti attacks. They exist for one reason and one reason only: to try to cause harm.

I mean this in the most affectionate way possible, Anon, but you shouldn't be a rube who gets sucked into believing lies spread by antis. Use your head.

I will encourage you do do what I urged people to do regarding another bunch of BS - consider the source. Where did you hear this bullshit, and what is their opinion of the person they're slandering?

Do those people hold any credibility for you?

What seems to motivate them?

What do the things they are saying tell you about what their goals might be? If you follow their claims to their logical conclusion, what would you be led to believe or do? Is that an outcome you want to support?

Why is what they are saying important to you personally, and how do their words change your feelings about GG or DD? How might it change your behavior? What does this tell you about the potential intentions of the speaker?

What assumptions are implied by their words, and how do their words reinforce those assumptions?

How does their approach differ with regard to how they treat their own claims vs how they treat the claims of their opponents? Do you think they are being fair? Honest?

What impact do their words have on others, and how might that impact serve the motives and goals of the speaker?

What isn’t being said? What’s been conveniently left out of the discussion?

Is the speaker artificially limiting the possible explanations for things? What are some other possible perspectives on and explanations for what is being claimed?

I'd also encourage you to check your homophobia, Anon, because it is so utterly homophobic to be more willing to believe hateful things about them than to believe they might be gay.

Some people will completely ignore and disregard the mountains of evidence of a relationship between GG and DD, while immediately believe in the first het rumor they hear. That's heteronormativity at work, and something I encourage you to reflect on.

To be clear: you are under no obligation to believe BJYXSZD, and I encourage you to question it and form your own opinions, but if you're throwing over GGDD in favor of some hateful lies, then I don't know what to tell you, Anon. That's pretty fucked up.

Don't lose sleep over things like this. Do a proper analysis, work on your critical thinking - you'll find that it's all a bunch of BS.

Here is a related post I recommend checking out.

#antis go home #really fake rumors #i'll take homophobia for 800 alex! #ask

[rainbowsky]

To the XFX who keeps stalking my inbox with homphobic, delusional BS - please go touch some grass, and find something productive, kind and generous to do with your time. Your desperate, embarrassing essays will never see the light of day, and I will keep blocking your accounts as fast as you can make them. I've blocked thousands of porn bots, you are no match for that.

#solos belong to moling su sect #i'll take homophobia for 800 alex! #love letters from anons #antis go home #ask

[rainbowsky]

Hey RBS 🌈

Recently i came across GG interview on ool where he talk about how envious of he is gu wei because he have a perfect life, a loving family, adorable son. Somehow it gave me this feeling that, deep down GG wish to live a ideal life. Where there is no fans chasing after him, no paparazzi breathing down on his neck.

I do saw some fans try to interpret it as GG being straight and he wanted a wife and kid in the future. But for me it was more like his dream to have a domestic life with DD.

I would like to know what you think about this.

Hi Anon, 😊

Fake, fan fiction, CPN.

I think interviews are often taken too literally and too seriously by fans. Just because someone says something in an interview, that doesn't mean it's their final word on the topic, or anything broader than a simple off-the-cuff musing.

I've never had even the remotest interest in being a parent, but there are some people who seem to have the perfect life, the perfect kids, the perfect home, where everyone looks like they stepped out of a Scandinavian architectural magazine and they all go to the farmer's market on Saturday mornings and then go for long hikes in the mountains in their handmade knitwear with their perfect, utterly obedient dog, and then come home and eat a delicious wholesome rustic gourmet home-cooked meal at a large raw log slab trestle table with the sun slanting through their 30foot floor to open-rafter ceiling windows, etc. etc. etc., and there are moments when I envy that even though it in no way resembles the life I really want.

I think it's normal for people to daydream about other people's lives.

And there is also a certain element of marketing at play here. An actor pretty much has to sell the character and the story to the audience. GG is a savvy man in that respect, and scrupulously polite. He will find something nice to say if the situation calls for it.

Having said all that, please everyone repeat after me:

GAY PEOPLE ARE ALLOWED TO WANT KIDS AND STILL BE GAY.

I talked about that a while back in a discussion about DD saying he wants a son.

There are so many heteronormative fans who don't get that concept. It's crazy.

Like you said, Anon, he could easily be daydreaming about wanting a nice domestic life with DD. I'm absolutely certain they would have talked about having kids, even theoretically, because A] the culture and B] DD seems serious about wanting one.

People often think China is inherently homophobic, but that perception isn't entirely accurate. Family is given high importance in some cultures, and that can lead parents and relatives to pressure gays to marry straight and have kids. However, many families are perfectly happy to accept queer family members as long as they still plan to have kids via adoption or surrogacy.

Anyway, point being - that 'straight' narrative says a lot more about the person interpreting than it does about GG. 😅

#ggdd forever #i'll take homophobia for 800 alex! #ggdd interviews #lgbtpride #ask

[rainbowsky]

OK to everyone who's writing me shipping DD with Kyoka - and I mean this with all due respect - please piss off.

This is heteronormative bullshit that I don't need in my inbox.

People can have dozens and dozens of big pieces of evidence of GGDD put in front of them on a silver platter and still they hmm and haw, and then DD so much as glances at a woman and suddenly all the turtles who've been hand-wringing over SZD for months wonder if DD is into a woman.

It's dipping your toe in anti behavior, frankly. We're all turtles here. This is a GGDD blog. If you want to ship other people, do it somewhere else. Go hang out with the solos, they gobble every straight ship up with both hands.

Besides, everything I've heard says that Kyoka is gay too.

DD is a dancer who takes his craft very seriously. When he sees a dancer whose work he admires, he expresses it, often very effusively. People need to take their het glasses off and look at the world for what it really is. Or else go ship it elsewhere.

Honestly... 🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️🤦🏼‍♂️

#wtaf #antis go home #i'll take homophobia for 800 alex! #sdoc5 #solos belong to moling su sect #twitter is a cesspool #really fake rumors

[rainbowsky]

Did you ever have doubts about the bone necklace when ‘someone’ else was rumoured to have the same necklace and people assumed dd was dating that other person?

Of course not, Anon. Anyone who bought that should consider the real estate I'm selling in coastal Florida. 😅

The entire 'rumor' was nothing but transparent anti trolling and lies. This is the kind of rumor that was directly crafted with the intent to harm DD and paint him as a homewrecker of a couple with a new baby. Disgusting, disgusting lies.

And the people spreading that trash had nothing even resembling the tiniest hint of proof. A blurry photo that looked nothing like the bone necklace, but might have been a sasquatch.

All the photo proved is how toxic heteronormativity is alive and well and toying with people's gullible brains. Tons of people - including many BXG - were more than ready to jump all over these claims and assume they were true on the basis of absolutely nothing, just because there was a woman involved.

Meanwhile there are mountains and mountains of evidence that GG and DD are a couple, yet the vast majority of people dismiss the idea as outrageous and utterly delusional. Even the people who want to believe it usually struggle with thinking it can't be true, even after they've seen a lot of evidence, but then readily lap up an utterly baseless - totally derogatory, hateful and damaging - hetero claim.

That's homophobia/heteronormativity at work.

But those lies couldn't survive the light of day, and they didn't. GG made sure of that.

And I feel this indignant urge to say, "Fuck anyone who genuinely finds it easier to believe that DD is capable of having an affair with a married woman and breaking up a family with a new baby, than that he is involved in a happy gay relationship with someone he clearly has a strong bond with."

I urge anyone who seriously considered those lies might be true to ask themselves if they have any grasp whatsoever on the humanity of GG and DD. And also, to learn a little intellectual self-defense.

Learn critical thinking skills

Learn about unconscious bias

Learn about media literacy, propaganda and manipulation

Learn about how 'evidence' can be crafted and manipulated to mislead you

Learn about logical fallacies and bad arguments

Learn to consider the source of a claim as a means of evaluating its credibility

Sorry if I sound tetchy, Anon, this particular piece of steaming excrement really chafes me because it's so fucking homophobic. Please, people who feel that BS is credible, inquire in your heart: are you human?

#antis go home #fandom reflections #i'll take homophobia for 800 alex! #really fake rumors #significant jewelry #rainbow rant #solos belong to moling su sect #ask

[rainbowsky]

Hai 👋

This ask is nothing related to GGDD its rather personal. So i recently discovered my self as bi and im 23. It was terrifying to be honest cause im pretty sure that im straight. and suddenly felt attracted towards a girl, but it felt great to accept this new side of me. And i come out to my family and friends which surprisingly went well. But i don't how my colleagues know about it or who told them. At frist they act like they didn't know anything but eventually they started make fun of me. Even said to one of my male colleague that he should make his girlfriend stay away from me and they dismissed it as a joke. Some of female colleague stoped talking to me. They always find a way indirectly make fun of me. I love my job really but its getting hard for me to be in my workplace and its getting stressful day by day. I don't want to worry my family they have enough on their plate right now. My friends suggest me to quit job. I don't know what to do.. So can you please give some tips to how to handle the situation? Sorry for this long ask but please consider this to answer🙏.

Thank you

Ugh, Anon. That sounds so hard. Big hugs to you. 🫂

First and foremost, congratulations to you for having the courage to come out and to live your truth. I know how hard that can be. 💖

I totally understand your decision not to share your workplace issues with your parents. Sometimes the discrimination we face can actually end up being used as an excuse to further discriminate against us. Some less enlightened family members are fine with us being queer until they perceive the ways in which our lives are made more difficult by being queer, and then they start questioning whether "it's really so necessary to put yourself through all that."

Since you're bisexual, this could lead to your parents encouraging you to seek opposite sex partners and avoid same-sex partners.

It's great when we can have the support of family during times like this, but unfortunately that support isn't always forthcoming, and the worst time to find that out is when you're already in a sort of crisis situation. It can push people over the edge, so please take care of your emotional/mental health by not putting more pressure on the situation than is completely necessary.

As for the workplace situation, it's really difficult to give a solid answer on how best to approach things, because I don't know what region you are in and a lot depends on the labor laws and professional norms/culture where you live.

If this was my region, the solution would be obvious. Your employer would have a legal obligation to ensure you are not being harassed or discriminated against in the workplace based on your sexual orientation. Anyone engaging in that behavior would be in hot water.

But I know not everywhere is as progressive as Canada, and there are regions in the world that provide no legal protection for people who are targeted based on sexual orientation, gender identity, sex, religion, etc.

So my first advice would be to research the laws and regulations in your region and in your workplace (many workplaces have policies on this type of thing, some do not). And I would advise that everyone does this, wherever they live and whether they are queer or straight. In the immortal words of Joe Strummer: "KNOW YOUR RIGHTS!"

If you are in a region and/or workplace that has policies against this behavior, you have the option to avail yourself of those policies and laws. This isn't always a simple, happy solution though. Just because a workplace or region has policies, it doesn't mean the people on the ground are competent with managing and enforcing them (or are even in agreement with them). YMMV based on who is in charge of these things.

You might push the issue and find the behavior stops, but that you are treated like an outsider anyway. However, you might find that taking action empowers you and gives you strength, and it could result in growth and change in the people around you. It's a bit of a roll of the dice.

Whether or not you are in a region where your rights are protected, I think the most important first step to take is to find an ally, preferably more than one. There is strength in numbers. You might find it very helpful to reach out to people who can help and support you:

A close friend who supports your sexuality and who you feel you can trust not to share your story without your consent.

Someone within your work organization who you trust, ideally someone who has more power/authority than you.

Someone within a LGBT organization in your region who understands the culture and laws in your area who can help you navigate this issue and provide you moral support as well.

If you are in a union, it would probably be wise to speak to your union rep. about your contractual rights.

If you have a therapist or counselor you can speak with, do so. If not, perhaps consider finding one, even just for a while.

Work together with people you trust to come up with a plan of action - whether that action is to lodge a complaint or to simply leave that company and find a new job - and lean on them for support as needed. When you are in crisis, it's best to build on and make use of a solid support system.

Whatever you decide, make sure you are well supported for whatever comes out of it.

It could be that leaving is your best option (if I was your friend I might be advising it too). If you decide to go that route, don't do so suddenly even if that's tempting, unless you really feel you can't take it anymore. It would probably be best to give yourself space to maintain your financial situation while you look for a new opportunity.

And if you do end up looking for a new job, it would probably be a good idea to take a measure of the culture there before considering coming out. You might also want to research their policies and culture before even taking a position there.

Good luck, Anon. I really hope it all works out for you, and I'm so sorry that you've had to deal with something like this. 💖

No matter what happens, know that you have my support and the support of the queer community in general, so if you need to talk or find yourself struggling, please reach out. And if you have any further questions, please feel free to write back or contact me privately.

EDIT: One thing you could try is to talk directly with the people who are harassing you - particularly anyone who might be a ringleader or have the social power to stand against the ringleader (if your allies feel it's something that might work).

Building bridges can often be much more rewarding that fortifying walls. People find it easier to be horrible to you when they can dehumanize you. If they see you as a person - maybe even as a friend - that might turn things around. They might even become an ally in the workplace who can help turn others around as well.

it might be worth a try if you're considering leaving anyway.

#personal #lgbtpride #i'll take homophobia for 800 alex! #ask

[rainbowsky]

Anonymous asked:

so out of curiosity i went on bjyx supertopic on weibo  to see what kind of posts r there and i noticed there’s quite a bunch of posts of other ships too (esp [redacted]). is that like a common thing of non bxg going into turtles spaces and trying to flood it with their ship?

Sorry, Anon, I removed some of the details because it goes against what I’m willing to post on my blog. But to answer your question...

Yes, this is pretty common.

I think it’s fairly rare to see it on the supertopic because the people there are usually pretty good about removing troll posts quickly, but yeah, that stuff happens all the time in all BXG spaces. It happens constantly in my inbox here on Tumblr as well, but I just delete and block those things so readers never see it.

Unfortunately there are a lot of homophobic, hateful assholes out there who will try to flood our posts and spaces with hetero BS. It just kind of goes with the territory.

Block and ignore (and report when appropriate).

#antis go home #solos belong to moling su sect #i'll take homophobia for 800 alex! #ask

[rainbowsky]

Welcome New Turtle Friends 👋🏻💛.

There have been a lot of turtles coming here from Twitter and other platforms, and since most of you will not really be familiar with me or my blog I thought I would give you some information that might be helpful and serve as a bit of an introduction.

I have been a turtle for a few years now. You can read a little bit about my turtle journey here.

I am autistic, so some of the ways I communicate might not be what you're used to. Please be patient with me. I'm human and doing my best to connect with everyone in a positive way.

I believe BJYXSZD, and like most turtles I enjoy some mixture of candy, fan works, and GG and DD's projects and endorsements. I'm also particularly interested in the political and 'queer issues' side of things, which some people are not comfortable with.

I tag absolutely everything that I post, to make it easy for people to filter out things they do not want to see. Here are a few tags that might be of interest to those who want to avoid certain topics:

'your political disengagement is a weapon against you' - political topics

'let's talk about sex' - mature sexual topics

'off topic' - posts that have nothing to do with GG and DD or with queer issues (the main topics of my blog)

'fandom reflections' - fandom issues and self-examination

'antis go home' - haters and antis

'solos belong to moling su sect' - solo topics

'i'll take homophobia for 800 alex!' - posts about homophobia

Please let me know if there is any particular kind of content that you would like to see more specific filtering around. I'm always happy to add in a new tag if it will enhance someone's experience of Tumblr and of my blog.

There are some posts that might be of particular interest:

My masterlist post - links to some of my past posts, somewhat organized around various categories

GGDD fic recs

Wangxian fic recs

Fandom survival guide

There are also tags that might be of particular interest. That list can be found toward the bottom of my masterlist post. Note: most of my posts are not tagged with typical fandom tags (bjyx, yizhan, etc.). That's just to ensure that those tags aren't overrun by topics that aren't of general interest to all fans.

Please feel free to connect with me via comments/reblogs on my posts, via private message, or through my ask box if you have a question or if you prefer to remain anonymous.

New people can bring new challenges and change. Such things can sometimes require adjustment and adaptation, so I hope that people will be patient with me and speak openly (gently) with me if there's anything they have concerns or questions about.

Throughout this time, I hope we can get along and support each other. Let's try to be kind. We are all living in very difficult times, and many of us are at vulnerable and/or emotional places in our lives. Conflict, hate, and personal attacks are something nobody needs. Please yell into your pillow, throw some plastic bottles against a wall, or go for a jog rather than ever raise a hateful or angry word toward anyone, including me.

I hope that we can be friends, but if for some reason there is an incompatibility between us or you find me or my blog not to your taste, please feel free to unfollow me or even block me. We all must curate our own fandom experience.

I'm looking forward to getting to know some new people and hopefully see some new life injected into the fandom here! Thanks for your interest in my blog. 😊

#personal #thanks so much

[rainbowsky]

Hi you 👋🏻 i read a discussion on twitter about Xiao zhan and the Oath of love so i wanted to share it with u even tho it got deleted ! It says they believe Xiao zhan purposely chose a very heterosexual series bc he no longer wanted to be linked to the bl world and he’s not the first actor to do it . Zhan didn’t know the untamed would be so popular and once it became a big hit they (?) probably his team ? advised him to choose a drama that has a lot of scenes with the female lead so fans would forget about the untamed/yizhan , or stop ship/link him to yibo or anything that would damage his career ! What do u think about this tweet ?

Glad that BS was deleted, Anon. This is a rumor that's been around for a long time, and I personally think it's homophobic and hateful. The kind of thing antis say to try to make it seem like GG and DD want to distance themselves from The Untamed.

It's such a ''low-hanging fruit' kind of rumor, too. In a country where there exist almost no queer roles, and where almost every role in every series or film any actor does will involve a (straight) romance of some kind, it's pretty easy to say, "The person went from doing a BL role to doing a straight one right away."

As if an actor has any real choice in the matter. As if the availability of queer roles (and the availability of drama roles that have no romantic component at all, for that matter) is so abundant that their choice of next role says anything at all about their real wishes for their careers or their lives, or is any reflection whatsoever on how they feel about The Untamed.

And let's be indulgent, because it's not like the industry they're in and the climate they're in isn't incredibly homophobic, and talk about what it would mean if that claim was correct. That they decided to go all-in on straight romances after The Untamed in order to 'wash the BL stink off of themselves'. Why would they be doing that?

Because there is a real risk to one's career that comes with being a part of BL in China. Because the world is homophobic.

Antis who gleefully spread those ideas as though it's something to cheer about, they're assholes. We shouldn't be celebrating that someone's career might be at risk for being a part of queer stories. We shouldn't be celebrating that actors might have to distance themselves from a BL project in order to preserve their career. We shouldn't be celebrating that a management company might have pressured someone who performed in a queer series to jump into a heavily straight one right away. Especially if the actor is queer.

That's a reflection of a hateful society, and anyone who cheers that is a fucking homophobe. They're the same kind of asshole who would cheer that GGDD can't be seen together holding hands, or can't legally marry, or can't adopt kids if they wanted to.

And like so many idiotic things Antis say, if they're right about those claims, then it only serves to reinforce - rather than discredit - what they're trying to debunk.

If it really is that undesirable to be a part of BL, if it really is something they should want to cleanse themselves of and distance themselves from that much, then the glaring fact that they even did that series in the first place stands out all the more. Why take such a risk? Why do such a project as The Untamed? Why did they pursue those roles, why did they participate in that production, and why did they have so much fun doing it?

Antis can't answer those questions. Their only goal is to hurt BXG. Block and ignore.

#actor gg #i'll take homophobia for 800 alex! #antis go home #oath of love #lgbtpride #ask

[rainbowsky]

Hi! I just saw that article about China banning effeminate behaviour on TV and entertainment.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/china-bans-effeminate-male-celebrities-from-tv-stations-vtrw300n7

Do you think it'll affect sdoc4?

I'd love to know what ggdd think about it... 😥

It is true, China has released a list of things that are going to be strictly regulated on TV and streaming services moving forward, and one of the items on that list was 'effeminate' men and behavior.

The article linked is paywalled, so I'll give people some other resources, and give my understanding of what's happening under the cut. Hopefully the @potteresque-ire's of the world might come forward with a more detailed, insightful perspective on all of this at some point.

TW/CW - homophobia.

What is happening?

Rather than post the full list of items, I’m going to simply link this Reuters article and encourage people who want to read the actual announcement to search for it on the National Radio and Television Administration of China website. I will not link it here.

The issue in question appears in item #3:

Strengthen cultural self-confidence, and vigorously promote Chinese excellent traditional culture, revolutionary culture, and advanced socialist culture. Establish the correct aesthetic orientation for the program, strictly control the selection of actors and guests, performance style, costume makeup, etc., and resolutely put an end to "sissy" and other abnormal aesthetics.

To paraphrase for people who struggle with authoritarianese, they are basically saying, “We instruct everyone to adhere strictly to the regime’s interpretation of what the nation’s culture should be viewed as, and that must absolutely exclude any representation of men that we deem ‘effeminate’ in makeup, clothing or behavior. This is ‘abnormal’, and banned.”

There are other items of concern besides that:

1 - People who do not properly toe the party line must not appear on TV or streaming platforms.

5 - People who are to appear on TV or streaming platforms must be properly indoctrinated with the regime’s political ideas, and must submit to oversight by the regime.

6, 7 and 8 - Adhere aggressively to the party line, oversee this closely and conduct regular reviews to ensure it is being enforced.

On some levels, this is all really nothing new. It’s mostly just a repetition of what’s already been in place up to now. Even the effeminate thing isn't truly new. This is an issue they were pushing as far back as 2018/2019 when TV shows were barred from showing men wearing earrings.

This announcement appears to simply be a tightening up on what is officially allowed in China, and making a clear statement about what is expected. Coming as it does amidst the current climate in the entertainment industry, it definitely feels more serious.

It follows announcements calling for a review of karaoke catalogs to blacklist songs the regime doesn’t approve of, an announcement that gaming companies are to restrict underage access to online games to 8pm-9pm on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and on national holidays, the ‘clear and bright’ internet campaign, and of course the recent crackdown on fan culture.

The regime is busily reinforcing its stranglehold over what China is allowed to be and mean to people nationally and globally.

What does this mean for GGDD and for the fans?

As for what this means to GG and DD and the projects and programs they are a part of, it’s really impossible to predict at this point. It will come down to what show-runners are willing to push, and what censors will allow. Basically, it will come down to how strictly it's interpreted and enforced. We will likely find out in the coming weeks as the impacts begin to be seen.

Here are a few areas I will be watching:

SDOC4 and people like AC. It's difficult to imagine the regime being OK with a man waacking on TV, but it's possible that they might look the other way. They might be more concerned with ensuring bigger 'role model type celebrities' appear more manly.

Male celebrity endorsements with 'women's' brands such as Shu Uemura and Chanel - will they be impacted in any way?

DD's fashion for red carpet events. We all know he loves feminine styling. His red carpet look for the Tencent All Star Awards in particular caused a big stir among homophobic assholes in China.

BL dramas. What will and won't end up being broadcast? Only time will tell.

At this point I urge restraint among all fans. Please don't panic or get too worked up about this, or assume that it means anything truly dire for GG and DD. We simply don't know yet what the impact is going to be so there's no point in doing a whole lot of hand-wringing over it. Let's just wait and see.

Although let's be real, I am pissed off. It's infuriating to see this kind of thing in this day and age. There are a great many men who this will impact heavily, even just from a psychological perspective. This type of attitude will almost certainly lead to more discrimination against visibly queer men. It practically invites - even compels - people to view visibly queer men as abnormal, even as enemies of the state.

I think it's likely that GG and DD, being the kind-hearted people they are, being queer as they are, being in many ways 'feminine' as they are - are probably as pissed off about/offended by it as I am. That doesn't necessarily mean there will be serious negative impacts on them, though.

I will keep my eyes on this issue and update as any new information emerges. Anyone who has information that might add to my understanding of things (or who has any corrections or clarifications), please contact me.

But most of all let's focus on GGDD and try to stay positive. Life is short, let's try to be happy and live well. That's what GG and DD would want us to do.

Edit: A reader recommended this article and it's definitely worth a read.

I wrote a follow-up post discussing some of these issues, which can be found here.

#bjyx #yizhan #sociopolitical analysis #brotherhood and stuff #i'll take homophobia for 800 alex! #your political disengagement is a weapon against you #ask

[rainbowsky]

I am a straight turtle and it makes me sad to see toxic straight antis bashing WY and XZ. I think that has to do with their narcissistic cancerous personality and desire to ''own'' a celebrity and not with their sexual orientation. I would support them if they were asexual, pansexual, trans, bi or gay. I don't fantasize about dating them or objectify them. please know that not all straight fans are the same. I support the right to love whoever someone wants.

Hi Anon.

[ CW/TW talk about homophobia and homophobic violence ]

I don't think that people behave that way because they're straight, they behave that way because they are heteronormative and homophobic. That tends to skew toward straight people, but not because of who they love, rather because they have no concept of queerness in their lives and therefore no empathy for queer people.

That also comes with ignorance about what it means to be queer. Too often people think - because this is what's taught in our society - that queerness is about lust and perversion and promiscuity. They can't get their head around the idea that we are just like them, loving the people we love, wanting nothing more than to just be left to love and live in peace.

It's not helped at all by the way a lot of turtles talk about GGDD. The constant oversexualizing. The organizing of an entire fandom around top-bottom dynamics. Sometimes I can sort of see where some of the solos are coming from when they speak so hatefully about turtles.

If GG and DD had just been a fake CP for promo purposes, none of this would have mattered all that much. But the fact that they are real people in a real relationship - that just makes this so awful beyond words. It's incredibly creepy and homophobic for people to go to war over - let's be really clear about this - which one of these real human beings they think sticks their dick in the other.

Maybe someone can answer me this question because I can't imagine the oversexualizing is happening in straight CPs. Not nearly to the degree that it does with GGDD. But is this a fixture of all CPs, or just gay ones? I have a hard time imagining that Dilraba and Yang Yang CP fans are making posts focusing around the sex they think they're having. Not the kinds of posts they're making about GGDD.

I mean, GG grabs an endorsement for bedding, and DD endorses a detergent, and there are all these people online tittering about how 'handy' that is for them given their 'likely activities' when they are together. WTF people.

This really tweaks something inside me, as a queer person.

People might not realize, but it's exactly this type of oversexualizing of queer relationships that facilitates and even underpins a lot of the oppression and hate we experience. We are treated as debauched and uncouth and inherently perverse and obscene, and that has direct implications for how we are treated every day.

When a guy goes to his parents and says, "I love men. I have a boyfriend and we plan to get married," a lot of the horror that many parents feel comes directly from the thought that their kid is a pervert. Because queer relationships aren't treated as inherently romantic and sacred like straight ones are, they are treated as inherently sexual and perverse.

Why don't we talk about the AIDS crisis that killed hundreds of thousands of gay men in the 80's and 90s? Were you around during that time? Old enough to understand what was happening? Society let thousands of people die, and treated them monstrously in the process, because of the sexualization of the entire thing in people's minds. The world didn't approach this as a medical crisis, they approached it as a sexual, moral one.

The lengths that queer people had to go to in order to be seen as human beings by society at large, were extreme. They ended up bringing actual corpses of people who had died from AIDS, in open caskets to protest rallies. I mean, imagine this happening with COVID. Imagine people having to bring the ashes of loved ones to scatter on the White House lawn in order to get their voices heard and in order to inspire an appropriate response. This is what AIDS activists had to resort to.

How people think and talk about queer people - about anyone for that matter - has real implications for how those groups end up being treated. How people think and talk about targeted groups is usually a reflection of the value they are given by those people and by the world at large.

When I hear people saying homophobic things about a queer celebrity, those comments don't just land as hate speech against that celeb, they land as hate speech against me as well. Because those messages aren't just attacking that individual, they are attacking queerness as a class of people.

So if I get ranty about some of this stuff, I hope people can understand why this stuff matters, and the ways in which it all creates a climate and an environment that is unpleasant for queer people, and helps reinforce and perpetuate some very harmful ideas and behaviors aimed at queer people. And I hope people can understand why it's frankly triggering sometimes to hear people oversexualizing a real life gay couple to this degree.

It feels hostile at times, the constant barrage of sneering offhand remarks, comments about them 'walking funny' the day after they get together (such homophobic BS), interpreting every single thing they say or do as being somehow connected to sex, and then arguing over who they think is the top or bottom.

Every single visibly queer person has had these kinds of comments leveled at them in their daily lives. Depending on where someone grows up, these kinds of comments and ideas might have been a soundtrack playing in the background of every hateful, painful beating or traumatic encounter they had with people hostile to their existence.

And while we shouldn't necessarily be expected to conduct ourselves based on how one or two people with particular sensitivities might be affected, we should definitely consider how our words might land on others. We should definitely consider where our ideas come from and what they say about our attitudes, and about the sociopolitical realities around us. We should think about what we are reinforcing and helping to perpetuate with our attitudes and behavior.

And I would argue that when it comes to queer people, it's not just 'one or two people with particular sensitivities', in fact I'd argue that most queer people will experience a lot of this stuff as homophobic, hurtful and alienating. Many of us have been mercilessly bullied, sexualized and sneered at through our entire lives. These things are a continuation of all of that. They reflect the roots of all of that.

I know I'm not the 'target market' here. I am well aware that most of the fandom are women, many of them straight or else sexually inexperienced, and that it's inevitable that my comfort zone is going to be different from theirs, but god, how can anyone expect all this to be anything other than hostile for queer people, particularly queer men?

It's not solos who are creating this environment, it's turtles. So before we get too excited about what solos are up to, we should think about what's happening in our own backyards.

People don't think they're being homophobic, because they don't understand what homophobia really is. They think it's overt, monstrous hate. They think it's fear. It's so much more than that - it's dehumanization. It's 'othering'. It's objectification.

And oversexualization... that's among the biggest and most serious acts of homophobia. One of the most damaging. It is at the very rotten root of some of the worst oppression and hate in existence. It's why parents don't want their kids to be gay. It's why people fear hiring queer people, or having them live in their apartment building. it's why they don't want their kids going to school with queer people.

A little empathy goes a long way. A little respect goes a long way. A little restraint and self-reflection goes a long way.

#lgbtpride #i'll take homophobia for 800 alex! #fandom reflections #bxg perpectives #ask

[rainbowsky]

I honestly don’t see how you look at web and all his hobbies etc and see a non straight man.

How to say this gently, Anon...

Hobbies do not determine sexual orientation, nor do they express it. In fact, hobbies rarely have anything whatsoever to do with sexual orientation. Maybe if your hobby is having sex... 🤔

Do you think all gay men are into ballet and baking? Do you think all straight men are into logging and duck hunting?

Sexual orientation is not about what we like to do in our spare time, it's about who we are in love with and who we like to fuck.

The fact that DD is into skateboarding has zero relevance to who he is attracted to. Zero.

And that should be abundantly obvious. Learning to change the oil in your car or training in judo doesn't make you a lesbian. Being a straight woman doesn't automatically make you want to spend your life barefoot and pregnant.

What you are talking about is not sexual orientation, but rather traditional gender roles.

Look at the women around you and what they're into. Do you think that female mechanics, surgeons or firefighters must be gay as well? Of course not. We all (rightfully) champion women who break gender stereotypes and go into fields they love rather than traditionally 'feminine' fields. Only the most hateful people would ever call those women 'gay' for doing what they love to do.

Who people love has nothing to do with what kind of activities they enjoy.

Stereotypes are not just inaccurate, they're harmful

You might not be aware of it, Anon, but your comment reflects an extremely harmful (and offensive), toxic stereotype - not just about gay men, but about masculinity in general.

Women often complain about 'toxic masculinity'; about men being too macho, pushy and aggressive, and unable to deal with emotions. All of that is due to stereotypes that men are trying to live up to.

When you say or even think, "Real men are into motorcycles," you are artificially limiting what men are allowed to be into and still be thought of as men.

That's how you end up with all these straight male parents who are shit fathers who can't even change a diaper and refuse to do any housework. Men who won't ask for directions and who refuse to try yoga or wear pink. If a man admitting that he loves doing laundry leads to people essentially cutting his balls off, there's no way you're going to get that guy to do laundry. If a man who is sensitive and kind is no longer seen as a man, he's going to be a dick so he can keep his dick.

Masculine stereotypes are a massive problem in the gay community. Gay men are constantly having their masculinity questioned/threatened, which has led to an obsession with having the perfect muscled body, has led to major ongoing self esteem issues in men, and has led to ostracization of effeminate men in the gay community. Effeminate gay men are often treated nearly as badly in the gay community as they are in the straight community.

That's a big part of why your assertion that DD must be straight because of his hobbies is so completely ridiculous. Gay men are very often as macho and manly as straight men, in part because we have something to compensate for. We have to push back against the emasculating attitude people have toward us as gay men.

This man is very gay:

This man is straight:

This football player is gay:

This figure skater is straight:

Anon, I know you probably don't mean to be offensive, but your attitude reflects a very poor understanding of sexual orientation - one that harms gay people. Gender roles and expectations have nothing to do with who we love or are attracted to. They are two completely separate things. Gay stereotypes are actually very homophobic and harmful.

Fear of having our gender identity erased if we're queer is often what leads people to stay in the closet, or to repress our sexual orientation completely. It leads some gay men to attack other gay men who have more effeminate or androgynous traits. It leads to widespread excessive dieting, anorexia, over-exercising and body image issues among gay men. It leads to self loathing, depression - even suicide.

So I hope that you'll do some reflecting on this, explore these issues more deeply and educate yourself. Not only so that you will stop thinking harmful things about gay people, but also so that you can liberate yourself from gender stereotypes and gender role expectations in your own life, and feel free to express yourself more broadly.

It's interesting, because this is one of the first questions I was asked when I started this blog over a year ago. I guess it's still an issue in the fandom...

EDIT: Please do not pile on Anon in the comments or via my inbox. Not everyone has equal access to reliable, accurate sex education. Let's try to be charitable and understanding.

#lgbtpride #gender roles #i'll take homophobia for 800 alex! #ask

[rainbowsky]

Anonymous asked:

Can I give another perspective about solos hate for bxg since a lot of my mutuals are solos and most of them are queer themselves but they hate the ship.

This is in reference to a previous post.

Hi Anon.

Sorry, but I'm not going to publish your ask on my blog. It's yet another variation on the toxic "BXG are all secretly DD fans" theme, interwoven with the toxic "GG's a tragic figure who's constantly persecuted and DD never experiences any of that" theme (the latter being hilariously ironic, considering that the claim - in and of itself - is an attack on DD). It's a fan war narrative that is, frankly, BS.

Either you are a solo GG fan, or you are 'drinking the kool-aid' from being surrounded by BXG antis. Either way, I'm not touching that with a ten foot pole, and I wish you wouldn't either.

I support BOTH GG and DD. I believe GG is a very capable man who doesn't need my 'protection'. He has specifically asked that fans stop warring over him, and I do my best to support and uphold his wishes. Nothing about the ideas you're sharing here aligns with that, as far as I'm concerned.

As for the classic, "They're queer, they can't be homophobic," that's another exhausting misconception.

You know how the first thing a racist says when called out is often, "I have POC friends"? Similarly, often the very first thing homophobes claim the second they're called out is, "I'm queer."

Assuming they're not lying (I've repeatedly seen people online claim to be straight in other posts in their history, yet claim to be queer to my face because they've been challenged on homophobic behavior), the idea that a queer person can't be a homophobe is a massive myth, and a crutch for homophobes who refuse to examine their heteronormativity or internalized homophobia. They often try to use it as a sort of 'magic bullet' to shut down any examination of their behavior or ideas.

Throughout history, some of the biggest homophobes have often been queer people. No one is as invested in whether queer people are 'good' or 'bad' as we ourselves are. No one is as critical about how we go about being queer as we ourselves are. No one is as susceptible to hateful narratives about what kind of people we are as we ourselves are.

We all learn homophobia - everyone on the planet. We are all indoctrinated with it from the moment we're born. Queer people aren't somehow magically immune to those teachings just because we're queer. We need to do as much self-examination - often more - as straight people do in order to unravel all that stuff. Few people actually bother, gay or straight.

And I feel the need to remind everyone that almost NO ONE believes they are racist, no one believes they are sexist, no one believes they are homophobic. Blindness to bigotry - or to some of the more insidious aspects of that bigotry - is a massive part of what enables bigotry.

Also, just another nitpick - and one of the things that makes me question whether you might be a solo pretending to be a turtle - this isn't a 'ship'. I'm not here 'shipping' two people together for the fun of it, because they look cute together or because I can't get over a great drama I once watched.

I believe - as many BXG do - that GG and DD are a real couple, in a real relationship. I don't 'ship a couple of actors' I support a couple of queer celebrities who are living in a society that is in many ways hostile to their existence as queer men. Hand-wringing over the 'ethics' of 'shipping' GGDD is absurd. It can never be unethical to support a queer couple.

And just in case you genuinely are a turtle, a word of advice: surrounding yourself with GG solos is your choice, but be aware that by doing so you're voluntarily infecting yourself with a lot of nasty anti-turtle propaganda that's only going to make your experience of fandom a living hell over the long haul. Since you appear to be open to the toxic misinformation they're presenting to you, the bigger likelihood is that you will become a toxic solo (if you aren't already), and turn against DD (if you haven't already).

How you engage in and experience fandom is entirely up to you, but I urge you to think critically, and question what you're being told by these solos, and to explore other perspectives on GGDD. The path you're currently on leads to being an anti just like your solo friends.

Not a path I'd personally choose, but fill your boots.

#fandom reflections #i'll take homophobia for 800 alex! #antis go home #it's in the air it's all around #solos belong to moling su sect #ask

[rainbowsky]

Did GG Really Say His Ideal Partner Is Female?

I was sent an ask a couple of days ago about a video that has been circulating where GG allegedly talks about what he looks for in an ideal partner. The video claims that GG is straight and gives examples of moments where he supposedly asserted his straightness.

The video opens with a comment that is framed as an interview response, where GG says, “first of all, female, right?”

This generated a lot more asks on the topic of bisexuality, bi erasure, etc. (many of which I haven’t gotten to yet). But the discussion has been really annoying me because something about that clip didn’t sit right with me and hasn’t from the very beginning. The fact that there is no context whatsoever to the response GG gives has been nagging at me for a couple of days now.

When someone removes context from something, 99 times out of 100 it’s an attempt to intentionally mislead.

I decided to investigate. With the help of the indispensable @knivescharade - who truly made this all happen, I did nothing but point out the issue - I think we can come to a verdict on the matter.

Translation of the conversation in proper context

The clip in question can be viewed here. Translation by @knivescharade

Starting from 00:28

伍嘉成：我们说一下这个小游戏的规则啊

Wu JiaCheng: Let us explain a little about the rules of this little game, okay

我们八个人会分成两组

The eight of us will split into two groups

每人会说出心目中的那一位酒窝女孩的特征

And every one of us will say a feature about the ideal Jiuwo (Dimple) girl in our mind

【酒窝女孩 - X玖少年团的粉丝名字】

[Dimple girl - The name of XNINE fans. Because nine in chinese is pronounce 九 jiu3, and dimples are called 酒窝 jiu3 wo1. It's a cute fan group name]

那 比如说 我们刚刚自动站起了两组 就是

And, that's to say, we just moved automatically into two groups, that is

他们两个 我们两个 他们两个 他们两个 对

The two of them, the two of us, the two of them, the two of them, right

然后会分别一一说出我们心目中那一位酒窝少女的特征 先给楚粤先好吗

And then we will individually say out a feature about the ideal Jiuwo girl in our mind, Chuyue can start first okay

彭楚粤：我们先是不是

Peng Chuyue: Are we going first

肖战：额 我觉得 首先

Xiao Zhan: Er, I think, firstly

彭楚粤：你觉得什么 大声一点

Peng Chuyue: What do you think, say it louder

肖战：我觉得首先 女 对不对

Xiao Zhan: I think firstly - female, right?

（哈哈哈）

(Hahaha)

彭楚粤：哦 （笑） 首先 是个人吧

Peng Chuyue: Oh. (laughs) firstly it has be a person yeah

肖战：额 那你觉得呢

Xiao Zhan: Er, what do you think

彭楚粤：我觉得这样吧 不然从 就从头开始

Peng Chuyue: I think, why don't we go like this, we start from, from the top

肖战：从头

Xiao Zhan: From the top

彭楚粤：从头就是头发 长发还是短发

Peng Chuyue: From the top, that is, the head, long hair or short hair?

伍嘉成：不然只说头吧 不然 范围太广了

Wu JiaCheng: Why don't we just describe the head, otherwise, it's way too broad

肖战：啊 好 那

Xiao Zhan: Ah, okay, then

彭楚粤：长发短发？我觉得你来选吧

Peng Chuyue: Long hair or short hair? I think you should choose

肖战：我...长发？

Xiao Zhan: I... long hair?

彭楚粤：长发！

Peng Chuyue: Long hair!

@knivescharade‘s translation notes:

I am like 85% sure that first dude talking is Wu Jiacheng... I think

the key part in question flows very naturally in mandarin, but english isn't quite equivalent. but it's very clear that XZ's answer was the kind of sneaky answer that people give during games - e.g. "who is the ideal girl in your mind?" "well, it's a girl"  (lol). which is why Peng Chuyue laughed and replied with "it has to be a person/ you might as well say it has be a human"

also, lol @ XZ's hesitant answer about hair length. this video has convinced me that he's even LESS likely to be straight

What can we conclude from this?

That clip was - as I suspected - manipulating GG’s words to make it appear as though he was saying something he really wasn’t saying.

I think we can safely draw a few conclusions from this:

GG never stated that his ideal partner was female.

The original video was framed to intentionally mislead. Whoever edited that moment out of its original context had to know they were misrepresenting what GG was saying.

It always pays to examine things critically and double-check big claims people are making.

Some fans will put their own agendas ahead of respect for GG and DD, right down to intentionally misrepresenting what they say.

Queerphobic fans are truly grasping at straws.

On the topic of bisexuality

A lot of people seem to jump on the idea that GG saying he likes girls must mean he’s straight. I think it’s important to point out that someone’s interest in one type of person doesn’t necessarily preclude their interest in another. Bisexuality exists. For various reasons I have stated elsewhere, I think it’s likely that GG is bisexual.

Bi erasure is a huge problem, even in the queer community, and something I hope we will all try to avoid.

Many thanks to @knivescharade​, truly the hero of the hour here!

#yizhan #bjyx #lgbtpride #translations #i'll take homophobia for 800 alex! #solos belong to moling su sect #critical thinking ftw #investigative translations #bxg fact checking