Gene and homosexuality

[watervole]

I've been thinking about Gene - no surprises there...

He's very homophobic, but this is 1973 and he's a policeman. Homosexuality was only legalised in the UK
in 1967. For most of Gene's working life, it has been extremely dangerous to be gay, especially a gay policeman. For a lot of gay men, the cloak of homophobia is the only safe one and it seems at least possible that Gene has taken that route with an added layer of making sexist comments about every attractive woman in sight (or he could be bi, many people are).

He doesn't have to be gay, but if he is, he's going to be very, very reluctant to let anyone find out. That particularly includes the people he works with. They've picked up his attitudes and I can't think of anything more likely to make him lose their respect. Sam might be an exception, except that Gene doesn't know about the more tolerent culture in Sam's time.

The front has become so much of a survival trait that I'm not sure he's capable of dropping it even if he wanted to. Even today, it's something of a scandal if a senior police officer is found to be gay - and this is 1973...

Comments

[snowgrouse.livejournal.com]

He's coming across so butch to me so I'm inclined to think he's straight, no matter what. Well, there is the missus--not that it proves anything, really--but anyway. He clearly fancied Sam's mum, so... if anything, I'd think he was a repressed bi. I still think a massive amount of people *are* repressed bis and never dare/care to think about it.

And since it's fiction and slashers will slash just about everyone if they fancy them, nobody's safe;)... I didn't see any slash until the last ep myself, but then I'd think it'd be a betrayal by Sam as in caring for something in '73 very deeply as opposed to the 2006 reality he's still *aching* to get back to. The very reason he can't start a relationship with Annie even if he'd want to. My main OTP here is Sam/2006, if you will:).

[dev-iant.livejournal.com]

Agreed - all of it, although I really don't think Gene is gay or even bi. I think that people do try to find evidence for fantasies where it doesn't exist, which amuses me and makes me despair in equal quantities :-)
If anything the Gene/Sam relationship is a substitute father/son relationship.

I have this feeling that the relationship with Annie is the key to whether he goes back or not. The bit right at the end of the last episode suggests to me that he really does want a relationship with Annie; it's just that, as you say, he feels that he _can't_ start one. I wonder if the end of series 2 is going to end with him deciding to commit himself to Annie & stay? Just a thought!

[watervole.livejournal.com]

Fantasies are fun - grin.

Father-son? Some days I go for it, some days I don't. There's a degree of teacher pupil in there on occasion. I think Gene sees Sam as a bit naive, but he also needs him. Sam can be very dogged and when he's got his head screwed on, he's dogged in areas where Gene needs a good kick.

I'm wondering about Annie too. I'm trying desperately to remember if his original girlfriend dies or is just injured.

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

We've no idea what happened to Maya. She was abducted by the serial killer; Sam hoped to have saved her by catching him in 1973 and suppressing the psychiatric report so he wouldn't get out in 33 years (though that bit seemed rather improbable). He was told by a man who claimed to be talking to him at his hospital bedside that Maya was safe and sitting there with him, but Annie said that man was her ex playing mindgames. Sam wasn't convinced, though, because the man mentioned his mobile, which he said wasn't in the notes on the future he'd given Annie. So it's possible that Maya is safe and well, but it can't be proved. Sam said in a later episode that he hoped she'd moved on.