Help Me Answer Buffy ( fan base ) Related Questions If You Dare

[knives]

I logged into the board today for research, of course I am getting distracted, so I'm going to make the most of it by starting this thread - for some discussion on stratification within the Buffy fandom! Academics, come one and come all, lets analyze this community.

I am going to write about the Buffy fandom for my cultural anthropology class and I am kind of in a rut so, I wanted to get some outside perspectives.

Does anyone have thoughts about these questions? Genuinely curious for others perspectives!

• what gender or sexual identities are held by the members of this group ( Buffy fandom )? How do
  Do these identities affect their experience within the group ( Buffy fandom ) you are studying?
• 
  Is there gender stratification within [Buffy Fandom]? Explain whether this exists or does not, and then, explain why you think it is or is not present.
• 
  How do identities related to gender or sexuality interact with the racial or ethnic identities of people in [Buffy Fandom]
• Have a nice day!
  

 

[Ethan Reigns]

1. There is a somewhat greater than normal concentration of LGBTQ+ members in the fandom due to the portrayal of the lesbian romance between Willow and Tara, although Willow could be said to be bisexual due to her romance with Oz. The romance between Willow and Kennedy is not as well liked, but was also lesbian in nature.

Television has been a very socially conservative medium from the beginning. It may be hard to believe, but when Lucille Ball was shown to be pregnant on the I Love Lucy show in the 1950's, some audiences were scandalized (although I suspect it was a small minority that was vocal about it). It wasn't until 1975 that there was a gay character on series TV and that was on ABC's Soap where Billy Crystal played Jodie Dallas, who was gay. Later on, Ellen de Generis came out on TV in her show, but the writing suffered and ABC pulled the plug, not because of any backlash but because she wasn't funny anymore. Will and Grace became the first successful gay comedy in 1998 (after Buffy launched but before Willow came out) and was an immediate success. After that success, popular shows like Dawson's Creek and Party of Five added gay characters. The religious right, that had been the biggest fear for TV executives, had left them alone.

The LGBTQ+ fans are welcome here and since it is one of the few shows to feature a lesbian romance and Larry Blaisdell as a gay guy, it is one of what is still only a few shows that caters to their stories.

2. There may be more female members in this forum but if you define stratification as men talk mainly to men and women talk mainly to women, I don't think there is any stratification here in an overall sense. There may be people I prefer to interact with, but gender is not usually a factor. We may not all use the same washroom, but we all use the same forum.

3. There doesn't appear to be much correlation between gender identity and racial/ethnic categories. Not all members have identified their race or gender (I'm a straight white male), but those that have don't seem to have any problems fitting in. There may be some racial divide in comments on Kendra or Mr. Trick or Charles Gunn, but these do not appear to be correlated with sexuality.

 

[AlphaFoxtrot]

Wait, wait? Who doesn't love Mr. Trick? I look forward to his five part Boom! Comics Miniseries "Tricks" where Buffy learns there are Three Tricks.

 

[ChaseRules]

Personally i think that they took more time with Tara & Willow then they did with the other romances.
For example Riley & Buffy were stuck in his room having sex for the longest time & the main point
of the esp for many people was when Willow touches Tara knee.