Suddenly Sexuality: Difference between revisions

Compare to [[No Bisexuals]]. May result in a [[Straight Gay]]. Can be forced by introducing [[Situational Sexuality]]. See also: [[Rape and Switch]]. [[Relationship Reveal]] is a chance to out a character with more buildup. For the race version, see [[Suddenly Ethnicity]].

 

 

== Anime and Manga ==

== Comic Books ==

* Obsidian, a [[DC Comics]] [[Superhero]], is in the modern age written as an openly gay character despite having dated women in the past and having poor luck with them. He's had a lot more success after coming out, having a steady boyfriend in Damon, assistant to Kate Spencer (a.k.a. [[Manhunter (Comic Book)|Manhunter]]). Possibly subverted since in ''[[Justice League of America]]'', he did have a sorta-crush on Atom Smasher long before he was clearly identified as gay, but it may have been too subtle for people to pick up on and/or [[Depending On the Writer|forgotten by later writers]].

** For extra irony points, the author in question was [[Chuck Dixon]], who would years later raise a minor Internet kerfuffle for saying that the sudden presence of gay superheroes was shoehorning sexuality into books aimed at kids... and who explained the reasoning behind Connor's sudden love interest as, "Well, we didn't want people to think he was gay." What was that about shoehorning sexuality, Chuck?

* The [[Vertigo Comics]] miniseries ''[[Enigma]]'' actually makes the sudden sexuality switch of its protagonist, Michael, a part of the plot - it is revealed that {{spoiler|his lover, a sociopath, used psychic powers to alter his sexuality. In the end his lover feels regret and offers to turn him back, but Michael decides that he's happier as he is.}}

* According to an interview with [[Anne McCaffrey]], this can be executed by making use of a tent peg. Yes, ''that'' use of a tent peg.

** McCaffrey also has a gay character suddenly turn [[No Bisexuals|totally straight]] in the last book of the [[Tower and The Hive (Literature)|Talents series]], just so that a single woman could get a [[Last Minute Hookup]] without introducing [[Loads and Loads of Characters|yet another]] character.

* Dono, ex Donna, Vorrutyer in the [[Vorkosigan Saga (Literature)|Vorkosigan Saga]] probably belongs here. There is no mention of any lesbian tendencies being displayed as Donna, but after his [[Easy Sex Change]], Dono shows interest only in mating with women, and is engaged or about-to-be by the end of [[A Civil Campaign]].

* In ''Sweet Valley Confidential'', a spin-off from ''[[Sweet Valley High]]'' that follows Elizabeth and Jessica at age 27, the twins' brother Steven is suddenly revealed to be gay. He'd spent the entirety of the original books as ostensibly heterosexual, married one woman (Cara) and been engaged to another (Billie), and had a nervous breakdown over the death of ''another'' girlfriend. His partner, Aaron Dallas, was also presented as heterosexual in the original series; while Tom McKay, the only out gay character previously introduced, doesn't reappear in ''Confidential''.

 

== Live Action TV ==

* The oft-cited Willow from ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)|Buffy the Vampire Slayer]]'', who initially only showed interest in boys before deciding she was ([[No Bisexuals|exclusively]]) lesbian.

** Although it was hinted at before hand in Dobbelgangland: "...And I think I'm kinda gay."

** Especially jarring since he spent all of those series between puberty and coming out directing most, if not all, of his intelligence towards the task of getting heterosexually laid.

* In a textbook case of [[Cleaning Up Romantic Loose Ends]], one story arc in ''[[My Name Is Earl]]'', involving several men vying for the attentions of the same woman, ended tidily when Stuart suddenly became more interested in his gay secret admirer Kenny.

* Marissa Cooper on ''[[The OC]]''

* Hunter from the US version of ''[[Queer As Folk]]''. Since he entered the show as a prostitute and then showed a particular interest in Brian when they first met, everyone assumes that he's gay. Until he falls in love with a girl and [[Crowning Moment of Funny|comes out as straight]] to his foster parents.

* Deconstructed in ''[[Dept Heaven Apocrypha (Roleplay)|Dept Heaven Apocrypha]]'', in which a character's revelation that he's bisexual, not straight, is the cause of a lot of problems in his relationship with his loved one.

* ''[[Loading Ready Run]]'' parodies this in "[http://loadingreadyrun.com/videos/view/50/The-Worst-Homosexual The Worst Homosexual]", in which womanizer Morgan suddenly declares that he's gay, because, "the only way I could be this much of a mad, pimping playa is if I was covering for something". He spends the remainder of the episode trying to be gay, but fails miserably.

 

== Western Animation ==

* Parodied in an episode of ''[[American Dad (Animation)|American Dad]]'' where Stan's friend's wife announces she's leaving him because she's a lesbian. When he protests, she says "You don't just ''become'' lesbian! [[Suspiciously Specific Denial|It's not like someone shot an experimental ray into my brain that made me a lesbian!]]" {{spoiler|Of course, Stan did just that; he's trying to get his friend, who's an atheist, to convert to Christianity by putting him through a [[The Bible|Job]]-like situation.}}

* Lexington, of ''[[Gargoyles (Animation)|Gargoyles]]'', did show interest in a random group of human-turned-gargoyle girls in 'The Mirror' and chased after Angela when she joined the clan, but was also the first to stop chasing after her. It's been hinted [[Early Installment Weirdness|that his sexuality wasn't pinned down]] until the Angela-meets-the-Trio episode, and [[Greg Weisman]] has offered that Lex was just going along with what was expected of him as a young man to do, before he realized his heart wasn't really in it. That is how it happens for many real life queer individuals, so it works.

* Inverted in an episode of ''[[King of the Hill (Animation)|King of the Hill]]'' where Peggy finds out that her [[Camp Gay|effeminate hairdresser]] is straight, and has been married to a woman for some time.

* Patty in ''[[The Simpsons (Animation)|The Simpsons]]'' seems like this at first when she comes out. She dates Skinner for a while and seems to enjoy it, dumping him because of her sister rather than her sexuality (though it's possible to read her relationship as being a form of [[The Beard]] knowing what we know now). The hints had actually been there for a while, the earliest one was in Season 4, where she's one of the people who went to the local burlesque house that Marge's group shame into getting to tear it down, just two seasons after she dated Skinner and long before it became official in Season 16. The even series [[Lampshade Hanging|hung a lampshade]] on this, with her commenting "There goes the last lingering trace of my heterosexuality" upon seeing a naked Homer -- admittedly in a non-canon ([[Negative Continuity|even for this show]]) "Treehouse of Horror" [[Halloween Episode]], and another episode where the main family was watching a gay pride parade, and the float for the "Still in the Closet" gays featured two hands waving out, with one voice (obviously Smithers) chanting, "We're gay! We're glad!" and another voice, obviously ''one'' of Marge's sisters following up: "But don't tell Mom and Dad!"

* Mr./Ms. Garrison on ''[[South Park (Animation)|South Park]]'' is the embodiment of this trope, starting out as a [[Transparent Closet|closeted homosexual]], [[Flamboyant Gay|token homosexual]], heterosexual woman (after her [[Gender Bender|sex change]]), a lesbian, and finally a man again (though his current sexuality hasn't been confirmed yet). This is even [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]] when she tells her class about her sudden change to lesbianism, after she comes right out and says she's gay, and Stan asks, "Again?" Chef probably put it best a long time ago: "There's a huge difference between gay people, and Mr. Garrison" since he's also had sex with animals and tried to rape children.

 

 

[[Category:Gender and Sexuality Tropes]]

[[Category:Suddenly Sexuality]]