8 Biggest Game Of Thrones Criticisms (And Why They're Wrong)
4. An Unrealistic Amount Of Gay Characters
The Criticism: There have been homosexual relations aplenty in Game of Thrones over the course of its run to date, something that has been praised for promoting sexual equality but criticised by some as adding an unrealistic representation of a supposed Middle Age society. Former claimant to the Iron Throne Renly Baratheon, the Knight of Flowers Loras Tyrell and Prince Oberyn Martell of Dorne are three main characters who have had on-screen homosexual relations, and they have been just as graphic as the heterosexual ones. Loras Tyrells family were perfectly aware and fully accepting of his relationship with Renly Baratheon, with such things quietly accepted in Highgarden. Dorne has a far more open attitude compared to the rest of the Seven Kingdoms, believing bisexuality to be natural and supporting a society in which desires can be followed. Does the amount of gay and bi characters take away from the shows authenticity as a medieval drama? Why Its Wrong: No, it doesnt. Quite the opposite, in fact. It is true that the Church began to prosecute those they deemed sexual sinners in 12th and 13th century Europe, with sodomy punishable by all manner of inhumane executions, from mutilation and hanging to being burned at the stake. If you were a priest caught in the middle of a homosexual encounter, you could expect to be stripped and suspended in a cage where you would be left to starve to death. However, just because the official line was homosexuality is wrong, that doesnt mean that it wasnt just as prevalent as it is in the show, especially among the ruling classes. King of England Richard the Lionheart is thought to have been homosexual, and is said to have met his wife Berenegaria while in a sexual relationship with her brother, the future king of Navarre, Sancho VII. It is quite possible that this story was the inspiration behind the Loras/Renly/Margaery triangle, though even if not directly influenced by real events this storyline cannot be used as an argument against authenticity.
