Homosexuality in Daria: Difference between revisions

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And if there's no canon evidence, you can use out of context screenshots like this one from "Daria!"!

Generally, any two same-sex characters on television seen as having a fondness for each other's company are sometimes seen as gay (Kirk and Spock, Cagney and Lacey, Xena and Gabrielle, Starsky and Hutch, etc), which leads inevitably to slash fanfics.

But what evidence or hints in the canon can be used? And what do the other characters think of it?

We should also date that one thing that dates Daria is that there's only a single confirmed LGBT characters in it - Alison, a predatory bisexual. As time moves on, this becomes increasingly problematic.

Daria and Jane[edit]

One of the most asked questions in Daria fandom (particularly the older male part): "Are Daria and Jane lesbians?" Do the sixty-five episodes, two movies and two canon publications imply or prove outright that either Daria or Jane are gay?

Daria and Jane seem to spend time exclusively with each other for the first three seasons. We see neither of them spending any significant time with their opposite-sex counterparts at school until Tom Sloane appears. Even given that, after "The Kiss" Jane and Daria show more concern about their lost friendship than with losing/gaining Tom.

Glenn Eichler said in a June 2005 interview that Jane could be "straight and curious," and left open the door to speculation for either character.

On more specious grounds, you can argue that Jane's painting at Ashfield in Is It Fall Yet? depicts a figure trapped in a safe. This could imply that Jane is "closeted" and unable to come to terms with her true feelings about her sexuality. When Alison told Jane she never "hit on straight chicks", Jane starts to have doubts about herself after that encounter. On the other hand, Jane explicitly tells Alison beforehand that she isn't gay and flees the room, and will later snarl to herself that Alison said she "give[s] off gay vibes" just to manipulate her into bed.

Jane also dated only boys during the series: Evan, Tom Sloane, Nathan the retro guy, and she had a brief make-out in "The Invitation" and was attracted by Upchuck's cousins in "Daria Dance Party".

The show writers knew of the debate and in two sections of the Sarcastathon 3000 framing sequences, they mock them: Daria not wanting to be seen nude near Jane because of "those rumours about us" and the two being drawn as a bride and groom. Daria and Jane both deny being lesbians as show hosts in the earlier MTV's Daria Day Marathon, an "off-canon canon" scene:

Daria: Okay, we're back with an online question from Brian H.

Jane: "Dear Daria, are you a lesbian? If so, would you be interested in acting in a film?" Wow.

Daria: Brian, I'm not a lesbian. But if you think you have to be a lesbian to play a lesbian, then you must think Tom Cruise drinks the blood of virgins.

Jane: Um, bad example.

Daria: Huh? Oh yeah, but you know what I mean.

Jane: I'm a lesbian!

Daria: You are not.

Jane: I know, but I want to be in a movie.

When it comes to their views on LGBT sexuality, Jane gave no sign of being bothered Alison was bisexual, solely that she was being pushy.

Ted?[edit]

Ted DeWitt-Clinton is a reversal of Daria and Jane - in his case, there's no evidence he's straight! In "The New Kid", he famously blew off a girl, one that he seemed unclear if he was interested in at all, to pal around with the guys. Later, on the Daria website, Ted refered to "the haunting allure of Charlie Rose. Those sad eyes of his have seen so much. What's happening to me?"

As a result, fandom has frequently written him as gay. Surprisingly, his comment on Rose wasn't known about by most of fandom when this started!

Other characters and their views[edit]

We know that Kevin Thompson and Jeffy have some homophobia. Jeffy's English essay in "Lucky Strike" argues that Mercutio has "a thing" for Romeo and then argues that he needs to be kept out of the locker room. On his MTV website, Kevin made it clear he wasn't gay when he assured us "not that I notice guy butts, no way. In the shower I just stare at the tiles. Uh, this is making me uncomfortable."

Jake Morgendorffer once thought Monique was Quinn's date and his reaction was a mild "I really 'don't know my kids" - apparently a man who is comfortable with the concept.

In a curious alter-ago picture at the end of the TV movie, Is It College Yet?, Lindy and Alison were depicted in a scene on a farm with a number of children, implying that they were a lesbian couple with a family.

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+[[Image:Dariajane.gif|right|frame|And if there's no canon evidence, you can use out of context screenshots like this one from "[[Daria!]]"!]]
-The bulk of this article deals with one of the most asked questions in ''Daria'' fandom:  "Are [[Daria Morgendorffer|Daria]] and [[Jane Lane|Jane]] lesbians?"  Do the sixty-five episodes, two movies and two canon publications imply or prove outright that either Daria or Jane are gay? For fanfic speculations on the same issue, see [[Slash]].
+Generally, any two same-sex characters on television seen as having a fondness for each other's company are sometimes seen as gay (Kirk and Spock, Cagney and Lacey, Xena and Gabrielle, Starsky and Hutch, etc), which leads inevitably to [[slash]] fanfics.
-Quoted material from ''Daria'' movies and episodes was taken from transcripts in [[Outpost Daria]].
+But what evidence or hints in the canon can be used? And what do the other characters think of it?
-==Affirmative Arguments==
+We should also date that one thing that [[Datedness of Daria|dates ''Daria'']] is that there's only a single ''confirmed'' LGBT characters in it - [[Alison]], a predatory bisexual. As time moves on, this becomes increasingly problematic.
-The closeness of Daria and Jane's friendship is a two-edged sword. Generally, any two same-sex characters on television seen as having a fondness for each other's company are sometimes seen as gay (Kirk and Spock, Cagney and Lacey, Xena and Gabrielle, Starsky and Hutch, etc.). Daria and Jane seem to spend time exclusively with each other, at least for the first three seasons. We see neither of them spending any significant time with their opposite-sex counterparts at Lawndale High School until [[Tom Sloane]] appears. Curiously, even with "The Kiss" fresh in mind, the girls manage to go right back to being close friends again, a situation hardly ever known in real life.
+==Daria and Jane==
-Daria has a very accepting attitude toward gay issues, if you take her comments at face value when she meets [[Cupid]] and [[St. Patrick's Day (character)|St. Patrick's Day]] in "[[Depth Takes a Holiday]]," to wit:
+One of the most asked questions in ''Daria'' fandom (particularly the older male part):  "Are [[Daria Morgendorffer|Daria]] and [[Jane Lane|Jane]] lesbians?" Do the sixty-five episodes, two movies and two canon publications imply or prove outright that either Daria or Jane are gay?
-:''St. Patrick's Day'': Not another step, lassie.
+Daria and Jane seem to spend time exclusively with each other for the first three seasons. We see neither of them spending any significant time with their opposite-sex counterparts at school until [[Tom Sloane]] appears. Even given that, after "[[The Kiss]]" Jane and Daria show more concern about their lost friendship than with losing/gaining Tom.
-:''Daria'': All right, I'll sign.
+[http://www.the-wildone.com/dvdaria/glennfollowup3.html Glenn Eichler said in a June 2005 interview] that Jane could be "straight and curious," and left open the door to speculation for either character.
-:''Cupid'': What?
+On more specious grounds, you can argue that Jane's painting at [[Ashfield]] in ''[[Is It Fall Yet?]]'' depicts a figure trapped in a safe.  This could imply that Jane is "closeted" and unable to come to terms with her true feelings about her sexuality. When [[Alison]] told Jane she never "hit on straight chicks", Jane starts to have doubts about herself after that encounter. On the other hand, Jane explicitly tells Alison beforehand that she isn't gay and flees the room, and will later snarl to herself that Alison said she "give[s] off gay vibes" just to manipulate her into bed.
-:''Daria'': Your petition for an alternative lifestyles parade. Where's the pen?
+Jane also dated only boys during the series: [[Evan]], Tom Sloane, [[Nathan]] the retro guy, and she had a brief make-out in "[[The Invitation]]" and was attracted by Upchuck's cousins in "[[Daria Dance Party]]".
-In ''[[Is It Fall Yet?]],'' [[Alison]] told Jane she never "hit on straight chicks," implying she knew Jane was not.
+The show writers knew of the debate and in two sections of the [[Sarcastathon 3000]] framing sequences, they mock them: Daria not wanting to be seen nude near Jane because of "those rumours about us" and the two being drawn as a bride and groom. Daria and Jane both deny being lesbians as show hosts in the earlier [http://web.archive.org/web/20120710051045/http://www.outpost-daria.com/ts_dday.html MTV's ''Daria'' Day Marathon], an "[[off-canon canon]]" scene:
-Jane's painting at [[Ashfield]] in ''[[Is It Fall Yet?]]'' depicts a figure trapped in a safe.  This could imply that Jane is "closeted" and unable to come to terms with her true feelings about her sexuality.
-[http://www.the-wildone.com/dvdaria/glennfollowup3.html Glenn Eichler said in a June 2005 interview] that Jane could be "straight and curious," and left open the door to speculation for either character.
-==Negative Arguments==
-Jane Lane did NOT have sex with [[Alison]] in ''[[Is It Fall Yet?]]'' The dialog between them is highly relevant.
-:''Alison'': What's the matter? I'm not your type?
-:''Jane'': Um, Alison . . . I'm straight.
-:''Alison'': Yeah, right. I don't think so.
-:''Jane'': (getting upset) I'm not gay.
-:''Alison'': (laughs) Where have I heard that before? Wait a minute. Is this your first time with a girl? Well, no wonder you're nervous.
-:''Jane'': Alison, read my lips. I like guys.
-:''Alison'': And hanging out with bisexuals in their bedrooms after they buy you dinner.
-:''Jane'': Hey, I didn't know you were bi. And the dinner thing was settling a bet.
-:''Alison'': Sure, settling a bet. I'm sorry, baby, but I never hit on straight chicks.
-:''Jane'': Listen, you've been really nice to me and all, and I really appreciate it, but I'm not interested in women.
-:''Alison'': You mean you're not ready to admit it.
-:''Jane'': I gotta go.
-She also dated only boys during the series (Bobby "Big Head," Ethan, Tom Sloane, Nathan the retro guy, etc.). She even denies being a lesbian (though the denial is part of a joke) to a teacher, [[Mr. O'Neill]], in "[[Jane's Addition]]":
-:''Mr. O'Neill'': Jane, have you considered homeopathy?
-:''Jane'': I'm going to stick with guys for now, but thanks for asking.
-Daria and Jane both deny being lesbians as show hosts on [http://www.outpost-daria.com/ts_dday.html MTV's ''Daria'' Day Marathon]. Examine the following conversation they have between clips, keeping in mind that, technically speaking, this is "[[off-canon canon]]."
 :''Daria'': Okay, we're back with an online question from Brian H.
@@ Line 75: / Line 37: @@
 :''Jane'': I know, but I want to be in a movie.
+When it comes to their views on LGBT sexuality, Jane gave no sign of being bothered Alison was bisexual, solely that she was being pushy.
-As another example, though one with a decidedly mixed message, is the conversation they had during [http://www.glitterberries.com/sarcastathon.html MTV's Sarcastathon 3000], when introducing "[[Arts 'N Crass]]." Fan speculation on the two being lesbians was obviously well known to ''Daria'''s creators by the third season.
-:''Daria'': Welcome back to Sarcastathon 3000. Is it cold in here?
+==Ted?==
-:''Jane'': Come on out, Daria. The cartoon body is nothing to be ashamed of.
+[[Image:TedDeWittClinton_01.jpg|thumb|200px|]]
-:''Daria'': If I come out, it's just gonna feed those rumors about us.
+[[Ted DeWitt-Clinton]] is a reversal of Daria and Jane - in his case, there's no evidence he's straight! In "[[The New Kid]]", he famously blew off a girl, one that he seemed unclear if he was interested in at all, to pal around with the guys. Later, on the ''Daria'' website, Ted refered to "the haunting allure of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Rose Charlie Rose]. Those sad eyes of his have seen so much. What's happening to me?"
-:''Jane'': Hmm, wouldn't want to do that. Okay, then. I'll just do this nude painting of you from memory.
+As a result, fandom has frequently written him as gay. Surprisingly, his comment on Rose ''wasn't'' known about by most of fandom when this started!
-In the same show, the next clip of the two shows Daria in a bridal dress and Jane in a tuxedo, introducing "[[I Don't]]."
-:''Daria'': Hmm. This is not exactly how I pictured my wedding.
+==Other characters and their views==
-:''Jane'': You? I thought at my wedding I'd at least get to be the bride.
+[[Image:Mack-sjr-1.gif|frame|right|Secretly a lover's tiff? <br> (No)]]
-:''Daria'': Stop complaining. They threw you a bachelor party, didn't they?
+We know that [[Kevin Thompson]] and [[Jeffy]] have some homophobia. Jeffy's English essay in "[[Lucky Strike]]" argues that Mercutio has "a thing" for Romeo and then argues that he needs to be kept out of the locker room. On his MTV website, Kevin made it clear he wasn't gay when he assured us "not that I notice guy butts, no way. In the shower I just stare at the tiles. Uh, this is making me uncomfortable."
-Clearly they (and thus the show's creators and writers) like poking fun at the issue, but take pains to squelch the rumors.
+[[Jake Morgendorffer]] once thought [[Monique]] was Quinn's date and his reaction was a mild "I really '''don't'' know my kids" - apparently a man who is comfortable with the concept.
-[[Image:Alisonlindy-iicy.gif|right|frame|250px|Alison, Lindy, and children (''[[Is It College Yet?]]'')]]
+In a curious alter-ago picture at the end of the TV movie, ''[[Is It College Yet?]],'' [[Lindy]] and Alison were depicted in a scene on a farm with a number of children, implying that they were a lesbian couple with a family.
-==Other Characters==
-In a curious alter-ago picture at the end of the TV movie, ''[[Is It College Yet?]],'' [[Lindy]] and [[Alison]] were depicted in a scene on a farm with a number of children, implying that they were a lesbian couple with a family.
 [[Category: Fandom]]