Sexual Orientation In Lost Girl

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While Lost Girl presents a universalizing view of sexual orientation, it focuses on a minoritizing view of sexuality with Bo being labeled a succubus. The choice of her partner’s gender is decidedly less important than the specific sex acts she partakes in. As this relates to Axiom 2 of Sedgwick’s theory: “The study of sexuality is not coextensive with the study of gender; correspondingly, antihomophobic inquiry is not coextensive with feminist inquiry. But we can’t know in advance how they will be different” (27), it can be proposed that gender is closely linked to sexual orientation in the example of Lost Girl. Therefore, what Sedgwick would indicate to be a slight exclusivity between gender and sexuality can also imply a separation between …show more content…

Sexual orientation and normatively defined genders (male and female) recently entered popular circulation as more acceptable. Less attention is drawn to their defining characteristics due to a lessening of interest in their potential to be considered atypical. This is exemplified by Bo’s seamless ability to exists as a bisexual without ever claiming the title of bisexual. Now, society takes an invested interest in sexuality that is perceived as nonstandard. Thus, as per Foucault’s theory, great attention is directed toward non-normative sexuality. That which dominates public conversation enters specific sex acts into discourse, creating new species based on these sex acts. While a succubus is not an actual human species determined by sex acts, new terms defining people based on their sexuality are entering popular dialogue, such as polyamory. Society’s obsession to link all aspects of existence to sexuality is not likely to diminish, so as time progresses, different aspects of sexuality, sex acts, gender, and sexual orientation will continue to enter the cultural lexicon as designations for a new classification of deviant sexual behavior. While this will perpetuate the fascination and oppression of and with sexual minorities, it will give people like Lost Girl’s Bo, a sense of identity. Giving a person a word or classification for their previously misunderstood behavior is a gift and a curse. The present is allowing someone the choice to come out of the closet, as that which is not categorized is unable to be understood or expressed in meaningful

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