The poster who did the Snape/Harry picture also had a picture of a bound Hermione being raped and from what I read there was a time period where no one was really sure which picture she was TOSed for.
And the issue with the Harry/Snape picture to me is that while someone might argue that if you squint and try Harry can be interpreted as being older than 18, it's really difficult to say that this would be the general assumption given the context which frames these pictures. The context being series which is a young adult/child series where Harry is in fact a minor throughout the near entirity of the series. And by the time he graduates and is 18, Snape is dead. So while within the context of fandom, I can see someone approaching it from a fanfictional point of view and perhaps restaging the event into some nebulous point in the future where Harry is legal and Snape isn't dead, I think it's a bit of a jump to think that the reasonable assumption of people uninvolved with the fandom would be that Harry is under aged. Frankly, it's somewhat difficult for me to buy too whole heartedly into the interpretation that Harry is past the age of consent and that it isn't statutory rape. Harry certainly looked adolescent-like to me.
Anyway, if LJ is after slash on the basis of slash, I'll be as upset and willing to protest as loudly as anyone. But, these particular pictures, which are most easily interpreted and would reasonably be assumed to be graphic depictions of sex with minors aren't the test case that I'd prefer to hang my hat on if I could have my "I'd rathers".
I understand and empathize with being suspicious and vigilant about this, and perhaps LJ is acting out of homophobia. But I don't know that that can be determined with these cases, which I think most people uninitiated with fandom would tend to assume as portraying kids, not adults.
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Date: 2007-08-08 01:42 am (UTC)And the issue with the Harry/Snape picture to me is that while someone might argue that if you squint and try Harry can be interpreted as being older than 18, it's really difficult to say that this would be the general assumption given the context which frames these pictures. The context being series which is a young adult/child series where Harry is in fact a minor throughout the near entirity of the series. And by the time he graduates and is 18, Snape is dead. So while within the context of fandom, I can see someone approaching it from a fanfictional point of view and perhaps restaging the event into some nebulous point in the future where Harry is legal and Snape isn't dead, I think it's a bit of a jump to think that the reasonable assumption of people uninvolved with the fandom would be that Harry is under aged. Frankly, it's somewhat difficult for me to buy too whole heartedly into the interpretation that Harry is past the age of consent and that it isn't statutory rape. Harry certainly looked adolescent-like to me.
Anyway, if LJ is after slash on the basis of slash, I'll be as upset and willing to protest as loudly as anyone. But, these particular pictures, which are most easily interpreted and would reasonably be assumed to be graphic depictions of sex with minors aren't the test case that I'd prefer to hang my hat on if I could have my "I'd rathers".
I understand and empathize with being suspicious and vigilant about this, and perhaps LJ is acting out of homophobia. But I don't know that that can be determined with these cases, which I think most people uninitiated with fandom would tend to assume as portraying kids, not adults.