Frustrating relative lack of LGBT NPCs in this game

[Midareyukki]

I feel like people misunderstand this thread a lot...

Making characters whose only singular purpose is to say "I love X person of my gender" or "I don't feel comfortable with my assigned gender" isn't good representation. And people not wanting LGBT characters in this game simply because they think that will be how they're written should understand that it's honestly just as bad. No one wants that.

But there's nothing wrong with having a well-written character who just so happens to also have those traits. If there's nothing wrong with male NPCs saying "my wife this and that" and then move onto the actual topic at hand, then there shouldn't be any problem with them saying "my husband this and that". Especially when we know Eorzea doesn't care about which gender you marry, so long as it's not another race. So if it's so normal and not taboo, why not show that it's normal without a cop-out like the gender-variable Warrior of Light?

As well as having a character who was a man at birth and no longer is, or someone who expresses gender dysphoria (even giving the devs a reason to remove genderlocked items). Or just simply have someone use gender-neutral pronouns. Fantasia exist, after all. "Oh but it won't fit a medieval style game". Yeah because radio and super futuristic Allagan technology is totally 1500's. Even in history we had people with gender dysphoria, androgyny or hermaphroditism. Google Chevalier d'Eon.

Because that's what representation is. It's not suddenly having a whole scene about how the person is LGBT. It's about simply having characters showing comfort in expressing that as much as cis and straight people would be. It's just having a character just expressing as much love toward a male character as Runar does toward Y'shtola, for example. If we think that's natural, then we should accept that having a guy with a crush on, say, Urianger, while being an important character for worldbuilding or helping the Scions is also natural. Or hell, Asexuality\Aromantic. It's an option. Doesn't always need to be a romantic relationship.

We shouldn't force it down's people's throats, but representation isn't forcing it. Mistaking forced representation and monotone characters with only "SEX" as their character trait is what's really bad, but it goes for straights too. Because their relationships is what's normalized. No one wants to only see the same thing over and over, and no straight person wants to see a character whose only impact is "loves X person" either... do you? So stop thinking that that's what Representation means. It's NOT forcing stuff down your throat, it's just making it a bit more normal.

However, I will say I understand if they don't do it. Not because of X-phobia or anything, but because in some East Asian cultures in general, LGBT topics are way more taboo and misconstrued than in western cultures. Japan included, where older generations compound homosexuality with being transgender.