Ford's characterization in McShep slash...

[ratcreature]

So I'm rereading some McKay/Sheppard slash fic, great story overall too, only I stumble over Homophobic!Ford. Now, IIRC when I first read story I didn't take much notice of it, because I hadn't read that much SGA slash at that point, and taken as a characterization in an individual story I can buy it. Some people are homophobic after all, even otherwise nice, likable people. But there are quite a lot of stories portraying Ford like that, and it baffles me. Sometimes it seems to me that in S1 team McKay/Sheppard slash he's like the default token homophobe. And I don't get it, not to mention that it rubs me the wrong way because I rather like Ford. Is there any basis in canon for why this is such a popular choice?? I admit that I have watched most eps just once (I don't rewatch a lot in general), so I might have missed some huge clue leading so many to arrive at Homophobic!Ford, but if this is purely a fanon thing, it's definitely one I could do without.

Comments

[ratcreature]

Considering that the SGC military had to screen these people to work with naked, genderless grey aliens and the like, it's unlikely they'd get the most closed minded people of the bunch though. And personally if an author absolutely has to go that way, I find for example Bates as random homophobic plot device much less aggravating because he's already established as unsympathetic.

[catmoran.livejournal.com]

But there is a difference between finding out that the little grey alien is gay, and finding out that your coworker with whom you shower is gay.

Now, I do think that the screening mostly eliminates the chance that Ford would be aggressively homophobic. I doubt that he would even report another soldier. But I do think that he might a) slip up and blab to someone else b) no longer treat a friend as such c) attempt to 'save' a friend.

[catmoran.livejournal.com]

Oh, and Bates doesn't have to work as closely with Sheppard. I could easily see him doing a lot of sneering, but he's much less likely to have a panic response than Ford.

Teyla is so accepting of everyone except the Wraith, it seems unlikely that she would be homophobic. But it would be interesting to read; I wonder if there are any fics like that?

Assuming it's not McShep, the chances of Rodney being homophobic are so low it would almost inevitably be ooc. We've seen Sheppard as the homophobic one.

[ratcreature]

I don't recall any stories with Teyla being outright homophobic, but I have read some with the Athosians in general being not open to homosexual relationships, most commonly the disapproval is explained with Wraith-related reproductive pressure, and then Teyla was also uncomfortable with the idea.