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I feel like lots of people are forgetting about how queer readings of media has always been gay culture. It's broadened out to headcannons and AUs and such. I feel that usually when someone expresses their personal queer reading of a character who was never written to be queer there is always backlash and lots of hate to that person.
The Office could be read as a lesbian love story between a dyke and the best friend she's in love with who's already engaged to a man. Many sapphics find Jim Halpert's situation relatable and has drawn Jim as a lesbian. There are paragraphs and fanfictions that explain the queerness they see in Jim Halpert. Yes the reality is that Jim Halpert is just a cishet white boy who's an ok person. People who hate on these queer readings are usually ignorant.
The thing is I don't think that queer readings and headcannons only come from a desire for representation. I think it's a from of self expression.
Usually when people talk about queer rep and queerbait its in the context of television, cartoons, and books. It's the marketable representation. Authentic queerness in art comes from the sheer desire to express and dream and imagination. Imagination is a wonderful thing!!
Let queer people have their headcannons. Let people draw characters as a ethnicity and race that's different from canon. Let disabled artists people draw and write their favorite characters as disabled.
How dare people insert themselves in media and feel joy. You're a bully if you think that's cringe and you need to grow the fuck up