The thing that manages to tick off almost every anime afficiado eventually- the great yaoi debate! Me, I don't understand what the big deal is, and this is why:

All of the shows, movies, and OAVs discussed on this website do not have any blatent yaoi/shounen ai content. In fact, in most cases*, to even say that anything like that was even implied between characters is a generous exaggeration. Of course, it goes the other way too... there is nothing that blatently states/shows- or, for the most part, implicates- any strictly heterosexual relationships either. These shows are best described as non-yaoi, or even just non-romance. I think most people can agree with me on that, correct?

If the above statement is a given, then what is the problem? If you do like yaoi couples and fanfic, then like it for yourself and don't try to stuff it down other people's throats- you don't have to read non- or anti-yaoi webpages or fanfics, and everyone is entitled to their own opinions on something where there is not enough evidence to be obvious. Same can be said of anti-yaoi, strictly hetero people: if you don't like it, then don't go to yaoi webpages or read labeled yaoi fanfics, and realize that everyone's allowed to think whatever they want. It's all about RESPECT and tolerance and maintaining a non-judgemental attitude.

Websites and fanfics/art should be labeled as well, to avoid offending people. It's only polite to tell people what they are going to get when they go to your page, so that if they don't like what you're offering, they can go elsewhere.

All in all, I think the whole arguement and the people who defend their view vehemently are silly. It's a matter of opinion, and not even a really important one either. In the great scheme of things, does it really matter if Heero secretly longs to be with Duo, or if he deep down is hopelessly in love with Relena? And in the great scheme of things, does it matter if you ridicule other intelligent people for their opinion on this silly topic?

There, I hope I've managed to offend no one or everyone, because what offends me the most in the whole thing is the way everyone treats it like its a big deal. Trust me, you will not die if you respect someone else's opinions and keep your mouth shut, and sometimes, you might actually make more friends. Why can't we all just be one big happy, anime-lovin' community?

Personally, I like yaoi/shounen ai fanfics, and I don't see a lot of harm in this. If half the non-yaoi fanfics were written with 1/4th of the style, correct English, clever plots, and good characterization**, I'd read more of them, too, but I find that yaoi fanfics are usually more tasteful, dignified, and easier and more fun to read. Does that mean I ~gasp~ think that the characters are all GAY? No, it means that I like reading different stories with different plots and interactions; in most cases, yaoi writers plain and simply write better stories, and the quality of the writing (plot, characterization, etc.) is what most attracts me to a piece of writing. That is my opinion. ~shrugs~ This site is essentially non-yaoi since there most likely won't be any fanfics or art posted (at least not for a very long time). The rules there are simple: if you don't like it, don't look at it. See how simple that is?

* The possible exceptions to this are the Treize Khushranada/Zechs Marquise pairing and the Quatre Rabarba Winner/Trowa Barton pairings, both from Gundam Wing. I personally feel that there could be some implications here: there's a strange dynamic between Treize and Zechs that seems to hint to me of something more, and Quatre seems to have genuinely deep emotions about Trowa. However, Treize and Zechs have known each other since childhood, and it's logical to assume that because of that there would be some intimacy and familiarity, and Trowa was one of the first friends sweet and overly emotional Quatre had... again, no real conclusions can be made.

** The exception to this are the multitudes of HeeroxDuo stories. What, can't you people come up with a plot that does not warp Heero into some kind of human monster taking advantage of a loyal, loving Duo? I think out of the hundreds of HeeroxDuo stories I've read, I've only really liked one or two of them, simply because they managed to write Heero as Heero, and not as some manically jealous, abusive ass.