I wish there was more LGBT+ representation in 40k. Don't give me the usual "But SLAANESH" spiel, either. Slaanesh is seen in and out of the universe as a largely negative and corrupting influence. (1/8)

Some people may see Slaanesh differently, but the connotations of the general aspects associated with them, and those aspects' links to queer people, inherently bother me. (2/8)

As an intersex person, seeing the word "hermaphrodite" used repeatedly in the Ciaphas Cain novels as a descriptor for Slaaneshi worshipers was upsetting at the least, and enough to dissuade me from further reading the books at worst. (3/8)

The Cain books, for the record, were released 2003 onwards, so any arguments about the term being "a product of the time" are completely without foundation. Ultimately, they are seen as being perverse and predatory, which is reminiscent of how LGBT+ people are depicted (4/8)

in wider entertainment media.

You may try to argue that there is, in fact, positive/normalised representation, but these brief events always take the form of throwaway references and lines timidly injected into novels, or lesbian couples which, while completely valid, (5/8)

are historically viewed as being the most "acceptable" form of queer relationship to display by predominantly male audiences, due in no small part to their recurring fetishisation of gay women. (6/8)

Also, don't try to argue that romantic relationships aren't a relevant or important element in 40K. Ciaphas Cain, Ibram Gaunt, Argel Tal, Iskandar Khayon and Gregor Eisenhorn, to name a few, (7/8)

all have recurring plot threads within their respective novels that specifically revolve around their romantic feelings for women, confused or otherwise.

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk (8/8)