Was Spock "Queer"?
W.J. Astore
Was Spock "queer"? Of course he was, by one definition of the word. He was unique. And he was (and remains) my favorite character on "Star Trek."
If you're a fan of the show, you may have heard of a rich literature that suggests Kirk and Spock were something more than friends. That they were, in some sense, lovers. And indeed there apparently exists plenty of imaginary pornographic imagery of such a relationship, which, to be honest, I have not checked out. I'll use my own imagination here.
The whole idea of Spock as queer was revived for me by this article at Tropics of Meta:
When I watched "Star Trek" in reruns in the 1970s, I never thought of Spock as "queer" in this way. I viewed him as exceptionally loyal and in such a close friendship with Kirk that it transcended our limited sexual categories. But just as beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so too can be other forms of attraction.
The notion of Spock's "queerness" strikes me as part of the richness of "Star Trek." That it's open to multiple interpretations. That it had complex characters who couldn't be reduced to one type.
As a character, Spock was truly a stroke of genius. Half Vulcan, half human. Always alien -- and always conflicted. Spock is a friend and inspiration to anyone who doesn't quite fit in. Anyone who feels himself or herself (or themselves!) to be "alien" in some way.
His superior, Captain Kirk, seems to be a conventional ladies' man, but you get the sense they're all disposable. Kirk is in love with his ship, with his command, and the only "human" who's truly indispensable to him is Spock, or so it seems to me.
They had a "queer" relationship in the best sense of the word: rich, complex, special, and unique. They could (and did) risk their lives for each other. May we all have more of such "queer" relationships in our lives!