[Lush]

Thank you Elanor for stating your opinion in a concise, respectful manner.
Aosama, you've probably met gay people. You just didn't know it. It's not like we introduce ourselves in this society by stating our sexual preferences, as in, "How're you doing? I'm Lush, and I'm a heterosexual who prefers dark hair, blue eyes, and dimples." Heh.
Maril, kudos to you for having the courage to start a thread like this. To those who are uncomfortable with the subject matter at hand-no one is putting a gun to your head and forcing you to endure this thread, are they? We all, by the good graces of the Barrow-Wight, share this forum. If you detest a certain subject, and cannot comment on it without irritation, why even bother? Irritation is unhealthy for your central nervous system.
For my part-I never took the time to seriously ponder Sam and Frodo's feelings for each other. I was always too busy dreaming about Aragorn. [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img]
I do however have a question about Celebrian. Gilthalion, in an earlier post, alluded to "the darkest hints" concerning what happened to her at the hands of the Orcs. I know this is a horrible subject to bring up, but when did Tolkien ever "hint" at the fact that she was raped (I am assuming this is what you meant by "darkest hints")? Maybe I am just a young, innocent mind, but I don't recall any such "hints" in any of the passages I have read about Celebrian. Do we simply assume that a woman captured by the enemy will be treated in such a fashion (not that it's surprising or anything, I just never thought of it in that context before...)?
For me, the closest Tolkien ever got to describing sexuality were a couple of beautiful, yet suggestive passages concerning Beren and Lúthien (I definitely got the sense that these two were lovers before they were officially married).