[Lush]

Didn't the great Tolkien have a son? And did he not then also have a wife? (Unless some sort of miracle happened...But let's not get into that)
However, I do understand the reasons why females were largely left out of his books; nobody wanted to read about women in a fantasy. But times have changed, and we, as a society, are hopefully inching toward recognizing female characters as more than plot devices and sidelines decorations in all of the artistic mediums. This is why I am glad Arwen had an extended part in FotR. Made me feel a little more included.
As for the homosexual subtext...Well, I hope Legolas isn't gay! I would definitely have a jealousy fit if he suddenly set up house with Gimli.
And by the way, Eve, the sexual undertones of fairy tales are extremely fascinating, I'm glad you brought that up. The pricking of spindles and so on and so forth. [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] Quite interesting to see how many references we miss, and how many more have been hidden from us!
-Lush