Agreed. As much fun as silly jokes and crack hc are (because some of these jokes are just that and I can enjoy them for the comedy of it), it is annoying when I read someone's interpretation of Shane and they legitimately think he's homophobic or sexist without any of the nuance that make up that part of his character.
Yes, Shane has some pretty questionable thoughts over the books. But it's usually written with a self-awareness that frames it as either Shane's unreliable narrative or with his acknowledgment that he shouldn't be thinking this. And it's a shame that it often gets overlooked, because it's actually a really interesting part of Shane's arc.
Because it is an arc. You see Shane overcoming his internal prejudice within TLG itself. It's just a bit more subtle than some of the others.
Shane meets Fabian in chapter 3 and has his internal monologue about how Fabian is the kind of visible gay man who Shane used to use as a measuring stick for his own sexuality. The mentality of I'm not gay because that's what gay looks like and I'm nothing like that. It's a common enough mindset for closeted queer people and I like its inclusion in the story.
I also like the inclusion of Shane acknowledging that the reason he's uncomfortable is because he's just never known someone like Fabian before. Shane doesn't dislike queer culture because he doesn't care or is indifferent - he's uncomfortable because he's had basically no exposure to it. He's been so steeped in the straight white hockey culture that there's been very little room to explore beyond that. Because hockey culture and gay culture have very, very little overlap. It's even spelled out in the text when a fan of Fabian's asks for an autograph while he's sat at a table with three hockey players and doesn't even notice them, drawing attention to the distance between the two worlds.
I really like this aspect of Shane's character because it gives him complexity. Shane's internalized homophobia, the thing that he struggled with all throughout the last book, isn't just gone. Coming to terms with his sexuality didn't just dissolve 25 years of reinforced prejudice - it's something that he still struggles with. Even years into actively dating a man, Shane is still seeing the effects of growing up within a homophobic culture.
But he's working on it. That's the thing that I really like about this little arc. Shane is aware of his prejudice and is actively working on overcoming it. He runs an inclusive hockey school, he makes friends with other queer players, he invites them to his wedding. Shane doesn't just say he needs to get better - he actually does it!
When Shane and Ilya are babysitting the Pike kids later in the book, Shane paints Ilya's nails. He's not the one to suggest it (that's Ilya) but he volunteers to help get Ilya's dominant hand. And when the kids say that Hayden said that boys can't wear polish, Shane is the one who explains that Hayden "doesn't know a lot of boys who wear nail polish. But plenty do."
Shane used to be like Hayden. If you'd asked him a year ago, he might have even agreed that boys shouldn't wear polish. But he's not the same guy anymore - he's learned and changed to be more open-minded. It's a direct sign of Shane growing past his internal prejudices, even if only a little. And what he says to the kids is something that Shane very likely never heard growing up, something that he may have benefited from hearing.
There's a significant parallel in the color that Shane uses - a "pale blue". Why is that significant? Because when describing Fabian, it was noted that his nails were painted periwinkle. Periwinkle comes in many shades but one of the more popular ones is a pale blue color. It a direct callback to something that made Shane uncomfortable in the beginning of the book, that he can now put on Ilya without flinching.
Shane overcoming his internal homophobia is one of my favorite bits. His imperfection and growth makes him a better character and I love when people explore this aspect of him with the nuance it deserves. No, Shane is not perfect. But he's also not dumb, ignorant, or malicious. He's aware of his shortcomings and unlearning years of stereotypes. It's a process, and I love that we get to see it in him.
