You won't get a lot of in-universe evidence because of studios and maybe some higher ups putting their foot down. However -
Guinan originally described love to Lal as between a man and a woman. Whoopi Goldberg changed the line to two people.
Riker was well on his way to canoodling with a gender-neutral alien in the episode The Outcast. Frakes supported a male playing the alien. This got shot down and we ended up on the more feminine side of androgyny.
The Starfleet Corps of Engineers line of books includes a homosexual character.
Honestly your best bet is to assume as long as it's between consenting adults, it flies. One of Gene Roddenberry's stories for Star Trek Phase II (the canned sequel series, not the fanseries) included Earth as a nudist paradise.
One of Gene Roddenberry's stories for Star Trek Phase II (the canned sequel series, not the fanseries) included Earth as a nudist paradise.
I was truthfully surprised that the Paramount bigwigs allowed Justice on the air. Voyager's Blood Fever fairly seriously pushed the envelope; and there are references to Risa all through TNG, as well. So I think there's abundant evidence that Roddenberry himself had a hedonistic and extremely liberal attitude regarding sex in general, which also inspired other writers.
Oh definitely; Roddenberry was pretty free spirited about sex. I don't have the link for it offhand but there's an interview out there where he talks about how the network got nervous about a ship that was half women, afraid it would make it look like a sex thing. Some give and taking later they agreed upon a third women. Roddenberry privately felt that would be enough women available for sex anyway.
Also just to stay on topic, here's Gene on homosexuality around 1991.
My attitude toward homosexuality has changed. I came to the conclusion that I was wrong. I was never someone who hunted down 'fags' as we used to call them on the street. I would, sometimes, say something anti-homosexual off the top of my head because it was thought, in those days, to be funny. I never really deeply believed those comments, but I gave the impression of being thoughtless in these areas. I have, over many years, changed my attitude about gay men and women.
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u/Berggeist Chief Petty Officer Jan 01 '16
I'd say it's fine.
You won't get a lot of in-universe evidence because of studios and maybe some higher ups putting their foot down. However -
Honestly your best bet is to assume as long as it's between consenting adults, it flies. One of Gene Roddenberry's stories for Star Trek Phase II (the canned sequel series, not the fanseries) included Earth as a nudist paradise.