In an otherwise not-super-exciting episode of Game of Thrones on Sunday, we learned that Yara Greyjoy likes having sex with women. Even better? It's treated as NBD. The show doesn't present her sexual preference as some big, shocking reveal — in fact, it goes unacknowledged. (It's worth noting that mouthing a topless woman's breasts in public would constitute a "moment" on pretty much any other show, but at this point sex workers and female anatomy are pretty much background noise on GoT.)
Before hitting the high seas, Yara and the boys kick back in a tavern, where Yara takes a woman to bed — until now, an exclusively male pre-battle ritual on GoT. I believe her exact words are, "Now, since it's my last night on shore for a while, I'm going to go fuck the tits off this one."
And here is that moment again, in all its casual glory.
#YaraGreyjoy made out with a total babe on last night's episode of #GameofThrones https://t.co/6LXzX58qPE #GoT #LGBT pic.twitter.com/7HxaRlG50V
— The Feminism Project (@TheFeminismProj) June 6, 2016
It was refreshing to see Yara's sexuality treated as blithely as, say, Oberyn Martell's, who was bisexual. And it marks a very welcome departure from the franchise canon, in case you were wondering whether this detail is part of the character's story all along. After fans spotted the scene in a season 6 trailer, George R.R. Martin was asked whether Yara (named Asha in the books) is gay. Martin responded on his blog, "I have a number of lesbian and bisexual women in the novels (and a couple who experiment), but Asha [Yara] is not one of them. Unless I am forgetting something..."
Well, fans didn't seem to mind the alteration, as most people on social media were pretty damn happy about it.
YARA GREYJOY IS A LESBIAN.....TODAY IS A GOOD DAY #GameofThrones
— ginger♏️ (@DxnaJH) June 6, 2016
YARA IS KISSING A GIRL I LOVE GAY
— angela (@blurredalycia) June 6, 2016
I basically screamed when I found that out. Gay YARA 😍😍😍 https://t.co/9vOXCuibtG
— Tiff (@Lexualityy) June 6, 2016
Protect Yara Greyjoy, badass and powerful lesbian leader, at all costs!! #GameofThrones pic.twitter.com/hQKwwpFXSu
— illalwaysbewithyou ∞ (@theneewyorker) June 6, 2016
I don't remember Asha (Yara) Greyjoy being Gay in the books...but I ain't complaining
— Lynell Forestall (@Forestall21) June 6, 2016
Nice to see we seem to have a new LGBT on #GameofThrones #Yara
— Brian Stokle (@urbanlifesigns) June 6, 2016
And one viewer posited our new favorite fan theory: Yara and Daenerys become the co-queens of Westeros together. Oh, hell yeah.
I want so badly for Yara and Daenyrs to get married and be queens of Westeros #gameofthrones
— Sam Saucier (@samkcs17) June 6, 2016
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