History Main / RapeAndSwitch

* Strangely done in Alan Moore's ''{{LostGirls}}'', where it's implied that Alice's molestation by her father's friend resulted in her becoming either a lesbian, a nymphomaniac, or both. Possibly averted, because Alice at the end of the series never stops loving women, she just decides to be open to men as well.

* A debatable example in one of TamoraPierce's TortallUniverse characters. Lalasa has had a seriously shitty life; she's been raped, attempted-raped, or otherwise abused by a variety of men including her own brother. Sure enough, WordOfGod has it that [[WordOfGay she's a lesbian]]. This has drawn complaints of UnfortunateImplications, especially because Lalasa was the only gay character in the series (well, this and [[HideYourLesbians the fact that she needed a]] WordOfGay in the first place). However, TamoraPierce's [[CircleOfMagic CircleUniverse]] includes two adult women in a committed relationship as the main teachers of the child heroes, with only one having a traumatic past that may have included rape (but this isn't explicitly stated, and the character in question is actually bisexual). This makes the use of rape in the TortallUniverse seem more incidental to the character's sexuality rather than the driving force behind it, and late in the series [[spoiler:Daja]] realizes she's gay without having gone through any sexual trauma.

* Some CureYourGays people believe this to be [[TruthInTelevision true to life]] for most or all gay men, even though it's [[{{Understatement}} not generally accepted]] by the scientific community. Possibly has roots in the idea of [[ImCryingButIDontKnowWhy repressed memories]] which caused [[ThePlague a public scare]] in the early '90s. Invoking this trope carries UnfortunateImplications, both for the obvious reasons and because childhood sexual abuse ''is'' a known risk factor for [[AllGaysArePedophiles pedophilia]].

* Averted with Herr Starr, the main villain of the GarthEnnis series ''{{Preacher}}'': he stays straight but can't orgasm with a woman unless she penetrates him anally with... something.
** It should be born in mind that by the time he gets to the fish-ramming stage (... don't ask, please), he has no genitalia -- but presumably does still have a prostate.
** Plus, while he was beating his assistant, who hired the man who raped him (again, don't ask), for "Turning him into a homosexual", his other assistant chimes in with "I don't think it works that way..."

* Though not a true example of this trope, ''KickAss'' deserves mention here. Early on, the main character removes his secret superhero costume after being severely beaten, and his dad and his schoolmates believe that he has been raped by muggers and that he is now gay.
** It seems that they assumed that he was secretly working as a gay prostitute, and was beaten by a client. Not quite the same thing.

** The tent-peg story has undergone much MemeticMutation, especially in {{fanfic}} criticism circles where a tent-peg will often be blamed if a character in a fic inexplicably switches orientation.
*** So no comments should be made about round pegs and square holes?

* Happens in ChuckPalahniuk's novel ''Pygmy''.
** May be some kind of commentary on this phenomenon in fiction since Chuck Palahniuk himself is gay and has written several gay characters before.

* Strangely done in Alan Moore's ''{{LostGirls}}'', where it's implied that Alice's molestation by her father's friend resulted in her becoming either a lesbian, a nymphomaniac, or both.
** Possibly averted, because Alice at the end of the series never stops loving women. She just decides to be open to men as well.

* In the ''ApprenticeAdept'' series by PiersAnthony, a female Adept is lesbian because of rape in her childhood.
** Note that this was Anthony ''trying to be nice'' about lesbians, after people misinterpreted the ManHater Red Adept as lesbian earlier and wrote him angry letters.

* A rather bizarre version occurred in the ChristopherMoore novel ''Literature/FlukeOrIKnowWhyTheWingedWhaleSings''. A pair of female marine biologists are at sea researching the mating patterns of humpback whales, when their tiny boat is caught between a female humpback and a pair of males. After [[spoiler:being savagely beaten by ten foot long penises and covered in gallons of whale semen]], they promptly decide to become lesbians.
** And start dating each other. Because you always date the first lesbian you see.

* Averted in ''TheSwordOfTruth'' where Richard assumes one of the Mord-Sith became a lesbian after the "rape" section of her TrainingFromHell, to be informed that no, she was before this ordeal. One of the vanishingly rare instances of [[MartyStu Richard]] actually being wrong about something (note it happened in the first third of the series), as well as him wanting to keep her as a friend even though he wasn't sure about the morality of it.
** If TerryGoodkind believed this trope there wouldn't be [[AuthorAppeal any straight women left in his novels]].

* One of TamoraPierce's TortallUniverse characters, Lalasa, has had a seriously shitty life; she's been raped, attempted-raped, or otherwise abused by a variety of men including her own brother. Sure enough, WordOfGod has it that [[WordOfGay she's a lesbian]]. This has drawn complaints of UnfortunateImplications, especially because Lalasa was the only gay character in the series (well, this and [[HideYourLesbians the fact that she needed a]] WordOfGay in the first place).
** However, TamoraPierce's [[CircleOfMagic CircleUniverse]] includes two adult women in a committed relationship as the main teachers of the child heroes, with only one having a traumatic past that may have included rape (but this isn't explicitly stated, and the character in question is actually bisexual). This makes the use of rape in the TortallUniverse seem more incidental to the character's sexuality rather than the driving force behind it.

* [[CreepyChild Alois]] in the second season of ''{{Kuroshitsuji}}''. In the beginning of the first episode, Alois is shown with many bruises all over his body and marks around his ankles, and he is shown laying in bed naked next to an old man who likewise unclothed. Following that we see him do things like alternate between being AxCrazy and [[StepfordSmiler cute and innocent at the drop of a hat,]] treat his female maid like complete crap, act in a flamboyant manner, wear black stockings with high-heeled boots and short-shorts, act [[HoYay very attached]] to his butler Claude and pretty much flirts with Sebastian when he first meets him by leaning into him, smelling him and proclaiming that Sebastian "smells good". In the fifth episode he cross-dresses as a maid, pretty much tries to seduce Ciel and outright tells Ciel that he "wants" him. He also confesses his love for Claude.
** Only a possible example: Alois could have been gay anyway. The episode that shows his past skips straight from [[spoiler: Luka's death]] to him arriving at the earl's manor. We don't know for certain that the rape ''caused'' his status as a DepravedHomosexual.
*** Still, the aforementioned offers some pretty strong evidence that, if ''nothing else'', Alois being continually violated lead to him becoming [[MindRape tremendously twisted,]] perhaps affecting his conceptions of sex worst of all.

* In ''HaruNatsuAkiFuyu'' both Natsuki and Fuyuka have an aversion to men due to traumatic past experiences, although it's never claimed that this is the cause of their lesbianism.

** It seems that they assumed that he was secretly working as a gay prostitute, and was beated by a client. Not quite the same thing.

[[folder: Literature]]

* In the original ''{{Goldfinger}}'', James Bond rapes Pussy Galore. In the film, their sex scene is more SlapSlapKiss (and she's never implied to be gay), but the novel makes it much more explicit that Bond effectively rapes lesbianism out of her.
[[/folder]]

* Some CureYourGays people believe this to be [[TruthInTelevision true to life]], even though it's [[{{Understatement}} not generally accepted]] by the scientific community. Possibly has roots in the idea of [[ImCryingButIDontKnowWhy repressed memories]] which caused [[ThePlague a public scare]] in the early '90s. Invoking this trope carries UnfortunateImplications, both for the obvious reasons and because childhood sexual abuse ''is'' a known risk factor for [[AllGaysArePedophiles pedophilia]].

** Ted Haggard [[TransparentCloset says]] he's a real-life example. He had also said he was cured of his homosexuality, before he was tempted (caught!) again.

* Some CureYourGays people believe this to be [[TruthInTelevision true to life]] even though it's [[{{understatement}} not generally accepted]] by the scientific community. Possibly has roots in the idea of [[ImCryingButIDontKnowWhy repressed memories]] which caused [[ThePlague a public scare]] in the early '90s. Invoking this trope carries UnfortunateImplications, both for the obvious reasons and because childhood sexual abuse ''is'' a known risk factor for [[AllGaysArePedophiles pedophilia]].

* This is assumed (by the other characters) to be the case with Beethoven in ''DogSeesGod''. Even after [[spoiler:he enters a relationship with CB]] it's unclear.

When it is implied that a gay character is gay because of sexual assault. The rapist is [[AlwaysMale without exception male]], and the rape itself is penetrative.

* ''TheVaginaMonologues'' has a character experience this multiple times...but becomes a lesbian because she is "healed" by being raped by another lesbian as a child, instead of the times she was raped by men. This piece is censored to remove lines like her declaring the experience to be "[[ItsNotRapeIfYouEnjoyedIt good rape]]" and raising her age from 13 to 16, mostly because in the view of the monologues, this experience is a ''[[WarpedAesop good thing]]''.
** This entire scene carries such twisted MoralDissonance that it makes the rest of the play nearly unwatchable. Who knew adults having sex with children was okay when both participants are of the same gender, or at least it is if they both have vaginas. The scene is such an ugly mess that it's hard to tell what the aesop was, but it sure isn't family friendly.
*** Some performances cut this monologue entirely because it's such a deal breaker for so many people.

When it is implied that a gay character is gay because of having been raped. The rapist is [[AlwaysMale without exception male]], and the rape itself is penetrative.

* in the story series ''Lykan Invasion,''the alien werewolf antagonists convert all humanity while doing exactly this.

* Pussy Galore in the novel ''{{Goldfinger}}'' before JamesBond cures her. In an interview, when discussing inspirations for playing her character, the actress who played Pussy Galore said something along the lines of "I knew she was a lesbian, so I tried to play somebody who had been abused as a child"

* in the story series ''Lykan Invasion,''the alien werewolf anntagonists convert all humanity while doing this.

In which it is implied that a homosexual character is homosexual because of having been raped. The rapist is [[AlwaysMale without exception male]], and the rape itself is penetrative.

** This entire scene carries such twisted MoralDissonance that it makes the rest of the play nearly unwatchable. Who knew adults having sex with children was okay when both participants are of the same gender, or at least it is if they both have vaginas. The scene is such an ugly mess that it's hard to tell what the aesop was, but it sure isn't family friendly.

** However, TamoraPierce's [[CircleOfMagic CircleUniverse]] includes two [[WordofGay adult women in a committed relationship]] as the main teachers of the child heroes, with only one having a traumatic past that may have included rape (but this isn't explicitly stated, and the character in question is actually bisexual). This makes the use of rape in the TortallUniverse seem more incidental to the character's sexuality rather than the driving force behind it.

** [[FreudianExcuse And the fact]] [[CharacterDerailment she goes]] ''[[PsychoLesbian nuts]]''.

** However, TamoraPierce's CircleUniverse includes two [[WordofGay adult women in a committed relationship]] as the main teachers of the child heroes, with only one having a traumatic past that may have included rape (but this isn't explicitly stated, and the character in question is actually bisexual). This makes the use of rape in the TortallUniverse seem more incidental to the character's sexuality rather than the driving force behind it.