VCA Theory: Was Bart Foxworth Queer?

As I have previously tackled Corrine as the Evil Mother and Cathy as the Woman Scorned, one character within the V.C. Andrews notorious family was a bit of a question mark. When I first read Seeds of Yesterday, for several reasons I interpreted Cathy's second one - now the wealthy owner of the newly rebuilt Foxworth, ridiculously handsome, charming and athletic - as being more complex than first believed. Truthfully. when I first read the finale of the Dollanganger saga, I thought Bart Foxworth was bisexual or gay and there are actually elements of this book that lend into this theory of mine:

Firstly, Bart has no romantic or sexual relationship - that we know of - prior to the start of the book. This is a character who from a young age was brainwashed into believing in a twisted version of Christianity and condemns all types of sin. More particularly the sin of lust - which could also be read as his suppressed lust for other men. Bart also shows signs of immense rage at his adoptive sister's free nature with her sexuality, which also plays into his patriarchal mindset of how women should behave and quite possibly suppression of his own desires to be that confident in his own sexuality.

However, the relationships we do see are inappropriate ones he pursues out of spite or to prove a point. When his brother Jory has an accident which is leaves him paralyzed, Bart has an affair with his sister-in-law Melodie. I don't believe Bart had any real feelings towards Melodie or even found her attractive in her depressive state - he merely takes advantage of the current situation and seduces her. Because he can, but soon realizes it is an empty relationship and he is just a replacement for Jory and this again leads him back into his unhealthy resentments.

After that relationship ends, he begins pursuing Jory's new nurse Toni - again only showing interest for someone who was initially growing close to his brother. It's almost like he's desperate to prove to his family, his mother and even to himself that he can have a normal relationship. Yet that is another relationship that ends, this time over his jealousy and paranoia.

In many ways, Bart should really be a playboy with his looks, money and a grand mansion. Yet he only goes after off-limits women to be cruel or like I said, prove that he get these women. How does this make Bart queer, you may ask?

Well, Bart has resentments towards the mother he also adores, condemning her for having an incestuous relationship with her biological brother, but also protecting her secret out of love. This already shows Bart has a complex relationship towards women, stemming from the most important one.

Plus, this story continues from the point of view of the protagonist, Cathy, following her from the age of 52 until her death a few years later. Cathy was born in April 1945, meaning the events in the book occur between 1997–2001, Homosexuality was gradually becoming more acceptable in the late 90s and early 2000s, but there was still stigma due to the aftermath of the AIDS pandemic. I believe if Bart was queer, Cathy would have been nothing but supportive - which would have driven Bart down a dark path even further. If lust and homosexuality are taboo in his mind, it would only make his self-loathing intensify if his incestuous parents approve of these feelings.

Alas Bart continues to spiral - in both the book and the film - and ultimately drives his family away. He only really begins to turns into a good and remorseful man after Chris' death in a car accident and makes up for the horrible things he did by opening a research centre as well as a law firm and becomes a televangelist. It's really left up to the reader what happens, but he his arc concludes with Bart unmarried or without a significant other - his story is pretty open-ended.

In my personal opinion, I thought Bart was possibly bisexual. Yes, he was in many ways a sexual character, but these acts often followed by self-loathing or punishment. While this in no way means he is queer, I think I would have went with went this avenue if I was adapting this novel. V.C. Andrews left plenty of room for readers or even a screenwriter to interpret her writing in many ways. Bart being queer in the 2015 version would have been better than the toxicity of him and Cindy - Darren Stein's screenplay was almost perfect, but the abusive-to-loving relationship between Bart and Cindy was not only not canon, but one of the most problematic relationships on screen.

Not many characters can be read as queer - well, except Tom maybe from the Casteel Saga - but Bart is definitely a character who could have gone in any direction.