I haven’t had any involvement in this situation in game but wanted to upvote this post so Larian and others see it, as I agree whole heartily about them not taking Gale’s feelings into account, as a lot of people seem to not care about Gale’s feelings in general, as it’s not fair and not right that both him and Astarion are forced into something that they are really uncomfortable with. You’re right that if female characters reacted the way Gale does in this or any other situation, then they would be treated with understanding respect, so why don’t the men get the same respect? Abuse and discomfort affect everyone regardless of gender. I’m sick of the toxic attitude in this world that men’s feeling don’t matter or are treated as a joke, it’s not fair, especially considering how kind hearted and emotionally deep Gale is, and how important consent and feelings are to him.
So please Larian be more considerate of Gale’s and other Male characters feelings, in any situation, and make sure the player character can be supportive of their feelings too.
(Also supportive of their interests, I remember at the Teifling party I could only react sarcastically to Gale’s story about liking to spend nights at home by the fire, which I thought sounded lovely but didn’t have an option to be nice to him.)
Just adding more kind/supportive options in general of Gale and other male characters, I know I’m only part way through the game atm, but I was already worried about situations where his feeling might not be considered, I had hoped that wouldn’t be an issue in this game, so I’m sad and disappointed to see it is, and I hope they fix it soon.
