The short answer is: it’s complicated.
The slightly longer answer involves the difference between “queer” and “homosexual.”
Actually, you know what? Let’s talk about that. I think it’s worthwhile.
So, briefly: I think that Sherlock and John are a canonical queer couple. I feel that has been demonstrated as unequivocally as it’s possible to do without them actually making out or something.
They have not, thus far (as I think we’ve all noticed), been demonstrated as an unequivocally homosexual couple.
But queer does not necessarily equate to homosexual.
Ceasing to be brief (Jesus, I should install a read-more in this thing): My canonical read on them at this moment—the thing that feels actually true to me, what I see in the show and think that I can reliably argue and support with evidence as outright being there—is that Sherlock and John are in a committed asexual relationship.
Not just a friendship, although it can be hard to explain to people who haven’t had one what the difference can be. An actual committed asexual relationship.
I adore PA’s thinky thoughts.
PA’s post is brilliant and interesting.
But.
Am I the only one vaguely troubled by the notion that a ship in a fandom is now something you have to “believe in” in order to participate?
This is fandom, not religion.
Truth! That’d be pretty darn weird.
Frankly, the vast majority of the time, I don’t think my favorite pairings are meant to be found in canon, or in any way ever likely to happen outside of fan interpretations. Sherlock/John is, for the value I stated above, one of the very rare exceptions. And for that matter, there’s a lot of fun to be had in fanfic by deliberately playing with pairings you don’t really see in the source material. I don’t ship Mycroft/John, or Moriarty/John, or Molly/John, or Lestrade/John, but I’ve written all of those.
This particular anon was being quite straightforward, though, in asking me for a clarification between two apparently contradictory statements I had made about how I read the series.
