Is Emma Gay?

One more Jane Austen thought for the day and then I will cease and desist.
I have been recently reading a book called "The Friendly Jane Austen" that discusses everything you could ever hope for about Jane, the period her books were written in, and the material of the books themselves. While I have really been enjoying this book, I came upon a section called, "Is Emma Gay?"
The basis of the arguement for this was that Emma was UNDEINABLY a gay character because (are you ready for this) of the excessive admiration she gives in the book of her female friend.
Apparently, the real clincher for poor Emma's sexuality was when she described her friend Harriet's eyes as being partiularly beautiful.
Let me just say I am so sick of the revisiontists and their idiotic assumptios as they read into everything. I suppose if Jane Austen wrote about a man smoking a cigar, it would really be her way of talking about penises as well!
C'mon people!
The problem with those who make these conclusions is that they are taking what they read entirely out of context.
Fact is that back in those times, it was perfectly normal for a woman to admire her friend openly, and nobody even thought of questioning her sexuality.
This is very similar to the people who insist that the relationship between Frodo and Sam in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy is also homesexual.
Again, here lies the problem. At the time Tolkien wrote this, there was still a thing in the English culture called the "Master/Servant Relationship." I know this is going to sound shocking to some people, but apparently, the master and servent (both of the male persuasion) often had a very close relationship and there was nothing homosexual about it.
So to all those revisionsts out there, both as a history major and as a woman, I beg of you-before you jump to conclusions about the sexuality of my favorite literary characters, do your homework first. Please do not impose the standards of YOUR day and age upon time periods where they were not valid.
Although I hate to give you any more fodder for your presumtions, I am going to have to admit something to you right now. I have quite often and in public no less admired many of my female friends. I have so many beautiful girl friends (oh I said girlfriends, I MUST be gay) and cannot deny that I think they are very attractive. Despite this perplexity, I have a husband who would be more than willing to vouch to you of my firm and undeterring striaghtness. I am sorry to cause you pain, but I cannot deny this truth.
This, my dear readers, is a faithful narrative of all my feelings about my female friends. Make of it what you will. ;)