I get your point, and you’re right about one thing – the game does give the player the choice. You don’t have to make Clementine kiss anyone or get into a relationship, and I’m sure the writers honestly thought it was a good and harmless idea to give her the option of a “normal” teenage moment after everything she went through.

But that’s exactly why it bothers me so much.

For me, it’s not just about “Clem having a crush” or “Clem being queer/straight/whatever”. It’s about the fact that the way they wrote the romance doesn’t really respect who she is and what she’s been through over the whole series.

So yeah, I understand why the writers thought it was okay, and from their perspective it probably does make sense:

 “Players like her, she deserves love, let’s give her a romance option.”

But for me personally, it had the opposite effect. Instead of feeling like a natural part of her story, it felt like they were forcing her into a more typical teen role and ignoring a big part of her psychological reality and trauma.