There are plenty of men who marry late in Tolkien's universe. Given that power flows from ancestry (not divine right of kings, as far as I can see) and proximity to Elves (at least in Dúnedain kingdoms in the 2nd and 3rd Ages), that's something that needs justification.
The type of justification then turns on whether or not the son of powerful men then has an acknowledged lady love. If he has one, then justification has to do with waiting to produce an heir, and for me that's the main problem of interest given that scenario. How does one justify waiting when your entire culture is demanding you reproduce for the good of society? *looks at Aragorn as prime example*
If the son of power men does NOT have an acknowledged lady love, then the first questions are: Where is he from, how old is he and how close to power is he? Second or younger sons, men under twenty (in upper classes) - reasonable to think it's not necessarily an indicator of anything but that dad or mom hasn't found anyone suitable, and neither has he. In Dúnedain societies, there's the issue of age of consent being higher than one would expect for both real-world analogues and other Ardaverse realms of Men, and that has to be taken into account, though it seems to hold more in Arnor than Gondor.
If a male character from a powerful family is old enough to marry, is either the heir to his father's position, or has in fact inherited *looks at Aragorn*, and not only is not married, but doesn't seem to have any acknowledged attachment to women, then he's prima facie a candidate for exploring issues of homosexuality in Middle-earth, because he's defying heavily inculcated cultural and political expectations in societies. Since most male characters in this position are written as responsible figures, I assume it can't be a question of pure personal desire, but of a negotiation of some kind between personal desire and politics, and that's exactly the kind of story I like to write. Homosexuality or bisexuality become possibilities to help write that story, and then the choice of a non-heterosexual interpretation of the character helps build the world up in terms of why you might not want to advertize such forms of desire to the population at large - something that heterosexual desire doesn't necessarily do, unless you're dealing with polyamory or mistresses, or what not. I just haven't to date had any real interest in writing love triangles where it's one man and two women - I really get tired of that (unless it's Indis-Miriel-Finwë as an open threesome, because it avoids certain tropes that piss me off).
For Boromir specifically, there's a third issue: his lack of a wife is coupled with his "delighting in arms" and preferring strongly military history, which is then linked back to the example of Eärnur, the childless king, whose "only pleasure was in fighting". That sudden reference to pleasure is an interesting choice of words, and all too suggestive when coupled with Boromir. It's not necessity, but a certain pleasure he doesn't seem to get with women, that explains why he doesn't marry. To me, that's not just "I haven't found the right woman" (for some variable of "right" that may include things like "her family is powerful" or "this could be a peace treaty we need if I marry so and so"). That's "I don't get any enjoyment out of women and so don't want to marry" and that tips the balance: Boromir, to me, is not only slashable because there's no evidence of interest in women and the circumstances can support a homosexual interest, it's an active disinterest in women that makes me wonder if his interest lies rather in those who bear arms. It disqualifies him in my mind not only from heterosexuality but from bisexuality.
That's if I want to write about him in terms of the clash between personal desire and public duty.
It depends on the type of story I want to tell.
The type of justification then turns on whether or not the son of powerful men then has an acknowledged lady love. If he has one, then justification has to do with waiting to produce an heir, and for me that's the main problem of interest given that scenario. How does one justify waiting when your entire culture is demanding you reproduce for the good of society? *looks at Aragorn as prime example*
If the son of power men does NOT have an acknowledged lady love, then the first questions are: Where is he from, how old is he and how close to power is he? Second or younger sons, men under twenty (in upper classes) - reasonable to think it's not necessarily an indicator of anything but that dad or mom hasn't found anyone suitable, and neither has he. In Dúnedain societies, there's the issue of age of consent being higher than one would expect for both real-world analogues and other Ardaverse realms of Men, and that has to be taken into account, though it seems to hold more in Arnor than Gondor.
If a male character from a powerful family is old enough to marry, is either the heir to his father's position, or has in fact inherited *looks at Aragorn*, and not only is not married, but doesn't seem to have any acknowledged attachment to women, then he's prima facie a candidate for exploring issues of homosexuality in Middle-earth, because he's defying heavily inculcated cultural and political expectations in societies. Since most male characters in this position are written as responsible figures, I assume it can't be a question of pure personal desire, but of a negotiation of some kind between personal desire and politics, and that's exactly the kind of story I like to write. Homosexuality or bisexuality become possibilities to help write that story, and then the choice of a non-heterosexual interpretation of the character helps build the world up in terms of why you might not want to advertize such forms of desire to the population at large - something that heterosexual desire doesn't necessarily do, unless you're dealing with polyamory or mistresses, or what not. I just haven't to date had any real interest in writing love triangles where it's one man and two women - I really get tired of that (unless it's Indis-Miriel-Finwë as an open threesome, because it avoids certain tropes that piss me off).
For Boromir specifically, there's a third issue: his lack of a wife is coupled with his "delighting in arms" and preferring strongly military history, which is then linked back to the example of Eärnur, the childless king, whose "only pleasure was in fighting". That sudden reference to pleasure is an interesting choice of words, and all too suggestive when coupled with Boromir. It's not necessity, but a certain pleasure he doesn't seem to get with women, that explains why he doesn't marry. To me, that's not just "I haven't found the right woman" (for some variable of "right" that may include things like "her family is powerful" or "this could be a peace treaty we need if I marry so and so"). That's "I don't get any enjoyment out of women and so don't want to marry" and that tips the balance: Boromir, to me, is not only slashable because there's no evidence of interest in women and the circumstances can support a homosexual interest, it's an active disinterest in women that makes me wonder if his interest lies rather in those who bear arms. It disqualifies him in my mind not only from heterosexuality but from bisexuality.
That's if I want to write about him in terms of the clash between personal desire and public duty.