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Hey Kronos--
There is passion, but it's skirted around very well. I think that Faramir and Eowyn kissing atop the wall and not caring who saw them was the only moment of passion really put into words, but I believe there is something said about Beren "embracing" Luthien... now, you can go on and interpret exactly how much is meant by an "embrace" as far as you like!
But Tolkien definitely was not sexist. In Middle-earth, males pretty much dominate everything, but the few strong and powerful women are the ones who change things the most. For example...
1. Morgoth never would have been overthrown without the aid of Luthien.
2. Eowyn more or less killed the Witch-King (but that's been discussed so many times).
3. Galadriel is deemed worthy to be a bearer of one of the Three, and she holds a great power over her realm. Indeed, she is so powerful that many are frightened of her.
4. Mirkgirl makes a really good point about Haleth and Melian. The so-called "Girdle of Melian" protected her realm from evil as nothing else could, and Haleth was a strong leader of her people. Tolkien's women *are* often protectors, just like Mirkgirl said. Although the men go to war, the women don't sit around waiting to die. They prepare before the battles, protect their homeland when it is under seige, and heal when the fighting is done.
5. Arwen is the fair but rarely present princess, and is one of Aragorn's major motivations for his fight. Only by becoming king of both Gondor and Arnor can he wed Arwen, and this most likely makes him fight all the harder.
6. I read one of the earlier posts and it said that on Goldberry's washing day, it was raining. I actually didn't recall that, but the poster suggested that maybe she had some sort of power over water, being the "River-daughter." I find this pretty interesting, it seems that most of Tolkien's leading ladies possess some sort of trait that allows them to rise in the man's world.
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