Homosexuality in Comics

George Carlin: "Being bisexual must be a huge chore. Can you imagine wanting to f*** EVERYONE you meet?!!"

I have no idea if one can truly be bisexual. But i think DC or Marvel would not be the ideal place to have a headlining gay or lesbian character, simply because the US is still light years more immature and repressed about sexuality than the rest of the world. Combine that with the hype machine that both companies are, there's no way a gay or even bi character with his or her own series would be able to have room to breathe as a character and not be forever identified by their sexual identity. And as such there would be enough outcry from backward religious organizations to pull the title from shelves that it may make it not worth the effort.

An indie, under the radar publisher is probably the only way to go for now.
 
Dancanread said:
George Carlin: "Being bisexual must be a huge chore. Can you imagine wanting to f*** EVERYONE you meet?!!"

I have no idea if one can truly be bisexual. But i think DC or Marvel would not be the ideal place to have a headlining gay or lesbian character, simply because the US is still light years more immature and repressed about sexuality than the rest of the world. Combine that with the hype machine that both companies are, there's no way a gay or even bi character with his or her own series would be able to have room to breathe as a character and not be forever identified by their sexual identity. And as such there would be enough outcry from backward religious organizations to pull the title from shelves that it may make it not worth the effort.

An indie, under the radar publisher is probably the only way to go for now.
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I think Rene Montoya could pull it off.
 
Hibiki said:
I think Rene Montoya could pull it off.
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I would agree, but I respect Renee as she is, and honestly, I'd like to see her and Kate have a bit of a happily ever after. I'm REALLY tired of LESBIAN DRAMA!™. That's the main reason why I hated Runaways (that and Nico being the most negative stereotype of a goth chick imaginable).

I always saw characters like Poison Ivy, Cheshire and a few others as being bi or even pansexual.
 
SSJmole said:
You need to think of homosexuals as a minority. That may be wrong but you do. Look at black superheroes. For years they were stereotype black people and they had "Black" as a name somewhere.

It took years for the The Falcon and Luke Cage and people like that to make it's way on the scene and now it's no big deal to see a black charracter. Hopefully homosexuals will their "The Falcon" but with the problems listed above it is even harder now days for the minorities to get through.
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So we just wait another 10 years, give John Stewart the boot, and make the new Green Lantern a gay guy. Problem solved.

:D
 
skotti-chan said:
I would agree, but I respect Renee as she is, and honestly, I'd like to see her and Kate have a bit of a happily ever after. I'm REALLY tired of LESBIAN DRAMA!™. That's the main reason why I hated Runaways (that and Nico being the most negative stereotype of a goth chick imaginable).

I always saw characters like Poison Ivy, Cheshire and a few others as being bi or even pansexual.
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Well, mostly the point I'm trying to make is that, Rene is awesome any way you slice her, she has a pretty brutal past. She lost her partner the the Question. She has love troubles and she's a female. It just screams, give me my own comic. That, and her love interest is also a superhero, so you already have a cool duet combination. There are just so many good stories you could that wouldn't have anything to do with her sexual orientation. It's like, hey, we have this great character, she is a positive female role model, she fights crime, she has her own problems to think about, she is constantly in this mental anguish state of mind that she is constantly fighting. Oh and she happens to be gay. Everything else just kind of drowns that out. The fact that she's gay wouldn't really matter, but it could still be subject of a good love story with Kate. Especially if you have another male hero (Nightwing?) hop in to create a love triangle that just gives it another emotional twist to her character.
 
Hibiki said:
Well, mostly the point I'm trying to make is that, Rene is awesome any way you slice her, she has a pretty brutal past. She lost her partner the the Question. She has love troubles and she's a female. It just screams, give me my own comic. That, and her love interest is also a superhero, so you already have a cool duet combination. There are just so many good stories you could that wouldn't have anything to do with her sexual orientation. It's like, hey, we have this great character, she is a positive female role model, she fights crime, she has her own problems to think about, she is constantly in this mental anguish state of mind that she is constantly fighting. Oh and she happens to be gay. Everything else just kind of drowns that out. The fact that she's gay wouldn't really matter, but it could still be subject of a good love story with Kate. Especially if you have another male hero (Nightwing?) hop in to create a love triangle that just gives it another emotional twist to her character.
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Sooo pass. I hate love triangles and get enough of them in the Shojo manga I read, I don't need them in my superhero comics. I had an idea for a Renee/Kate book. Basically, they relocate to NYC, Chicago, DC, wherever and start a detective agency with Vic and explore the X-File kinda stuff in the DCU, far away from Gotham and the rest of the Bats.

Hell, if you want relationship drama, have that uncomfortableness that stems from a couple getting back together, when one of the two had an addiction/infidelity (Renee filling both those), while the other one doesn't fully trust the first again.
 
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skotti-chan said:
Sooo pass. I hate love triangles and get enough of them in the Shojo manga I read, I don't need them in my superhero comics. I had an idea for a Renee/Kate book. Basically, they relocate to NYC, Chicago, DC, wherever and start a detective agency with Vic and explore the X-File kinda stuff in the DCU, far away from Gotham and the rest of the Bats.
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that would be cool. I think Kate would be more accustomed to Gotham for some reason though. Not enough is known about her too. i say bring in a mini.
 
Hibiki said:
that would be cool. I think Kate would be more accustomed to Gotham for some reason though. Not enough is known about her too. i say bring in a mini.
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TOTALLY agree
 
Dancanread said:
But i think DC or Marvel would not be the ideal place to have a headlining gay or lesbian character, simply because the US is still light years more immature and repressed about sexuality than the rest of the world.
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Is that really true? From what I've heard, the U.S. is better or at least on-level with other countries when it comes to acceptance of homosexuality (and bisexuality).

Anyway, I honestly don't care all that much. It would be nice if comics (or at least the big names) had a few more good characters that just so happened to be attracted to the same sex, but I don't really view at as a pressing issue all that much. It's the same thing as "there should be more female/black/Hispanic/Asian/etc. superheroes"... Maybe there should, but don't go and make that their main trait. Like everyone's said, it's hard to make a unique, prominent character in the first place.

But I dunno. I don't have any strong opinions on this and don't have much to add. Sorry if this post was kinda pointless. :x

Also, no comment on anything DC's done because I know nothing absolutely nothing about DC.
 
its easy to convince yourself that the US is very accepting, particularly if you're in one of the MORE accepting little corners of the states... But generally, most every other western country is better about dealing with people of other sexualities...

Of course in places like a middle east, The US is comparatively a paradise

It was only ten years ago that Matthew Shepard was beaten to death in Laramie, WY for being Gay... and just look at the Neoconservatives blather on about the subject... And of course, the Westboro Baptist Church.

But things ARE getting better and will continue to.

I personally think that a larger, more realistic presence of homosexuality in films, comics, and television will contribute to things getting better... People being exposed to likable gay characters tends to make them rethink whether or not they consider them worthwhile human beings. Sometimes even moreso than knowing a gay person, because you can't argue with a fictional character.

Or am I just speaking crazy?
 
Dr.Strangefate said:
its easy to convince yourself that the US is very accepting, particularly if you're in one of the MORE accepting little corners of the states... But generally, most every other western country is better about dealing with people of other sexualities...

Of course in places like a middle east, The US is comparatively a paradise

It was only ten years ago that Matthew Shepard was beaten to death in Laramie, WY for being Gay... and just look at the Neoconservatives blather on about the subject... And of course, the Westboro Baptist Church.

But things ARE getting better and will continue to.

I personally think that a larger, more realistic presence of homosexuality in films, comics, and television will contribute to things getting better... People being exposed to likable gay characters tends to make them rethink whether or not they consider them worthwhile human beings. Sometimes even moreso than knowing a gay person, because you can't argue with a fictional character.

Or am I just speaking crazy?
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I would think the us like the uk are very accepting of gays. It's only idiots and media that our prejudice I feel. But that seems to be because they wrote themselves in to a corner.

by that I mean take Superman , One of the first things in your mind is Lois lane. Now after decades of him been like that I think there would be an outrage If suddenly he turned around and said "Forget Lois. Me saving her all theses years was me over compensating. Secretly I want to be another notch on batman's utility belt!"

It would be the same if he started off gay and then suddenly became straight. But like you said and I mentioned in a previous post it is getting better. If it is a drama or soap they are normally normal people who are gay. If it is comic or comedy it's exaggerated.


I Still believe eventually a gay mainstream charracter will happen.
 
SSJmole said:
Yes I am kind of , Also in the live action series and other comics.
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Well...at least you're admitting to it.

People did think he might be gay. I only used him as it would be the least surprising one I could think of.
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It would still be surprising. People never actually perceived him as being gay, because that was never implied, and he's a fictional character. Some of the eccentric situations and panels Robin has been seen in would make it funny for someone who was intentionally seeking out proof of Robin's sexuality, but it has never been explicitly implied that he was homosexual. It's like saying that Archie Andrews was gay.
 
SSJmole said:
I would think the us like the uk are very accepting of gays. It's only idiots and media that our prejudice I feel. But that seems to be because they wrote themselves in to a corner.

by that I mean take Superman , One of the first things in your mind is Lois lane. Now after decades of him been like that I think there would be an outrage If suddenly he turned around and said "Forget Lois. Me saving her all theses years was me over compensating. Secretly I want to be another notch on batman's utility belt!"

It would be the same if he started off gay and then suddenly became straight. But like you said and I mentioned in a previous post it is getting better. If it is a drama or soap they are normally normal people who are gay. If it is comic or comedy it's exaggerated.


I Still believe eventually a gay mainstream charracter will happen.
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I agree with Strangefate, things are getting better but the US isn't that accepting of gays (or blacks really, who here hasn't heard someone say something along the lines of 'Obama cannot win because if he gets close someone will just assassinate him').

Gays are mistrusted, misunderstood, and out right hated around the US of A. Just listen to the people talk, look at the looks a gay couple gets on the streets while they're holding hands.

There's hate. Deep unnecessary hate.

The US is just full of good-intentioned people who ignore the facts. "We're surely not that bad." We are. There's a lot who aren't and quite a few who couldn't care who you **** (I'm in that last one), but there's far more who think they're going to hell or what they do 'just ain't right.' (not all anti-gay people are religious, it's just a simple way to justify the hate because it's not them hating it's something bigger than them that takes the blame "God said it, not me! Take it up with the bossman")
 
Gothamite said:
It would still be surprising. People never actually perceived him as being gay, because that was never implied, and he's a fictional character. Some of the eccentric situations and panels Robin has been seen in would make it funny for someone who was intentionally seeking out proof of Robin's sexuality, but it has never been explicitly implied that he was homosexual. It's like saying that Archie Andrews was gay.
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Like I said I folded on that issue. Everyone I know is convinced he is gay that's the only reason I went there besides the other things I said.

Foolsfolly said:
I agree with Strangefate, things are getting better but the US isn't that accepting of gays (or blacks really, who here hasn't heard someone say something along the lines of 'Obama cannot win because if he gets close someone will just assassinate him').

Gays are mistrusted, misunderstood, and out right hated around the US of A. Just listen to the people talk, look at the looks a gay couple gets on the streets while they're holding hands.

There's hate. Deep unnecessary hate.

The US is just full of good-intentioned people who ignore the facts. "We're surely not that bad." We are. There's a lot who aren't and quite a few who couldn't care who you **** (I'm in that last one), but there's far more who think they're going to hell or what they do 'just ain't right.' (not all anti-gay people are religious, it's just a simple way to justify the hate because it's not them hating it's something bigger than them that takes the blame "God said it, not me! Take it up with the bossman")
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Yeah , You maybe right I don't live there to judge fairly.


However I'll disagree on the blacks not been accepted as look as music. Rap and hip-hop = Dominating (I don't like but it is) , Also they made nick fury black , There is kids dressing like something from black culture.

No way implying all black people = "Gangsta" but it started off as black culture. IMO now days Black culture is more accepted than white culture. So they are very excepted.

You mentioned Bin larden , I think the Muslim/Indian/Pakistan people are not accepted due to terrorists it has become an accepted form of racism. I hate that even if I admitted before I see one and think "Terrorist" I'm not going treat them differently over it.
 
I didn't mention Bin laden, you've brought that one into this.

I have no idea what Bin laden thinks on the matter.

And about black culture, Elvis copied black culture and that was the 50s and 60s, not really good times to be black.

Culture and sexism, racism, and whatever-the-hell-ism-hating-gays-is don't always equal out.

Someone back on page one mentioned Will and Grace, that was a popular show but that doesn't stop people voting in the thousands against gay marriage (Will and Grace in my opinion showed a terrible stereotype of gays in Jack and his friends while Will and Grace always kept a bit of a sexual tension so he's really just a bit confused isn't he? (rhetorical question)).

I believe there's a lot of hate, I've seen it, heard the snickers, but I also believe we're getting better. It just takes some time and some understanding. And sadly, I also see in history periods where all that was built before is tossed aside, so one day America might be very gay-friendly...but one day they will be completely anti-gay.

But that's my cynical side typing.
 
SSJmole said:
However I'll disagree on the blacks not been accepted as look as music. Rap and hip-hop = Dominating (I don't like but it is) , Also they made nick fury black , There is kids dressing like something from black culture.

No way implying all black people = "Gangsta" but it started off as black culture. IMO now days Black culture is more accepted than white culture. So they are very excepted.
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While "black" culture is more accepted these days, it is not more accepted than "white" culture

As for gays in comics? Not much to say that hasn't been said. The trick is to not a character's sexuality be the main selling point of the character, same goes for minority characters (looking at you current Black Panther)
 
Foolsfolly said:
I didn't mention Bin laden, you've brought that one into this.
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You said "Obama cannot win because if he gets close someone will just assassinate him"


I now realise Obama = political figure in usa after I searched. I thought it was a typo on Osama. :oops: Sorry
 
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SSJmole said:
You said "Obama cannot win because if he gets close someone will just assassinate him"


I now realise Obama = political figure in usa after I searched. I thought it was a typo on Osama. :oops: Sorry
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:shock: You haven't heard of Barack Obama?
 
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