I am part of the LGBT community, is there a place in comics for me?


Let’s start by letting you know about me. My name is Eric, I am comic nerd, fashion designer, anime enthusiast, and a party boy. I, also, happen to be gay. Now, I don’t tell you this for you to feel bad for me or to get attention but, for you to know why this is important to me and how on a personal level, the importance of the LGBT community being included in comics

Being a minority, I have to say that acceptance hasn’t been easy for me. When I was younger, I was made fun and called a “fag”, along with other horrible things. One of my escapes from this was comics, especially X-Men because they felt like they were treated badly because they were not understood. This allowed me to feel accepted and strong, which has brought me to writing this article, to let you see how the comic book community has brought us into the light and let us shine, just like a normal superhero.

We have seen the development of the LGBT comics throughout the last couple decades and there are three examples that I would like to highlight.

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Hack/Slash

One of my personal favorite comics is Hack/Slash written by Tim Seely. For those who don’t know, Hack/Slash is about Cassie Hack and her journey killing slashers. This includes many famous ones, such as, Freddy Krueger, Jason, Michael Myers, and more. Cassie is not only a bad ass heroine, she, also, happens to be in love with a woman. She doesn’t ever really say that she is a lesbian or bi-sexual, but she fell in love with a woman who made her feel normal. This series had a great run with several side stories coming out. The development of the character throughout the series is great and it doesn’t focus on her sexuality and that is what I love about this series. Tim Seely does this awesome thing where, rather than focusing on her sexuality, he focuses on the story. It is a perfect balance and I love it. It actually was such a great experience reading this, that when I met Tim Seely, I thanked him personally for highlighting a character like Cassie Hack.

Northstar and his marriage to Kyle JinFor those of you who don’t know who Northstar is, he is a member of the X-Men but, before the X-Men, he was a main member of Alpha

northstar weddingFlight, a Canadian based super hero team. Northstar is important for two reasons. One he was one of the first, if not the first, characters to come out as being gay. This is especially important because of the time period. There were several attempts to allow him to come out but was shut down several times until 1992, when he was allowed to say “I am gay”. The issue of Alpha Flight flew off the shelf because of this revelation. Then, Northstar, made another big advancement when he proposed to his longtime boyfriend Kyle. Then, Marvel Comics, did a whole issue for the wedding and it was awesome. This milestone in comics was so important; comic book lovers of the LGBT community got married in comic book shops because of it. I have a copy of this issue in hard back and it is actually signed by Stan Lee who, I know didn’t decide or write this, but he did create the X-Men, which allowed for this momentous occasion.

 

images (8)Alysia Yeoh

This is one thing that I didn’t think would ever hit comic books, at least not for a while, but DC Comics kicked me in the face and said “We got this”. Alysia Yeoh is Barbara Gordon’s, aka Batgirl’s, roommate. During an issue, Barbara spills her life story about “The Joker” and her paralyzation (I know it’s a real word), Alysia reveals her own secret, that she is transgendered. I was so blown away by this, that I cried because, never before, has there been an openly transgendered person in comics, it has been hinted at but never fully brought out. The best part was that Barbara accepted and hugged her. It was an awesome moment and I loved every panel of it.

 

The Dark Side

Now with something new, there will always be opposition. All three of these examples, have faced much adversity because of their portrayal of this community in comics. Northstar’s marriage was protested by several groups including 1 Million Mothers, who, despite myself being a rather peaceful person, think are a bunch of twats and don’t know what mothering really is. However, with everything that is against it, there are lots of fan boys and fan girls that have supported and enjoyed this development.

The End of the Rainbow…

I think the whole point that I am trying to make is that minorities want to feel welcomed and that they belong. Comic have come a long way and there is still more to be done but I am proud to say there is a place for you if your gay, straight, bi, black, white, or anything else that you may be, you’re welcomed.

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