Gay Characters

[beetleblack]

assuming you aren't instantly shuttled off to Limbo before the fundies catch wind of you.

I seem to remember reading the letters page of - I think - Sandman quite a few years back and someone from a fundementalist group (love the the term 'fundies' btw!) had written in saying how shocked they were that there were gay characters in the book and that they would never buy another comic-book from DC/Vertigo again and they were urging all their members to do the same. In the next few issues there were various letters commenting on this initial letter stating that they felt it was strange that someone with such views would even be buying Sandman to start with!

At the end of the day, the main problem is not that the readership of comic-books are homophobic but that society as a whole is and contains groups with such negative ideas on homosexuality (who are able to get their voices and 'concerns' heard) that is it hard to have gay characters in not only comic-books, but also TV shows, movies etc.

[Nalyd Psycho]

Of course in a world with hit shows like Will & Grace and Queer Eye, I'd imagine it's harder for those groups to have a strong voice. But it may mean they'll lash out at a medium like comics where they can still have a voice.

[HappyCanuck]

... that there were gay characters in the book and that they would never buy another comic-book from DC/Vertigo again and they were urging all their members to do the same...

Ever read the responce letters to AF 106?? (iss 110) Same scenario. Funny tho, even tho the editors tried to argue, in a politically correct way, that they weren't doing anything wrong - ie: weren't PROMOTING homosexuality, but displaying it since it IS part of our society - they still displayed possitive to negative letters in a ratio of 2:3 (roughly)... Not sure if that was the basis of the mail they got, or some sort of subtle way of saying that they DON'T condone it. But' I'm paranoid, so I always read more into things than is actually meant...

[ladymako71]

hmmm? as a slash writer and bi myself I think that portrayal is about equal to the complete lack of. For me at any rate. Most of my gay characters that I do write are not screaming obvious and have lives outside of being 'the token gay'...which is what I saw Chuck Austin do with Northstar pretty much.

Also considering how hell bent Bush is on 'protecting the sanctity of marriage' I doubt you'll see comic books rocking the boat to much until attitudes change...but then I also live in Gayville USA...aka San Francisco. You should have seen the lines around the block of same sex couples waiting to get into city hall and peacefully protest all this silly anti-gay nonsense.

p.s. if he wins a second term I'm migrating to the great white north...

[Northstars Love]

IMO they haven't been portrayed enough. Northie, a gay character, and out for over ten years, as far as I know hasn't yet had a boyfriend. Could be the reason he has such a bad attitude. Sexually frustrated I would imagine. And why hasn't he had a boyfriend? Probably most likely alienating the male fan base. Sure not all guys are homophobic but to them a superhero is a pro-macho type image and that there can be no "gay" idea in a superhero at all.

Ok, enough rant. Love the Canadian elfin hero. *points to siggy*

[bigbloo]

Though Northstar hasnt had a publicly acknowledged boyfriend, i know of at least two peopl who may have been his lovers. One is Raymonde Belmonde, the other is that blonde guy who was swimming in his pool the day Aurora called him.

Oh wait, didnt he have some guy in his mini series too?

[syvalois]

I don't have a problem with Northstar not having a boyfriend, because he do not seem like the kind of guy that would open up very easily. Lovers, yes, but to have a boyfriend, Jp would have to open is sheild(or whatever expression is appropriate here) an let someone in is life. Even if he as open up more to others mostly AF members, I still think he do keep his deepest feeling to himself. It's easier for him to be cold and mean than loving.

And even with lovers, I don't see him going around proudly showing is conquest of the day. No, I just see him very quiet, very pivate in is love life.

If northstar fall in love and have a boyfriend, I just see him hiding him for a long time, and the first person that would know about his boyfriend would be Aurora of course, and from there, I guess he would open up a little to others and show is boyfriend.

I don't know why, but I see Northstar as someone that thinks loving someone is almost a weakness. He already been hurt so bad, he do not want people to see him weak and if he lost that love, that can make him weak.

[SwiftFox]

Though Northstar hasnt had a publicly acknowledged boyfriend, i know of at least two peopl who may have been his lovers. One is Raymonde Belmonde

I dunno mayhap he was, mayhap he wasn't. I tend to side with those who say that would make Ray practically a pedophile. I think he helped Jean-Paul discover who he was, and was a strong gay role model and showed him it was okay to be who he was. But I don't think they were lovers. But that's just my opinion. (Although you should be aware that by mutual agreement of all nations on Earth, my opinion is accepted as correct at all times :P)

[beetleblack]

When I read the issues regarding Raymonde I never even considered that he was gay or JP's lover or anything like that!

[syvalois]

can we agree to call him Ray? or Raymond? May I remind everyone that raymonde is a woman name's and that's kind of instulting to gay man to have a woman's name

[kozzi24]

By nature of his powers, wouldn't he get bored with one person, a la the guy in the limited series?

I just see him hiding him for a long time, and the first person that would know about his boyfriend would be Aurora of course,

Maybe not. Jeanne-Marie is not approving of his "lifestyle". I would think that her going to bat for him in the limited has put Heather high on the short list of people he truly considers friends, and he would probably open up to her first.

[syvalois]

That's why I said Aurora and not Jeanne-Marie

[beetleblack]

I suppose if that Nurse Annie bird's still hanging around with the X-Men he might tell her first? I think they should have a teacher/pupil romance with JP and one of the students at the school - now THAT would probably rock the US! (Marvel of course would not allow it, apparently Austen wanted to make Iceman gay but TPTB wouldn't let him - or at least that's the rumour I recently read.)

[kozzi24]

For once the powers that be were right. Iceman has aggressively pursued women and struggled to hold on to too many girlfriends for that to make the least bit of sense. Darkstar, Polaris, that horrendous Opal chica, to name a few. I really don't remember off the top of my head, but didn't Iceman have a strange reaction to Cloud's change in the later issues of Defenders?
If one of the original X-Men could be, it would be Hank McCoy...always the most equal-friendship, we're not messing around with Jean, and the only memorable galpals were Vera and Trish Tilby. Refined tastes....

[kozzi24]

That's why I said Aurora and not Jeanne-Marie

but what one personality knows, the other also generally knows. He has historically been cut off from her for that reason. Personally, I don't think his remark in v1#8 about his assumption that Aurora romanced her way to safety was unwarranted. Northstar's got problems with a lot of people, but I think the problems with the dynamics in his relationship with his sister was Aurora/J-M