[ Article ] "Gays In Comics: From Northstar to Shatterstar" by Laura Hudson
Laura Hudson wrote an article about gay characters in comics @ comicsalliance.com, following the release of the last issue of X-Factor.
Extract featuring Hulkling and Wiccan under the cut:
"Young Avengers" characters Hulking and Wiccan were not only revealed as a gay couple in 2005, they were created by openly gay comics and television writer Allan Heinberg ("The O.C.," "Grey's Anatomy"). Although Hulkling was originally pitched as a female shapeshifter who posed as a man, Heinberg later approached his editor about portraying him as a gay man instead, and in a sign of the changing times got the go ahead.
Unlike another shapeshifting Marvel character, Xavin, who often shifted into a female form for his lesbian girlfriend Karolina, Heinberg said that "it's actually meaningful to me that someone like Hulkling -- who has the ability to change shape, to hide, to appear 'normal' -- doesn't. He simply is who he is."
Although some readers complained about the relationship, many others wrote in support, including one fan who said, "Five years ago I could have been that 16-year-old 'Young Avengers' reader who says, 'Wow, these kids are my age, they're openly gay, and they're being accepted. Maybe I don't need to commit suicide.'"
( full article here )
ETA: adding a second extract from Homosexuals in Comics: Comics of the 2000s and Beyond to make sure no-one misses it.
Even while they were limited in number, comics with gay characters continued to generate controversy. This occurred in the pages of Young Avengers, a 2005 series focusing of teenage superheroes.
During a battle in the first issue, two male characters Billy (codename Asgardian, later changed to Wiccan) and Teddy (codename Hulkling), talked with each other. Some readers who noticed this panel assumed the two characters were flirting with each other and the letters pages of Young Avengers immediately erupted into controversy. The first reader to notice a relationship wrote in asking, "did I see some flirt action between [Hulkling] and Asgardian? If so ... that'd be friggin' cool! One of the things that turns me away from titles is I'm tired of seeing heterosexual relationships all the time." In response to this, author Allan Heinberg wrote: "I couldn't agree with you more about the need for more positive (or at least more diverse and accurate) representations of gays and lesbians in the mainstream media .... Young Avengers will definitely explore the kids' identities - sexual and otherwise - in some (hopefully) surprising ways."
Heinberg's comment opened the floodgates. Letters filled the next six issues debating whether Billy and Teddy were gay and the ramifications if they were. Similar to the reaction to Pied Piper from 1991 or to Northstar in 1992, many of these letters discussed the relationship between comic books and American culture. One letter published in the third issue addressed this point. "I'm not some anti-gay bigot," a fan named James Meeley began. "I have no problem with people being who they are or living how they choose. But I do think a super hero comic is not the platform for exploring 'sexual identities', especially for characters that are teenagers .... Sexuality issues were never needed in the past to make super hero comics interesting. I don't think they need it now to be so, either." Another letter in the same issue defended the use of sexuality. "It would be really interesting to see a gay relationship between two teenagers in a mainstream comic. If something like that existed when I was 15 (only 6 years ago), it would have helped me understand my sexuality a lot sooner and made me more comfortable with myself."
In response to James Meeley's letter saying that sexuality had no place in comic books, the entire letters page in issue four was filled with fans decrying this stance and stating that comics did have a role for exploring society and culture. One writer, Rick, discussed the interaction between comic books and culture in great detail:
"Personally, I don't care if Asgardian and Hulkling are gay or not, but if they are, I cannot disagree more with James Meeley. Why should comics not be 'an outlet for changing society's view or forcing sensitive issues to be discussed among the readership'? To accept his argument that comics should entertain in a way that does not raise contentious issues is to accept the argument that the medium is, and should remain, a child's medium .... I believe it's possible to address potentially incendiary issues without ramming any given message down readers' throats or becoming didactic. It's important to treat the readership with respect ... or you run the risk, by playing it 'safe', of aiming only for the most simplistic and inoffensive storylines. Life is complex and nuanced. Why should fiction be any less so? Comics are no less valid a medium than books or movies. When I pick up a comic book, I do want to be entertained - to be sucked into that fictional world - but I'm also happy to have my preconceptions challenged."
Other letter writers in this same issue expressed similar remarks. One wrote: "Isn't the purpose of art to reflect society and/or to inspire it? I happen to think comic books are, in fact, art and should do both." Another fan commented: "Five years ago I could have been that 16-year-old Young Avengers reader who says, 'Wow, these kids are my age, they're openly gay, and they're being accepted. Maybe I don't need to commit suicide.'" Significantly, all this controversy began over a single image that fueled reader speculation. Nothing was written about either Billy or Teddy's sexuality through the first five issues. Due to the overwhelming reader response author Allan Heinberg quickly realized the secret was out and confirmed both characters' homosexuality in issue seven. Under pressure from Captain America the Young Avengers team members decided to tell their parents they were superheroes. When Billy told his parents, however, they misinterpreted his words. "It's okay, honey." Billy's mother explained. "We know. We've always known. And what you have to know is, we love you. We're proud of you ... and we're just so happy you boys found each other."
( full article here )