I suppose one has to be of a certain age for this coming-out-of-the-closet marvel to have any meaning. But, for those of us who qualify, the news that Batwoman will be featured as an active lesbian in a forthcoming series of comic books is very titillating indeed.
However, where many are heralding this news as a seminal event in the mainstreaming of homosexuality, I see it as a shrewd marketing ploy to exploit and cater to the homogenous sexual fantasies of (predominantly male) comic-book readers. After all, I can imagine no reading material more appealing to these target readers than depictions of a crime-fighting Toon-babe like Batwoman (or Lara Croft) getting it on with pretty girls. (Although, this marketing strategy holds the promise of also stimulating interest in comic books amongst an entirely new demographic: liberated lip-stick lesbians.)
However, let me hasten to assure my Christian-fundamentalist friends that there’s no need to redeploy forces from your crusade against The DaVinci Code – to save Christianity from Batwoman. Because acting out her sexual preference will have no deleterious impact on your Faustian quest to preserve “sexual norms” in America.
Besides, if the executives at DC Comics really wanted to advance the cause of mainstreaming homosexuality, they would have finally confirmed the informed suspicions many of us harbored in our youth that Batman and Robin were partners in more ways than one. But, given that they raised holy hell themselves last summer when a New York Gallery exhibited pictures of Batman and Robin in homoerotic poses, clearly these pin heads are more interested in making money than in advancing any homosexual agenda.
All the same, you go Batwoman…
NOTE: Though patently absurd, some religious fanatics will no doubt be up in arms over this news. After all, these folks launched a holy boycott against PBS based merely on ignorant suspicions that its purple Tinky Winky Teletubby was gay.
Lesbian Batwoman
Rebecca says
OMG!!! LOL!!!
This is just hilarious Anthony.
Anonymous says
You make an interesting point about marketing this character to straight men and the growing lesbian population in America. As a gay man though, I would join the religious fanatics in boycotting DC Comics for making this cynical move instead of coming out with a gay Batman and Robin issue, which would have shown real balls.
Anonymous says
Cool? You’re a bad boy Anthony.
jennifer says
Hi Anthony
It might interest you to know that the ladies of the VIEW discussed this story today and looks like they bought the whole thing about advancing a homosexual agenda hook line and sinker. None of them mentioned the appealing to men’s fantasies or the Christian fundamentalist angle. But maybe that’s expecting too much of them on such a show.
Anonymous says
DC is soft. Marvel rules!!!!
As a big comic collector from way back I remember Batwoman (more precisely Batgirl) as a background character. No one bought Batman comics to read about Batgirl. When they attempted to market Batgirl the comic book it did poorly. Most of the pimpled faced kids I knew never bought into it.
If they would have come out and said that Wonder Woman or The Green Lantern or even Superman were gay that would have probably peeked my curiousity a lot more than Batwoman The Lesbian. It would have probably peeked the curiousity of the Christian Right too.
Noel