QUICKIES 05/21/2012
By DC Comics plans to reveal that a major established character is gay, according to Dan DiDio, DC’s co-publisher. If nothing else, the backlash from the people who brought you “Rue is black?! Unacceptable!” should be entertaining.
Check out these awesome portraits of US Hunger Games Olympic athletes. The featured image is Jennifer Nichols of the US Archery team. Oooh, we got a badass up in here!
Guidelines for preventing and managing sexual assault in prisons have been updated to include specific guidelines for LGBTI prisoners. According to the Obama Administration, “The standards require training in effective and professional communication with LGBTI and gender nonconforming inmates and require the screening process to consider whether the inmate is, or is perceived to be, LGBTI or gender nonconforming. “
They really missed an opportunity with the gay Batwoman by making her openly gay. What a perfect opportunity for superheroes to explore the life of a closeted gay person. You’ve got the reserved everyman just trying to fit in who transforms into a fabulous superbeing in a flamboyant costume. C’mon, it practically writes itself! It’s been suggested that Superman and some other older characters were born out of the experiences of second generation Jewish Americans struggling with identity issues. The secret identity has to be the greatest literary device ever invented for expressing the conflict between fitting in and being yourself, between living a comfortable life or a remarkable one, and between the desire to be left alone and in peace versus the obligation to speak out and be heard. Here’s hoping they get it right this time.
(I’m skeptical of the value of making it an established character. There is a risk that it will end up being like Dr. Light and rape. Poorly established, lame background character has little to offer as far as defining features go, and then he goes and rapes somebody and all of a sudden he’s Rapey McRaperson. That’s fine for a villain but I’d hate to see some third tier superhero nobody has heard of become The Fabulous Gayman just because he’s never had much in the way of interesting defining features, and now he never will.)
link for the athlete portraits?
Fixed