This is a static copy of In the Rose Garden, which existed as the center of the western Utena fandom for years. Enjoy. :)

#1 | Back to Top02-21-2009 12:28:24 PM

Anthiena
Egghead
From: ...the space between your ears
Registered: 10-21-2006
Posts: 1108

Homosexuality/Bisexuality in American animation/comics?

Anime has entire genres dedicated to yaoi/yuri, but what about American animation?

Unfortunately, I highly doubt there are many... but they do exist. For example: Lexington of Gargoyles who has been confirmed to be in a gay relationship in the future by the creator, Greg Wiseman. The trouble this poses is that it's only shown in the limited run of the comic... and only hinted at. Gah. (Technically, he is bisexual).

I find that most times, gay/lesbian characters tend to be relegated to the backround in American animation when they exist period. (Fanfiction unluckily doesn't count). They are few and far between and can be outright stereotypes at times.

A very hidden example would be two extremely minor characters in Danny Phantom. Miss. Tetslaff, a walking butch-stereotype lesbian and Bertrand, an older, swishy man voiced in a manner associated with gay men. He even does the wave. I didn't think a green creature could do swish; I was apparently wrong. Neither have been confirmed, but their depictions fit with homosexuality, even if it's a stereotype.


...but would anyone else know of gay/bisexual characters in American animation?

Last edited by Anthiena (02-21-2009 12:29:18 PM)


I stopped seeking to be sought after. That wasn't being true to myself.
I want to become someone who can exercise power. I want to become a prince. - Ikuni

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#2 | Back to Top02-21-2009 12:48:57 PM

dollface
Postmistress Elf of Subtext
From: North Carolina
Registered: 11-17-2006
Posts: 5086
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Re: Homosexuality/Bisexuality in American animation/comics?

I always thought that there was something amiss with Him from The Powerpuff Girls.


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#3 | Back to Top02-21-2009 12:56:35 PM

Anthiena
Egghead
From: ...the space between your ears
Registered: 10-21-2006
Posts: 1108

Re: Homosexuality/Bisexuality in American animation/comics?

I forgot about Him... he's at least a cross dresser if not flat out gay. Interesting how the animators got away with it...


I stopped seeking to be sought after. That wasn't being true to myself.
I want to become someone who can exercise power. I want to become a prince. - Ikuni

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#4 | Back to Top02-21-2009 01:13:55 PM

Tamago
God of Comedy
From: Minami Goushuu
Registered: 10-17-2006
Posts: 14280
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Re: Homosexuality/Bisexuality in American animation/comics?

I suspect that despite all the politically correct rhetoric about gay and lesbian tolerance, there seems to be an unwritten laws which more or less suggest that openly gay/bi characters in cartoons would lead kids 'down the wrong path' and all that sort of bollocks you expect to hear from moral guardians ands thats why you're not likely to see too many starring gay/bi characters in cartoons anytime soon.

But then again, I never expected to see a black US president in my lifetime either.

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#5 | Back to Top02-21-2009 01:14:03 PM

Stormcrow
Magical Flying Moron
From: Los Angeles
Registered: 04-24-2007
Posts: 5971
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Re: Homosexuality/Bisexuality in American animation/comics?

If you're adding comics, there are more examples. Colossus in the Marvel Ultimates imprint for one. There are more, but I just woke up.


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#6 | Back to Top02-21-2009 01:27:13 PM

Tamago
God of Comedy
From: Minami Goushuu
Registered: 10-17-2006
Posts: 14280
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Re: Homosexuality/Bisexuality in American animation/comics?

Unlike cartoons, comics should be a different story as comis haven't really been a popular kids medium since the 1970-80s.

In fact. the average age of a comic reader these days is about 25yo.

Sure there are still a few kids comics about (Mostly seen in newsagents and some supermarkets but you go in a comic store and the chances are the kids section is relegated to one little corner while the other 95% of the comics are aimed at readers 15 years and up.

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#7 | Back to Top02-21-2009 03:46:32 PM

Adrasteia
Memorial Hollerer
From: Newfoundland, Canada
Registered: 11-15-2007
Posts: 694
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Re: Homosexuality/Bisexuality in American animation/comics?

Enigma is a one-shot Vertigo trade paperback about a gay superhero.

Neil Gaiman has numerous mentions of homosexuality in The Sandman comics, and he deals with it in a very positive way.

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#8 | Back to Top02-21-2009 03:47:20 PM

Adrasteia
Memorial Hollerer
From: Newfoundland, Canada
Registered: 11-15-2007
Posts: 694
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Re: Homosexuality/Bisexuality in American animation/comics?

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#9 | Back to Top02-21-2009 03:54:51 PM

Ragnarok
Caption Captor
From: Canada
Registered: 10-20-2006
Posts: 4472
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Re: Homosexuality/Bisexuality in American animation/comics?

As I wrote the following I realized I haven't really watched any children's programming in about a decade, so this is likely a dated perception:

Cartoons specifically aimed at children are, I would say, "not supposed to" deal with sex at all. As sexual preference is within that realm, it'd be quite difficult to slip that kind of diversity in. Even heterosexual displays stop at a kiss (usually a single kiss for the whole relationship at that.) If the characters are children themselves, or generally below marrying age, the show can pretend they haven't sexually matured and any affection they have for others is a somewhat platonic puppylove. Even when the characters themselves would have to be biologically mature, just being in a child's show will stunt their emotional maturity.

I agree with Tamago that comics are an entirely different medium, for example you can't find (as a random example) a teenaged boy being graphically eaten by an anthropomorphic alligator on daytime television. (And yet, even though the same comic could feature an openly gay former police detective, full frontal nudity would still not be acceptable.)

So the exception is when comics and cartoons overlap. Batman - The Animated Series had a lot of fun pushing the boundries on what could be shown in an afternoon cartoon show. There were a number of implications that Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy had a physical relationship, making them bisexual at least. This continued on in the rest of the DC Animated Universe, in Superman the character Maggie Sawyer (who is openly gay in the comics) is shown with her female partner while in the hospital, although nothing is stated out loud. By the time the DCAU had moved on to Justice League (and even more so Justice League Unlimited) they were really pushing the envelope though they still refrained from using words such as lesbian. "I hear she's... you know... Brazilian." At the same time, anyone who was, say, eight years old while watching the original Batman TAS series would have been twenty-two by the end of JLU...


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#10 | Back to Top02-21-2009 04:08:06 PM

Lightice
Azure Paleontologist
From: Finland
Registered: 10-21-2006
Posts: 1255

Re: Homosexuality/Bisexuality in American animation/comics?

See the HoYay page in the TV Tropes archives for all sorts of homosexual subtext in popular fiction, real or imagined by the fans.


Hei! Aa-Shanta 'Nygh!

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#11 | Back to Top02-21-2009 04:26:07 PM

Nilamarthiel
The Icon Icon
From: Northern Michigan
Registered: 02-05-2007
Posts: 3972
Website

Re: Homosexuality/Bisexuality in American animation/comics?

The Authority is a lovely comic book with the main characters Midnighter and Apollo [an offshoot of Batman and Superman, respectively] as a married gay couple, with many pansexual/bisexual characters. What's nice is that they aren't stereotypical, which makes me very, very happy.

Of course, we all know about Batwoman, who was/is in a relationship with the new Question, Renee Montoya in the DC Universe.

Jason Todd is arguably bisexual, but has not been confirmed by DC. [But he probably is, so I'm going to go with that.]

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#12 | Back to Top02-21-2009 06:10:54 PM

Raven Nightshade
Someday Shiner
From: Louisiana
Registered: 12-17-2006
Posts: 2925

Re: Homosexuality/Bisexuality in American animation/comics?


Sometimes I wonder if I'm ever gonna make it home again.
It's so far and out of sight.
I really need someone to talk to and nobody else
Knows how to comfort me tonight.

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#13 | Back to Top02-21-2009 06:21:59 PM

Adrasteia
Memorial Hollerer
From: Newfoundland, Canada
Registered: 11-15-2007
Posts: 694
Website

Re: Homosexuality/Bisexuality in American animation/comics?

Raven Nightshade wrote:

Same site, next page: http://www.gayleague.com/gay/characters/index.php

...are you trying to steal my thunder? Because that isn't cool. emot-mad

Also, it seems to me that there are more LGBT webcomics around than actual published comics. I made a list of a few notable ones last year, so I'll look and see if I can find it.

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#14 | Back to Top02-21-2009 07:27:47 PM

Raven Nightshade
Someday Shiner
From: Louisiana
Registered: 12-17-2006
Posts: 2925

Re: Homosexuality/Bisexuality in American animation/comics?

Adrasteia wrote:

Raven Nightshade wrote:

Same site, next page: http://www.gayleague.com/gay/characters/index.php

...are you trying to steal my thunder? Because that isn't cool. emot-mad

No, not on purpose, I swear.


Sometimes I wonder if I'm ever gonna make it home again.
It's so far and out of sight.
I really need someone to talk to and nobody else
Knows how to comfort me tonight.

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#15 | Back to Top02-21-2009 07:50:10 PM

Alithea
Dark Whisperer
From: Westminster, CO
Registered: 10-16-2006
Posts: 1152
Website

Re: Homosexuality/Bisexuality in American animation/comics?

I can't think of any in animation that aren't mere speculation...but as for comics I'd like to add that Renee Montoya (who is the new Question), and Kate Kane (Batwoman) are lesbians.


"The only reason to write is to write for love. Write for passion. If you have the privilege of being able to write, then don't do it for any other reason." - Stephen Sondheim

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#16 | Back to Top02-21-2009 08:10:34 PM

Ragnarok
Caption Captor
From: Canada
Registered: 10-20-2006
Posts: 4472
Website

Re: Homosexuality/Bisexuality in American animation/comics?

Oh yes, I forgot to add that Northstar is gay and he... shows up once or twice in the background during the run of the 90's X-men cartoon.

Comics have lots of homosexual characters (some of whom haven't even been killed off yet!) but they also have, you know, talking Nazi dinosaurs. It's an entirely different category.


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#17 | Back to Top02-21-2009 08:11:20 PM

Adrasteia
Memorial Hollerer
From: Newfoundland, Canada
Registered: 11-15-2007
Posts: 694
Website

Re: Homosexuality/Bisexuality in American animation/comics?

Raven Nightshade wrote:

Adrasteia wrote:

Raven Nightshade wrote:

Same site, next page: http://www.gayleague.com/gay/characters/index.php

...are you trying to steal my thunder? Because that isn't cool. emot-mad

No, not on purpose, I swear.

I'm just kidding around. I'm not sure my thunder is worth stealing. emot-tongue

Also, this might just be stating the obvious, but doesn't it seem extremely, extremely usual that a sexually repressive culture like Japan's contains more homosexual themes in their pop literature than America's? I've always wondered about this, and can only come to the conclusion that, when people are taught to conserve their sexuality in the public eye, they explode with sexuality when given the opportunity to express themselves.

Last edited by Adrasteia (02-21-2009 08:12:42 PM)

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#18 | Back to Top02-21-2009 10:06:14 PM

Decrescent Daytripper
Best Disney Princess
Registered: 04-09-2007
Posts: 2791

Re: Homosexuality/Bisexuality in American animation/comics?

Outside of corporate comics, gay and/or bi characters aren't really that rare.  In corporate comics, as long as it's hint, don't show you can have things like Misty Knight outing herself as bi (and having slept with everyone in the room) or the recent Mary Marvel (possessed by creepy New God of Sadism) is hot for Supergirl bit in Final Crisis.  How horrible is it that in Runaways (and its various sequels, miniseries, et al), that Karolina first is condemned only to ever flirt (though, flirt hard, she does) and then she hooks up with a Skrull who argues that ze has no real gender, blahblah, and then stays a male all the damn time?  Hint, by all means.  Tell, if you have to.  For cry-eye don't show don't show!

Warren Ellis has been pretty good in the corporate sandbox for diversifying and allowing demonstratably gay and bi characters, and even simply potentials.  Apollo and Midnighter, as already mentioned, though most of their initial black ops team were probably gay (and at least one other, definitely so), but he used a Marvel Comics series to sideways-out The Wasp and have characters discuss how cool it would be if Captain America were gay ("and it would explain why there's always someone dressed as him at pride parades").

I think the lack of range, numbers vs percentage, between American comics and Japanese may have more to do with the larger market in general, in Japan.  American comics, luckily, escaped the necessity of having homosexuality end in tragedy (we kept it to film and prose narratives emot-rolleyes), but in exchange, American comics never got the recognition - because comics don't in general - when and where they do deal with the topic(s).  This is primarily a press issue.  American journalism still likes Biff! Pow! headlines, to the detriment of Pedro & Me or The Invisibles, and marketing would prefer to keep a focus tight on sexy gals in Sin City than well-hung fellas and their mourning [male] lovers.

The Enigma is hugely gay/bi/genderfucked as a narrative can get (and brilliant, to boot), but in a culture that even turns Ghostworld into the story of how young impressionable girls get hot for old creepy geeks?  Never gonna have a chance.

Last edited by Decrescent Daytripper (02-22-2009 08:02:08 PM)


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#19 | Back to Top02-22-2009 03:35:09 AM

Shinolala2
Forum's Favorite Mommy
From: U.S.A.
Registered: 12-04-2008
Posts: 431
Website

Re: Homosexuality/Bisexuality in American animation/comics?

ok is batman and robin gay together?


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#20 | Back to Top02-22-2009 02:17:13 PM

Ragnarok
Caption Captor
From: Canada
Registered: 10-20-2006
Posts: 4472
Website

Re: Homosexuality/Bisexuality in American animation/comics?

Which Robin? Two of them were female, making that difficult.


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#21 | Back to Top02-22-2009 02:48:44 PM

Nilamarthiel
The Icon Icon
From: Northern Michigan
Registered: 02-05-2007
Posts: 3972
Website

Re: Homosexuality/Bisexuality in American animation/comics?

None of the Robins were "gay with Batman" in canon. That's all speculation. There have been insinuations about Jason Todd, but otherwise, no dice.

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#22 | Back to Top02-22-2009 03:48:52 PM

Soukougnan
Black Rosarian
From: The Land of Heat and Traffic
Registered: 01-02-2009
Posts: 377
Website

Re: Homosexuality/Bisexuality in American animation/comics?

posting solely because this thread is wonderful.


hm. i'm... here again? catch me in the discord-- im fairybull

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#23 | Back to Top02-22-2009 08:01:24 PM

Decrescent Daytripper
Best Disney Princess
Registered: 04-09-2007
Posts: 2791

Re: Homosexuality/Bisexuality in American animation/comics?

I might as well be the wet blanket that points out the catch in the Robin/Batman thing is more to do with it being pedophiliac than homosexual.

And I might as well  plug that Detective Comics will be running over a year of Batwoman stories soon.  Yes, the gay Jewish Batwoman, Kate Kane.


My Brain is the Wakaba and Shiori Funtime Hour. With limited commercial interruption.

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#24 | Back to Top02-22-2009 11:16:30 PM

Epee_724
Polar Prince
From: Come find me
Registered: 12-01-2008
Posts: 1813

Re: Homosexuality/Bisexuality in American animation/comics?

There have been insinuations that Jinx from the Teen Titans is bisexual, having a fling with Panthra before she died.


Whatever you find worthwhile in life, is worth fighting for!

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#25 | Back to Top02-23-2009 10:17:25 AM

Shinolala2
Forum's Favorite Mommy
From: U.S.A.
Registered: 12-04-2008
Posts: 431
Website

Re: Homosexuality/Bisexuality in American animation/comics?

Ragnarok wrote:

Which Robin? Two of them were female, making that difficult.

WHAT?!! okay robin had a brother, a mom and a dad. so how would there be 2females?


if you have any rgu art request please do ask!
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