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[BuddyC]

If you aren't familiar with my "gay Superman" idea, well, here you go..

Honestly, imagine a good writer tackling a Superman miniseries where the hero deals with, and possibly acts upon, feelings of attraction for another male. Perhaps it's a nobody, perhaps it's another hero. Obviously, this would take place within an 'Elseworlds.'

There are a lot of possibilities here, but the real problem would be balancing the relationship with the plot - if it's too over-the-top, the series would be immediately rejected...but if it's too subtle the entire thing would be seen as a gimmick.

If DC can make a Superman OGN where Supes was essentially a fictional character in the writer's autobiography, well, why can't someone do this?

I posted this on Byrne's forum here and got the following response from John Byrne himself:

..why can't he be gay?

***********

You seem to be laboring under a misapprehension,
here. Altho the term "lifestyle choice" is tossed about
with, er, gay abandon, being a homosexual is not, in
fact, a choice. It is genetic, like having blue
eyes, or being Black, or having a harelip. It is not
something the individual can control.

Fighting for the Confederacy, or being a Communist
were (and are) actual choices.

Hm. For those interested in more, there's an ongoing discussion at the above link. I just thought it was neat that I got a response (and acknowledgement of my idea) from someone in the industry. Plus, and more importantly, he brings up a very very good point.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

being a communist isn't genetic?

 

[Mercury Fred]

Intersting. I assume you know, but just in case you don't, Byrne is the creator of Northstar and subtely worked that character's gayness into the 80s run of Alpha Flight.

 

[bjork]

Man, John Bryne, you use commas, like, a lot, you know,,,.

 

[belgurdo]

Faster than a speeding bullet...damn

 

[Fusebox]

I'm no doc but here's my take.

Genetics doesnt automatically make us 'gay' or 'not gay' - there are many other options in between. I'd say I'm mostly 'not gay' with a twist of 'gay' - that'd explain my consistently brilliant fashion sense.

Genetics may determine homosexuality, but it has little to do with hot, musky, man/man-sex.

You see Superman can CHOOSE to be a Communist, in just the same way that Superman can CHOOSE to experiment with man/man-sex.. AND, in fact, if Superman DOES choose to experiment with buttsex, well I'm not gonna be the one to try and stop him.

 

[Escape Goat]

you can't choose to have attraction to somoene. You can choose to act on the attraction and have "buttsecks". You're gay or you're straight. You don't choose anything at any time.

 

[nomoment]

Buddy, I'm surprised Byrne hasn't flamed you for referring to Superman as "Supes."

 

[Fusebox]

you can't choose to have attraction to somoene. You can choose to act on the attraction and have "buttsecks". You're gay or you're straight. You don't choose anything at any time.

You dont need 'attraction' for sex; the term gay-curious exists for a reason.

Anyway, "Thuperman" just doesnt have the same ring to it.

 

[Jim Bowie]

Good reporting BuddyC. You've gained a level in research skills.

 

[ohamsie]

Would Superman go after Jimmy Olsen, rather than Lois Lane, if he were in fact gay?

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

Well, it's not as if the comics industry shies away from completely rewriting past histories. A genetic tweak oughtta be no thang.

 

[bjork]

Would Superman go after Jimmy Olsen, rather than Lois Lane, if he were in fact gay?

Lex Luthor, so he can polish his head.

 

[White Man]

Lex Luthor would dip his bald head in oil and rub it all over Superman's body.

Anyway, I think genetics does have a lot to do with it. I'm 23 and I barely look like I'm past puberty. Genetic homosexuality is a form of immaturity in biological, genetic, mental, whatever sense. That being said, environmental factors definitely come into play.

But yeah, using genetics as the singular excuse not to do a gay Supes story? That's real world logic, not comic book logic. Just like, invent pink kryptonite that make his wrists go limp and bring out his trannie tendencies. Shit, just let me write the damned book.

 

[aoi tsuki]

You dont need 'attraction' for sex; the term gay-curious exists for a reason.

Anyway, "Thuperman" just doesnt have the same ring to it.

What exactly is gay-curiousity? Is it exclusive to sex or just the gay lifestyle in general? This is the second time i've seen it on this forum and i still don't know exactly what it means.

 

[White Man]

I believe he likely means "bi-curious," which means a typically straight man has been harboring thoughts of having some sort of sexual encounter with another man. I've heard people educated in the appropriate fields say that everyone has a bisexual moment in their life. Most homosexuals, however, will say that they've known they were gay since a young age.

 

[aoi tsuki]

Yeah, i'm familiar with "bi-curious". Never heard "gay-curious" until Neo GAF.

 

[Zaptruder]

The idea that genetics is the all determining factor in homosexuality is an erroneous one.

Certainly genetics does have a large contributing factor towards homosexuality... but it's not something innate like ones skin color or ones eye color.

If anything it's more like a genetic defect... like schizophrenia; people with a schizophrenic relation have a much higher chance of been diagnosed as schizophrenic in their lifetime... with the chances reaching a staggering 46% for both parents been schizo and 47%* for an identical twin been schizo... So obviously while genes have a large determining factor in homosexuality... the things that may trigger it may or maynot arguably lie within ones control... although IMO, a person only has a little control over their sexual orientation; which perhaps chance encounters happenings (that branch out ... like a butterfly effect) accounting for a large chance of homosexuality.

But even then... unlike schizophrenia... where no body would choose to be one; people with low predispositions to homosexuality may and indeed probably have still chosen it as a lifestyle choice.

It's not within the scope of this argument to argue whether or not homosexuality can be considered a 'defect' like schizophrenia; but general popular social and scientific concensus has long since stopped treating it as some sort of mental disorder.

So in actual fact, Superman can be homosexual; if he so chose...

BUT... given that it's creators and property managers have no intention of saying that he is homosexually predisposed... genetically speaking... and that the character himself is a paragon of oldworld virtues... it's highly unlikely... probably approaching impossible, that he would through his 'own choice' engage in homosexuality.

*those percentages only indicate diagnosably schizophrenic cases. The reality is more perhaps a spectrum of schizophrenic severity; with people falling under the diagnosable threshold perhaps exhibiting milder schizophrenic symptoms for short periods in their life.