What Does It Take For Straight Readers To Accept That A Character Is Gay, Lesbian or Bisexual?

[MasterOfMagnetism]

I'm seriously asking and I want straight people to respond in a polite, serious manner. After Iceman being outed and now people arguing over whether or not Hercules, a character from ancient Greek myth, or Storm is bisexual or not it has me seriously wondering this question; what does it take for straight people to accept that a character is gay, lesbian or bisexual?

Various gay, lesbian and bisexual characters have been outed, or hinted at, in various ways over the years and some people seem to deny certain subtext or methods of outing. So what kind of method does it take for people to accept that a character is anything other than heterosexual?

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[MasterOfMagnetism]

I did not create this thread to troll people or to anger people. I'm a gay Marvel fan and I legitimately want to know what straight readers think has to happen for a character to be accepted as gay, lesbian or bisexual.

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[MouserGrey]

In real life I tend not to speculate on the subject and need to be hit with a sledgehammer for me to even notice if some woman is interested in me. So I guess I need more than simple innuendo. Ultimately I don't really care.

[Mark Thorson]

I guess if it makes sense for the character. I mean, it would seem kind of weird to me if Peter Parker was suddenly gay, just as an example. I dunno. I don't really put much thought into it. I'm more interested in if the writing is good than anything else.

[LOSTie-chan]

I think if a character outright states their sexuality then it's 100%. Besides that, bedding or kissing a same sex character can prove it as well.

A Creator saying ____ is gay would usually be concrete evidence but with comics it's not since dozens of people can be writing for the same character over time, each with their own interpretation of said character.

I think that's why the sexuality of a Marvel comic book character is such a touchy subject because we're talking about characters that belong to a company and not to their writer/creator.

[The_Greatest_Username]

I think a writers intent is one of the more important factors. Not just any writer though, they have to have done meaningful work with the character.
Other than that, showing them having sexual interaction with the same sex is the easiest indicator.

[ZNOP]

Well, I'll say this... Another fan telling me that <insert character here> is gay, lesbian and or bisexual because "all the signs are/were there" without providing concrete proof simply isn't gonna cut it...

This is proof!



This is not!

[MrHashasheen]

Speaking as a religious, straight comic book reader?

It depends on how it's done, who it's done to and why it's done. Iceman's outing was so convoluted and cringe to me that any reasonable argument on the grounds of prior hints and innuendos and whatever just wouldn't get through. I didn't care about Iceman's sexuality prior, but it came off as so ham-fisted that I felt I was breaking halal just reading it.

In contrast to that, Avengers Academy did a very good outing with one Brandon Sharpe (despite a slight misstep I felt regarding the abuse component), that it came in with the character not missing a beat. There were returns to Brandon's personal life again a couple times in later issues, and it never stood out as awkward or wrong or anything else. In part, this was the excellent debut and presentation of a gay character, one that I enjoyed during the course of AA.

As well, I think that to me, as a younger reader (I've been very much on-off, not really staying abreast of info or events or whatever), that it really doesn't feel genuine when they take out a personal ad or they do a big reveal on a tv show or online podcast for some of these decisions. While we do live in a world where sexuality is constantly a topic of conversation and rights for sexual minorities is always up for discussion, it just feels like the companies are coming in going "Hey look at us! Aren't we so progressive? Yay us!" before shelving whichever character gets the rebrand as soon as sales drops.

Isn't it more progressive to just make the change, make the change well, and not make a fuss about it? They're gay. They're straight. They're bi. Whatever they are, they are. What's the need for self-promotion and self-congratulation, when the story impact hasn't even been seen yet? When we've a history of it rarely panning out and always been played with (see Batwoman wedding controversy).

*shrugs*

That's just my bottom line, I guess.

[Kurolegacy]

Well, I'll say this... Another fan telling me that <insert character here> is gay, lesbian and or bisexual because "all the signs are/were there" without providing concrete proof simply isn't gonna cut it...

Same here. If a character has been written as nothing but straight since conception and then suddenly I'm told "x was gay all along" out of the blue, I'm gonna need some support, especially if someone's trying to say the signs were always there.

[tsaimelemoni]

Honestly, if it's demonstrated in some way (meaningful physical action, the character mentioning it), I'm good. Same criteria for a hetero character honestly. Obvs this imo, I won't speak for others.

[ZNOP]

Same here. If a character has been written as nothing but straight since conception and then suddenly I'm told "x was gay all along" out of the blue, I'm gonna need some support, especially if someone's trying to say the signs were always there.

I added pics to clarify my point.

[JudicatorPrime]

In real life I've known people that pretended to be straight publicly, because they were too afraid, or just too private, to come out openly. Naturally, whenever someone tells me that they're gay, I believe them. If a writer presents to me a character and says that he or she is now openly gay, I accept it. It's that simple.

[idisestablish]

In real life I've known people that pretended to be straight publicly, because they were too afraid, or just too private, to come out openly. Naturally, whenever someone tells me that they're gay, I believe them. If a writer presents to me a character and says that he or she is now openly gay, I accept it. It's that simple.

I agree. To me, discovering that someone I had previously believed to be straight is actually gay is not an alien concept. I have seen it happen many times, even with individuals who seemed to have genuine relationships with the opposite sex, married someone of the opposite sex, or had children. It doesn't necessarily mean they're bi. It's a sad fact that the world we live in often leads people to suppress their natural desires to conform to the expectations of others. I can understand this is a hard thing for a straight person to wrap their heads around since they may not be able to imagine a reverse scenario where they would "force themselves to be gay," but you might be surprised what a fear of being hated and rejected by those you care most for, not to mention society at large, will make you capable of. That's not to say that Iceman, for example, may not have had a deep affection for Polaris, been jealous of her affection for Havok, and been genuinely sad when she rejected him, but those facts do not necessarily mean he was sexually attracted to her. Again, it's probably difficult for a straight person to understand because they don't live in a world where they are encouraged or expected to form committed relationships with people they're not sexually attracted to, but attraction is not a prerequisite for these types of feelings.

[Tiamatty]

A character stating it obviously works. Beyond that, I'd say history counts for a lot. There needs to be a history of the character showing interest in the same sex. To use Psylocke as an example, I'm not comfortable counting her as bisexual, despite having had a relationship with a woman, because one instance does not make a pattern. She could just as likely be Straight With An Exception. If she kisses with another woman, then I'd consider her bisexual, because that would set a trend.


That said, Mystique and Psylocke having an affair in the new UXM would be awesome for confirming both characters as being unquestionably bisexual.

[Kieran_Frost]

I assume str8 readers who have no problem with homosexuality accept it; as they would any other reveal (of origins, or powers, or childhood). Those that don't... just won't. No amount of good storytelling, allusions or focus will change that. All we can hope is, in time, their views change and they become more accepting