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Superheroes Can’t Save Us From Villainous Trump. But DC Comics Just Might.
After decades of attempting to thwart Superman with high tech gadgets and Machiavellian master plans, arch villain Lex Luthor’s most successful gambit against his Kryptonian nemesis was getting elected president of the United States.
Coincidently, the exact week DC Comics resuscitated Young Justice, a series about super powered Millennial proteges to the Justice League, for an unexpected 3rd season, is the same week our country elected its own super villain as most powerful man in the world. Fortunately, the DC multiverse boasts several homocentric heroes ready to fight the good fight, whereas, we have, well, Peter Thiel.
At a moment in our nation’s history when we need a healthy dose of optimism or 100, here are some of the best LGBTQ moments from DC Comics…
1. Super Gayby
One of the sexiest cast members of Young Justice is the angst ridden Connor Kent aka Superboy. This brooding powerhouse is the result of one of Luthor’s more maniacal machinations. In the quest to create his own Kryptonian, the bald baddie mingled Superman’s alien DNA with his own human DNA, resulting in this Super-clone. So, technically Superboy is the gay love child of Superman and Luthor.
2. She Lassos Both Ways
Earlier this year, DC Comics announced that long time super heroine Wonder Woman will now be portrayed as openly bisexual. For a character that originated from ancient Greece, the choice to make the Amazon queer is culturally justifiable. She was raised in the hyper-feminist civilization of Themyscira, which was basically the island of Lesbos. This is a big win for queer comic book culture. Wonder Woman isn’t some second banana in the background. She’s one of DC’s “Big Three,” standing shoulder to shoulder with Superman and Batman. And, as a founding member of the Justice League, the bi heroine contributes some much needed diversity in that predominantly white straight boys club.
3. The Green and The Gay
While on reality series The Real World, comic scribe Judd Winnick formed a deep bond with his roommate, the late AIDS activist Pedro Zamora. Their friendship was chronicled in the graphic novel Pedro and Me, but Zamora’s influence on Winnick permeated the super hero genre as well. While writing for Green Lantern in 2002, Winnick introduced Terry Berg, the openly gay best friend of series’ titular hero Kyle Rainer. Berg was most notable for being the first out character to be featured in a mainstream comic book story arc, earning Winnick a GLAAD award. But, it wasn’t all rainbows and glitter. The storyline culminated with Berg getting brutally gay bashed. At a time where hate crimes are on the rise, this story is more relevant than ever.
4. Put A Ring On It 
The Green Lantern titles continue to prominently feature queer characters. When DC Comics rebooted its entire multiverse in 2011, the Golden Age era Lantern, Alan Scott, was reintroduced as an openly gay man who was about to propose to his boyfriend Sam. Unfortunately, Sam was killed during an alien invasion, and the engagement ring Scott bought for him was fused with otherworldly energy, transforming him into the new Emerald Knight. And just in time, because at this point in our nation’s history, we need as many gay heroes as we can get.
5. They Call Her Fish For a Reason
DC’s queer friendly stances expand into its television series as well. Most prominently, Gotham consistently presents characters from every integer on the Kinsey Scale across its three seasons. Most memorable was when Jada Pinkett’s Fish Mooney taught her nubile young female protege the art of seduction. Fish is quite the hands on teacher.
6. Super Sapphic
Supergirl is taking girl power to a new level. The new season features the Last Daughter of Krypton’s adopted sister Alex Danvers as she explores her sexual orientation after sparking a friendship with openly lesbian police woman Maggie Sawyer. And the good news, Alex, if your relationship turns sexual, Mags already has a pair of handcuffs.
7. Bottoms Up
Apollo and Midnighter began as a satirical take on the Batman and Superman dynamic, if they were gay lovers. Over the decades, this comic book couple evolved beyond parody into fully developed characters in their own right, and reign as the only openly gay headliners of a mainstream comic currently in print. Many fans were surprised by a recent issue that depicted Midnighter, the badass Bat-analogue of the pair, bottoming for his solar powered life partner, citing the character’s aggressive machismo.
Lets be clear, Midnighter isn’t a bottom despite his masculinity; he’s a bottom because of his masculinity.
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