When talking about representation of queer superheroes within movies and comic books and how, in many cases, they are very straight-washed, we have to consider how this affects the fans reading and watching these superhero pieces. Lack of representation, especially of LGBTQ+ people, is something that is a major issues within the community. While we talk about lack of queer representation in movies, TV shows, and books, we rarely mention that lack of representation in comic books and their film adaptions.
In many cases, especially in movies, LGBTQ superheroes are only represented through "subtext and allusion"[1]. An example of this is in X-Men with the use of mutation as being in the community. But when there is absolutely no representation, it almost implies that queer people cannot be heroic[2]. This lack of representation negatively impacts LGBTQ+ people, especially youth still trying to discover their identities. As Sophie Kreeger states, “Media are the primary site of production for social knowledge of LGBT identities. It is where most people, including those who will come to identify as LGBT, first see or get to know LGBT people. In other words, media circulate the social grammar, appearance, and sites of LGBT people... Since queer people learn how to make queer identities partially (or even primarily) out of the media representations of queer that they have the opportunity to encounter, the question of representation becomes vitally important”[3]. Because of that lack of representation in comics and film adaptions, LGBTQ identified people don't have something or someone to identify with, in this specific area of entertainment.
While there is some representation of LGBTQ superheroes, it is very little. Many fans and critics have expressed that the representation is not enough (because it is so small). It has also been expressed that the representation that is given, is not positive. George Gene Gustines explains how after Batgirl was introduced as being LGBT identified, she was then turned into a problematic character. He says, "Last December, the creative team of Batgirl apologized for how it revealed that a villain impersonating the heroine was male. Some readers found the depiction, and Batgirl’s reaction, transphobic. Reprints of the story have softened her dialogue" [4]. Gustines ends the article with a quote from Andrew Wheeler that states how until the more popular superheroes are in LGBTQ relationships, there will never be enough representation for the LGBTQ community. Wheeler says, "We need to get from some to enough. And really, we’ll know we’ve achieved success when Captain America can have a boyfriend, and Wonder Woman can have a girlfriend. For queer representation in superhero comics, that’s what success looks like" [5].
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- ^ "The Superhero Diversity Problem - Harvard Political Review". Harvard Political Review. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
- ^ "The Superhero Diversity Problem - Harvard Political Review". Harvard Political Review. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
- ^ "Superhero Comics". Queer Queries. Retrieved 2016-04-10.
- ^ "NY Times Covers Gay Comics: 'We've Achieved Success When Captain America Can Have a Boyfriend'". CNS News. Retrieved 2016-04-17.
- ^ Gustines, George Gene (2015-12-23). "Coming Out as Gay Superheroes". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-04-17.