Superman is bisexual now!

https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2021/1012/1253134-superman-comes-out-as-bisexual-in-new-comic/

Brave new direction apparently.

I dunno who this is aimed at, but it seems like a desperate attempt to pander to the alphabet community. Most people I know who happen not to be straight are embarrassed by such tokenism.

Are there people out there that now feel empowered that a male superhero fancies men?

*and before the ususal "oh you are triggered" brigade come in, I'm not "triggered" at all. I just don't see why its newsworthy.

minikin

If it’s not newsworthy what makes it thread-worthy?

Sonics2k

1/ It's Jon Kent, not Clark. Before people start jumping into panic mode about changing characters.

2/ Who gives a ****.

3/ Who cares if a character is Bi.

4/ If you don't see it as newsworthy, why post a thread about it?

timmyntc

Behold post-modernism where nothing is or isnt. Where you should take existing truths and distort them and then give a big cheer about how brave you are for doing it.

Who cares if you genderswap characters in direct contravention of the original authors story? Who cares about the original authors at all anymore? Its all about doing something brave and different and who cares how many people's works you trample on to get your stunning and brave piece out.

Sonics2k

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007626#Comment_118007626

Props on not reading the article at all. Well done.

The strangest preference in comics is Judge Dredd’s apparent asexuality.

Penn

Superboy is Bi, and Tim Drake (one of the Robins) also recently came out as bi.

Which means we could end up with a future where the new Superman and Batman f*ck each other.

Personally I can't wait. I'd read that.

Sheep Shagger

Another example of RTE going down the trash route, aren't there enough websites that do that already?

Dee and her cronies really need to understand what public service broadcasting really is, a hint, it isn't this.

pjohnson

Maybe calm down and READ the article.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007626#Comment_118007626

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058212721/superman-is-bisexual-now

Embarrassing.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007616#Comment_118007616

The fact that RTE have it on it's home page was worth a conversation I thought.

Lots of people are bisexual, yet they’re represented almost nowhere and when they were it was often negative, tragic or highly judgmental. The same applies to the entirety of the LGBTQ+ percentage of the human population.

It’s because of the feckin curtain twitching attitudes like the ones that start threads like these that loads of people are still hiding in the shadows.

It’s not the 1950s or the 1990s for that matter and it’s long overdue. You are going to see more LGBTQ+ themes because it’s no longer a taboo to write them. That’s how they’re broken and it’s a sign of things moving on.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007647#Comment_118007647

I agree. It is embarrassing that RTE have it on their home page.

El Tarangu

Superman is an alien from the planet Krypton, so knocking boots with Lois Lane was already inter-galactic bestiality, so ploughing human lads as well does not seem like that much of a big step.

pjohnson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007660#Comment_118007660

No its the lack of ability an "adult" has to read past a headline.

But you and the usuals will be upset so thats a clickbait win for RTE.

Peregrinus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058212721/superman-is-bisexual-now

If you know people who are embarrassed by the storylines in superhero comic books, maybe it's time to look for some new friends? Like, grown-ups?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007658#Comment_118007658

Really? You think it's long overdue that superheroes are bisexual and you think it is breaking taboos?

Do you really think that non-straight people are under represented in entertainment or media?

pjohnson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007668#Comment_118007668

Or just stop looking at things that upset you.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007668#Comment_118007668

I think you misunderstood what I was saying. They are embarrassed by articles describing a character being bisexual as a brave new direction.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007667#Comment_118007667

I'm not upset. I thought it was worth a conversation. I may have been wrong. It seems that you and your usuals are already resorting to claiming people are upset.

Yes. Have a look across all of media sometime. They’re only beginning to be represented in anything like a normal or positive way in the last very short period of time.

It’s not very long ago a gay kiss (often not much more than a peck on the cheek) on a soap opera rocked various nations.

It’s also not very long ago that gay characters were an object of extreme stereotyping and/or mockery in media representation.

Beechwoodspark

simply put - More woke rubbish

pjohnson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007688#Comment_118007688

Well you didnt have time to read the actual article so you seemed upset in your haste to post it.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007626#Comment_118007626

Couldn't give a hoot about comic book characters, but I am not sure that is a meaningful characterization of postmodernism. As gestures go, it's more along the lines of Nietzschean transvaluation of values, or some quantum-based metaphysics or some Heraclitean hand-waving. Applied properly, postmodernism provides the tools that enable you to deconstruct. Posdtmodernism is complete bollox and entirely unecessary of course, since modernism, properly applied, already possesses the ability to critique, deconstruct, and improve itself, ultimately revealing postmodernism to be nothing more than modernist ratiocentric criticality dressed up as a novel insight.

tl;dr I don't think this story has anything to do with philosophy at all and if it does, I am not sure that postmodernism is the hero/villain of the piece.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007694#Comment_118007694

I'm surprised to hear that. I wouldn't have thought that there was underrepresentation at all.

I agree, not too long ago there certainly was few accurate representations and I remember the scandal of the lesbian kiss on Brookside.

Thankfully, we are miles apart from that now and a whole generation of people have not had to grow up in a society like that.

Barna77

As long as they write a sex scene with Henry Cavill and another man in a future Superman movie, fine with me.

Then he can go back to Lois Lane (if he wants to)

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007706#Comment_118007706

What part of the article do you think I have not read?

Feisar

I don't care where he drops a load but this crap is not on:

DC Comics said that following a scene where Superman "mentally and physically burns out from trying to save everyone that he can", Jay is "there to care for the Man of Steel".

Whatever about mentally but physically burning out!?!? He's fuppin' Superman, not averageman.

Conall Cernach

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007636#Comment_118007636

Dredd was genetically engineered, raised and indoctrinated from birth into being the living embodiment of the Law. Justice Department forbids judges developing personal relationships and expels them. Having seen the fates of Galen DeMarco, Blanche Tatum, his own brother Rico etc. it is hardly any wonder he remains "Old Stoney Face."

Zaph

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007642#Comment_118007642

Well I first saw the story on the BBC news website, so it seems that other public service broadcasters deem it newsworthy too. There are lots of stories that appear on the RTE and BBC news websites that don't interest me or that I don't deem particularly newsworthy, but they probably are to someone. In this case the bi community are getting to see themselves represented in a major popular culture medium, so I'm sure from their point of view this is a newsworthy event. You can always do what I do if I see a story that I've no interest in, I skip to the next one that does interest me. It's certainly not something to get all worked up over on a site like this.

Wanderer78

how can we be sure its a he?

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007714#Comment_118007714

that a comic portraying a character as bisexual is front page news would suggest we have a long way to go.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007714#Comment_118007714

A whole generation of people are still growing up in an era where plenty of unpleasant and nasty crap happens to LGBTQ+ people for just existing at all. This have and are improving, but they far from ideal for a lot of people.

It’s great to be able to speak about something you’ve clearly never lived or experienced and telling us what we are experiencing.

It’s still risking the odd bit of verbal abuse here if you walk down the street hand in hand. People still constantly self censor basically and don’t feel that comfortable about just being, because of stuff like that.

You've also got a growing and aggressive homophobic far right here who are a tiny but very loud online vocal minority in Ireland. The issue more so is they are linked to much larger global movements that aren’t quite as fringe.

Put it this way, I can’t even comfortably or safely travel to every EU country, as some of them have things like anti LGBT zones. Imagine if they had I don’t know say anti Irish zones or racist zones. I mean yeah we hand wring and cut a bit of funding, but sure that’s all we do.

That’s life for me - bubbles of safety and places you have to hide or never go.

But sure, get upset about some superhero comic character’s representation as being bi…

I suppose we got the auld marriage equality so that’s good enough for us, yeah?? Seems to be the attitude that I keep encountering.

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007714#Comment_118007714

Comics are different though, because for the most part they retain the same characters over a long period of time, while periodically introducing new characters (as opposed to film/TV which have completely different levels of change). As such, it's more rare to have LGBT characters because most of the characters sexuality has been long-established. There are LGBT characters here and there (Batwoman, Iceman), but historically they've been fairly few and far between. There'd be uproar if they suddenly revealed Iron Man is bi for example, because he's been around for so long and it's never been part of his identity or story before.

So comics are taking a few opportunities to use newer, younger characters (most of them introduced in the last 10-20 years rather than long-established characters) to increase LGBT characters in the medium.

Some people like your abundance of LGBT friends may see it as tokenism, woke nonsense, unnecessary, embarrassing etc. They're entitled to their opinion of course. Many others are happy with the increased representation and visibility, and the general reception to these things have usually been well-received by the majority. They're also entitled to their opinion.

This is a non-issue. Yes, news sites etc are pushing articles about it, but that doesn't mean it's something which requires some huge discussion questioning the decision. Sometimes, things like this are just "Hey, this happened" and everyone can move on with their day.

But it's fairly ridiculous to complain about a news site running an article about it, and then spend your time making a thread about it and responding to pretty much every post and devolving the conversation into rabbitholes such as "Well what about Dave Chappelle's latest special?!!"

If you don't think it's an issue, move on with your day.

osarusan

Hahaha, I saw this on my social media feed, and knew somebody would start a thread about it in AH, it was just a question of who.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007781#Comment_118007781

lol. Good point. Superthey

whisky_galore

Of course he is.

Couldn't give a shiny shyte about it.

PokeHerKing

The lads been running around in tights for years. Colour me shocked.

pjohnson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007808#Comment_118007808

Was it really any question who it would be?

Penn

It should also be pointed out that part of the reason news sites run articles about things like this is because they know it'll engage some people in a negative way rather than in an informative way, who will then retweet or share or start threads about the article, thereby pushing it to other people and increasing views/shares of it, thereby also increasing their own ad revenue on the site.

So part of the reason why RTE make articles like this is completely exemplified by the existence of this thread.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007804#Comment_118007804

I'll have to bow to your superior knowledge of comics. I honestly don't know too much about them to be honest.

And again, I agree, my circle of friends aren't representative of the gay community as a whole. I just found it worthy of a conversation.

The only reason I brought up the Chapelle special was because of someone saying that if you don't like it, don't read it. That is a very good point and one I broadly agree with. But only if it is an attitude which extends to things you also don't like and don't call for opposing opinions to be silenced when it suits.

Again, I thought it was worth a conversation and seeing some opinions that parts of the community are seen as underrepresented in media and entertainment is eye opening to me.

But unfortunately, a lot of people see opening a thread like this as bigoted.

Ray Palmer

Well It isn't Superman but his son. Nothing really that shocking

What I do find more strange is Legend of Tomorrow where so many characters are gay or bi and then travel in time and we find out all these people in the past were also gay/bi. Their sexuality is treated as some kind of super power like James Bond seducing every women. It is insulting to everyone of all sexualities by suggesting the just need to meet the right person to change your sexual preference. So they aren't treating it like sexuality is personal

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007784#Comment_118007784

Thats my point. I am genuinely surprised by this and thats why I thought it was worth talking about.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007869#Comment_118007869

Oooh.

Now please indulge me.

What do you mean by that? What are you trying to infer?

At least have the courage of your convictions and say what you mean rather than throwing around sly remarks.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007873#Comment_118007873

That is, again, a good point.

Wibbs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007636#Comment_118007636

Not really, at least in the beginning anyway, these were stories and a product aimed almost exclusively at children, young boys in particular. A demographic that prefer fairly simple tales of obvious baddie goodie stuff with extra comic violence and think "eeuu girls smell". 😁 Dredd plugged into that and was one of the reasons he became so popular. As a child of the 70's I was of that age where Star Wars and Dredd etc hit. Star Wars itself was asexual, with only a sterile lips closed kiss between Luke and the princess(which given she was rewritten as his sister was a good thing 😮😁). Looking back I can't recall any romantic/sexual stuff in the British comics of the time. Marvel was more aimed at adolescents. Me and most of my friends weren't so pushed on the American stuff at the time and by the time adolescence hit we'd largely outgrown comics anyway. But even there any of that was pretty mild. Ok Superman had Lois Lane, Spiderman had [I can't remember], but it was very much outside the bedroom innocent stuff. Batman had Robin, but that was a bit odd even at the time and pre Batman going all moody, post modern and angst ridden it was the camp played for laughs TV series that we would have been more familiar with.

These days comics are far more aimed at adolescent and adult readers and the stories are more adolescent and adult because of that. But back then it wasn't and talk of Judge Dredd's sexuality would have been like wondering about Desperate Dan's marriage arrangements.

EmmetSpiceland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007912#Comment_118007912

He’s not “inferring” anything. You are. He is implying.

Back on topic, who cares about a comic book character’s sexual preference? It’s not like they’ll be showing them getting up to much. They are for kids after all.

bokale

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058212721/superman-is-bisexual-now

They put it up because it triggers people. And then the triggered people share the link and generate clicks.

Often they don't even read the articles so they don't even need something newsworthy, just something with a triggering headline.

pjohnson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007912#Comment_118007912

You are by far the most vocal person on this site regarding anything Trans or Bi by a considerable margin.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007965#Comment_118007965

I agree with the trans issue. I'm very vocal about that. Sometimes to a fault.

But with regards to sexuality, I dont think that's accurate. Are you under the impression that I have an issue with anyone's sexuality?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007893#Comment_118007893

Pretty sure that the time they killed Batman in the comics, it was front page news everywhere. In terms of the decision to make Clark Kent's son bi, there's no reason it shouldn't happen and the fact you're making a huge deal over the fact news sites are reporting it is pretty silly. And unfortunately there is a history of people being outraged by comics doing something different even via new characters. Examples include the response to the introduction of Miles Morales as Spiderman or Jane Foster becoming Thor. In retrospect, these decisions were great in terms of new plot direction.

It's just all just hypervigilant outrage jockeys looking to complain about "woke".

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007951#Comment_118007951

I’m sure that’s also true for early Superman and Batman strips, but they chose to give those characters sex lives later on, but not Dredd.