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Superman is bisexual now!

[Deleted User]

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.

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[Deleted User]

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.

[Deleted User]

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.

[Deleted User]

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

[Deleted User]

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.

[Deleted User]

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.

[Deleted User]

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.

[Deleted User]

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?

[Deleted User]

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".

[Deleted User]

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.

OldGoat

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007666#Comment_118007666

I read a collection of essays and short stories many year ago in a book called "Alien Sex". One of the essays theorised about Supes having sex. If his ejaculation is involuntary as ours is then then he would blow Lois's spine out. Thus he could only have sex with another superbeing that could withstand the power of his super-orgasm.

You're welcome. :)

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118007989#Comment_118007989

Moths to flame with threads like this and my point is proven.

This is the crap you grow up putting up with and continue to have to put up with online and offline.

Why should I define “lots”? You’ve obviously got your own views anyway and I doubt you’re going to change them.

[Deleted User]

Fuckin Facebook style shyte on boards. On no that fictional character is bisexual. 🙄

How does that affect your world in anyway Dunne. Do you read superboy?

namloc1980

Woke virtue signalling. This is actually in the DC press release for this: "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." 🤣 Seemingly this new woke Superman will also be fighting against refugee deportation.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118008037#Comment_118008037

Do you read this comic. Or are you searching for something to be outraged by?

Do you want to cancel this comic now because he helps refugees and you don't like the fictional characters sexuality?

[Deleted User]

Seems Boards is gone as bad as the major social media platforms. I’m damned if I’m feeding this stuff with oxygen.

Ray Palmer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118008037#Comment_118008037

SUperman stories have long dealt with things Superman can't fix with society with all his powers. It is actually one of the main tent polls of the character from the the late 80s on wards.

namloc1980

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118008040#Comment_118008040

Why is Superman's sexuality worthy of a full press release from DC?

storker

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

@Wibbs "Looking back I can't recall any romantic/sexual stuff in the British comics of the time. Marvel was more aimed at adolescents."

No shortage of violence, though e,g, "Hook Jaw" and "Dredger". One being a great white shark with business end of a harpoon protruding from below its jaw...just in case it missed you with it's teeth, the other being basically Dirty Harry with a bad attitude. 2000AD wasn't backward in that department either. I think it was 200AD that produced "Flesh", where hunters from a future Earth suffering a meat shortage go back in time to hunt dinosaurs, with predictable mayhem. Mind you, it wasn't all just shock effect, "Charley's War" did a superb job of bringing the horrors of WW1 to life, and dispelled the idea of war being something adventurous or glorious. A noble aim, particularly given the target market

</digression>

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118008036#Comment_118008036

Oh hi Rob.

No, it doesn't really affect my world. I just thought it was worth a discussion on a discussion board regarding representation of non straight people, whether it is tokenism or if it actually benefits the people who they claim to represent and also the fact that our national broadcaster had it as front page news and whether that was warranted.

You may have noticed that if you read my previous posts on this very thread.