The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log

The BBC and other mainstream media are taking notice of the return of Kath Kane and her Batwoman persona later this year in Detective Comics; sadly, as with her last big appearances (in the likes of 52), the mainstream media again appears to be obsessed with her sexuality and the fact that she is a lesbian. During her last major DC appearances the media (from the red-top tabloids to CNN) all latched on to this and it seemed to provoke as much controversy and outrage as it did expressions of pleasure and support and, lo and behold, it seems to be doing so once more.

(Batwoman in 52, art by JG Jones, (c) DC Comics)

And I find it all a little depressing – no, not that Batwoman is returning or that Kath will be open about her sexual preferences, I have absolutely no problem with that. What I do find depressing is that its 2009 and a person’s sexual identity – even a fictional person’s – should be such a large area of discussion (at least the BBC was professional about it, I dread to think what the more exploitative tabloids are saying, especially given her tight costume and typically exaggerated superperson’s physique). It comes just a few days after much world media discussion of the fact that Icleand’s new Prime Minister, Johanna Sigurdardottir, is openly gay (although apparently the pragmatic Icelanders are less interested in that than what her new government will do to help their country). We’re all equal and it really shouldn’t matter, its what a person (again a fictional comics character or a real world politician) does that should be of import. The fact that gender preference in a comics character is still such a huge deal (and for some less enlightened folks a matter of outrage even) makes me think we’ve still got a long way to go until we move from saying we’re all equal regardless of colour, nationality, ethnicity, religion or sexuality, abilities or disabilities and actually, really embracing that concept (perhaps a goal beyond our human prejudices but still one worth trying for). I mean we don’t usually spend column inches discussing the fact a character is – gasp – straight. Maybe Greg Rucka summed it up best:

“Yes, she’s a lesbian. She’s also a redhead. It is an element of her character. It is not her character. If people are going to have problems with it, that’s their issue. That’s certainly not mine.”

There you go, that’s just a part of her, not her whole being, now move along… Of course, there is also a deeply cynical part of me wondering if this carbon copy meedja rerun of their reaction to a lesbian Batwoman a couple of years ago was anticipated and perhaps even hoped for since it generates an awful lot of coverage… Or am I just being too cynical there? And then again, some LGBT groups have been delighted to see a high profile character who also happens to be a lesbian, so maybe I don’t know what I’m talking about…