Up . . . Up . . . . and a Gay

Straight Guy,

Did you read this article on gay comic book fans that ran in the New York Times last week? It shows gay and lesbian comic books fans who are channeling their identification with Super Heroes and other comics characters into a way of expressing themselves and their sexual identities.

There's Skin Tight USA, a club party in New York where guys come garbed in costumes that range "from the familiar (like Spider-Man) to ones that only a comics geek would recognize (like the 1993 version of Superboy)." As the article points out, "it wasn’t that long ago that the [comic book] environment was less than welcoming for those who wanted to make the two seemingly disparate worlds [gay and comics fans] one."

Why the fascination with comics? The beautifully expressed nut of the story: "In interviews with several gay fans, the reasons given for gravitating toward comics were as varied as the heroes' costumes: everything from escapism to 'hot men in tights' to embodying the X-Men's message, 'seeking acceptance from a world that hates and fears them purely for who they are.'"

I never caught the comic book bug, but I sure did pick up a tingly vibe from watching Batman on TV. I was pre-sexual, but even as a tot I could tell that there was something hidden going on at the Bat Cave . . . and it wasn't just the entrance. Batman and Robin both were hot. Then again, so was Cat Woman . . . both Eartha Kitt and Julie Newmar. The capes, the tights, the latex! Phew!


--Gay Guy