Green Lantern is gay

[E.J.]

At least in the latest re-boot

http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/comics-and-graphic-novels/2012/06/01/green-lantern-shines-new-light?page=0,0

And in related news:

http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/comics-and-graphic-novels/2012/06/01/million-moms-facebook-post-draws-unsolicited

[Guest Dabeagle]

Beat me to it. Green Lantern is my all time favorite super hero and I plan to hit the comic book store tomorrow! Wow, my first comic in ...15-20 years. I feel old just being able to say that!

In Brightest Day

In Blackest Night

No Evil Shall Escape My Sight

Let Those Who Worship Evil's Might

Beware My Power

Green Lantern's Light!

[blue]

Wow, that's amazing. Cool. Now kids can read about a superhero fighting for what's right, who happens to be a gay guy. I hope the straight kids reading it will like it and won't be too embarrassed or made fun of by other kids' gossip.

It's sort of funny, really. All boys grow up admiring superheroes and reading comics with images of men and women in skintight costumes showing off their muscles, hyper-idealized handsome men and beautiful women. Yet those boys understand that's not sexual, it's about being heroic, doing what's right. It is also about showing them as physically fit, examples to live up to. Comic readers do understand that. Yet those images do show those skintight costumes and good looking bodies. A boy's dawning awareness might notice they're attractive. If he's gay, he might notice the guys look good to him. And you know what? That's OK. It's as OK for the straight boys to like the beautiful girls as it is for the gay boys to like the handsome boys. (Hmm, I had to stop and retype "boys" instead of "guys," funny how that is too.)

Notice how it doesn't bother those Million Moms that their kids might see comic book superheroes in skintight costumes, but it bothers them that their kids might see gay superheroes being gay, and the Million Moms are worried that their kids will somehow, uh, suddenly be so inspired (perspired?) that they, uh, switch teams? No, Million Moms, your kids are not going to "turn gay" from seeing gay people, gay fictional characters, or superheroes in skintight costumes. Your kids will still like girls if that's how they are made, and they'll still like boys if that is how they're made.

Also, you know, this particular boy wasn't looking at those comic books and going ooh and aah over the girls or the guys. I knew it was about more than that, even by the time I was old enough to start noticing how I felt.

Those Million Moms really ought to give their sons credit for knowing their own minds and hearts. Kids will know what they think about seeing a gay couple in a comic book. If those kids see gay superheroes, or gay ordinary people, in their comics, and see gay couples, well, those kids can decide for themselves if that is OK with them.

And you know, it just might make a gay boy feel a little better about himself, and it just might make a straight boy a little more supportive of his friends if one of them is gay, a little more understanding and friendly, and a little less prone to make fun of being gay or make the life of some kid miserable. Seems like a good thing, to be a friend who'll stand up for his friends. A fine, super-heroic thing to do.

[The Pecman]

Only one of the Green Lanterns is gay, plus it's one of the guys from an alternate universe. They didn't have the guts to make the "real" Green Lantern gay.

I disliked the recent Ryan Reynolds movie, but if they make him gay in the next film, I'll definitely go see it:

[Guest Dabeagle]

I liked the GL movie, and I don't think it was a guts thing. For me, logically, the Hal Jordan character has always been written as hetero. The original, which is the reboot that the gay GL is in, was more focused on action and not sexuality. Also the original GL has a gay son, Obsidian. Naw, I think the gut check was okay on this one, without changing up the history of a character. Trust me as a fan, I hate that. Transformers movies? Hated em. Star Trek movie? Hated it. Fanboys always get screwed, but this was a good way to handle it imo.