http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=226560 POP CULTURE <http://cities.expressindia.com/grfx/trans.gif> Super dyke Xena-The Warrior Princess has serious competition as Batwoman goes lesbian
<http://www.expressindia.com/about/[EMAIL PROTECTED]
om> Georgina Maddox
Many DC fans may not have heard of Batwoman, let alone know that she is
going to re-emerge as a super dyke. Bruce Wayne's relative is coming out of
the closet with a bang-at 5'10'', clad in red leather knee-high boots with
spiked heels, flowing red hair, and a form-fitting black outfit. For those
who don't know, the original Batwoman strip started in 1956 and was killed
off in 1979. The new character will share the same name as her original
alter ego, Kathy Kane.
What was DC Comics thinking when they decided to resurrect the classic comic
book character as a lesbian? In an online interview Dan DiDio, vice
president and executive editor at DC said that the idea was to give Batwoman
a different point of view. DC wanted to give her a more unique personality
in the Bat-family.
The unveiling of the new Batwoman is due to take place in July as part of an
ongoing weekly series and already, there are quite a few opinions brewing in
cyberspace and the cultural cauldron at home.
The queer community is looking forward to have a superhero fully out of the
closet. Shruti, coordinator of Humjinsi, a Mumbai-based outreach NGO for
lesbian, bi- and transsexual women in India says that the idea of having a
lesbian superhero is "really empowering for the community. If there is a
comic book featuring Batwoman as a lesbian I will surely pick it up.
Moreover, it's great to see queer people being depicted in a positive
light."
"It's pretty acceptable to have a sexy powerful woman as a lesbian, where as
Marvel's attempt to introduce gay men as super heroes failed miserably,"
says Vikram, coordinator of Gay Bombay and major comic buff. "Minor super
heroes, like North Star, are part of the larger Justice League, but there
has never been an established male gay super hero. So while Batwoman will
cater to nerdy boys and butch lesbians, gay men have to make do with the
hyper feminine boys of the YAWEE Manga genre."
An online blogger on planetout.com takes a more tongue-in-cheek approach to
the announcement. "Wouldn't ugly people as heroes be more groundbreaking?"
asks the blogger. "You know, a 200-pound woman, man with horseshoe hair loss
pattern, people with cold sores, et cetera?"
DC seems to have its plate full fielding media calls and online outrage. All
they have to say is: Judge after Batwoman is launched.
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