A Queer Character on the Justice League

by Daniel Vivacqua · 2010-05-03 10:10:00 UTC
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Justice LeagueA few weeks ago, we featured a piece about how there needs to be more queer superheroes in the comic book world. DC Comics responded (coincidence?) by announcing the launch of a Batwoman ongoing comic. And now I've come to find out that the ongoing Justice League comic will be featuring a queer male character!

I swear, the people at DC Comics love me. Or at least gay comic geeks.

Now you might not have heard of Mikaal Tomas, and neither had I until a little over a year ago. He was featured in a Justice League miniseries called Cry for Justice, but I thought it was going to be a small little story and then he would fade back into obscurity. But lo and behold James Robinson, writer of several comics (and my new hero), has decided to add Mikaal, now calling himself Starman, to the roster of the big league (forgive the pun) most important superhero team in DC Comics.

Why is this important?

For several reasons. It shows that, in a hyper-masculine dominated genre of fiction, LGBT characters are becoming accepted and mainstream. And in a fictional world of hundreds of superheroes, most of whom are "ladies' men" and hot-shots and much more popular, this obscure character was chosen to be part of a team of only seven to represent DC's biggest team book.

But more importantly, it's huge for the fans. When I was a little kid trying to figure out who I was and how to be, comic characters were, in a lot of ways, role models and moral compasses. I learned about accepting diversity from the X-Men and about respect and honor from Superman. I can't imagine how I would've been impacted if I saw a gay character in my favorite comics! And now we've got a generation of kids who are going to see this gay character as a HERO. That will affect the self-confidence of LGBT kids and the acceptance of non-LGBT kids. All in all, it's a win/win situation.

With all the strides being made in the comic book world, it's a good time to be a gay geek.

Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons

Daniel Vivacqua is a gay rights activist living in the Boston area of Massachusetts. He works at a non-profit organization dedicated to providing services to people with developmental disabilities.
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