Okay. This is a topic that has been covered by many, but I would like to put my two cents in. And here's why. Surfing all the blog posts on CV about Alan Scott being gay in the DCnU, I've seen posts that praise it, posts that demonize it, and everywhere in between. Overall, I was appalled at the amount of ignorance I saw in the comments. So, as a member of the LGBT community, and more importantly, as a gay teenager, I would like to share with you just why this is one of the best things to come out of the DC reboot.
Growing up, I never had a gay role model. I didn't have someone to look up to, who had been through what I was going through. There were no A-list LGBT comic book heroes. Now, I have always been very self-assured in who I was, but for those who aren't, look at what they had to work with. There was Northstar, who wasn't getting near the amount of attention he is now when I was twelve and thirteen. There was Batwoman, but for a gay boy trying to discover himself, a lesbian superhero wasn't really a great inspiration. To my mind, that just reinforced the idea that it was okay to be a lesbian, but not okay to be a gay man. When Wiccan and Hulkling finally came out in Young Avengers, it was great, but it was still about troubled gay teens. Never had I seen a confident, successful gay man portrayed in comics. Then the DC reboot happened, and it was announced that Alan Scott would be recreated as the late-twenties head of GBC, as well as the leader of the Earth 2 heroes as the Green Lantern. Oh, and he would be gay.
To all of you who think that DC is doing this to just be "gayer" than Marvel, I have a question. Did you ever think about how much it would mean to all the young gay readers out there, struggling to find themselves, to open a comic book and see someone handsome and successful, who was also the leader of his world's heroes, be gay? Did you think about what kind of message that would send? I did. And the message that sends to young, confused readers is that you can be successful, and you can be a leader, whether you're gay or not. Even as someone who has been comfortably out for three years, it inspires me to see DC have a gay character lead one of its premiere super-teams. That's what Alan Scott can be to readers who are struggling with their sexuality: an inspiration, and a symbol that you can achieve anything, no matter who you are.
To all those who complain about DC altering a character with such a long history, I have several things to say. First, it's a reboot. That history doesn't exist anymore. Which means anything goes. Sorry. For all you who wish DC had just made new characters who were gay, they did. His name is Bunker. But besides that, I fully believe that to have the kind of impact that I see Alan Scott having, a character has to be iconic. Do you know how long it takes for a character to become iconic? It can take decades. Do you know when all of DC's iconic characters were created? During the 1940's. When being gay was illegal. If DC wanted a gay character who could also be a gay icon, it needed to be someone who already existed, and whose name had weight in the DC universe. I commend them for taking the risk of making Alan Scott gay, and I commend Robinson for trying to diversify the very white, very straight cast of the JSA.
To everyone who only care that Jade and Obsidian don't exist now... really? It's a reboot. They wouldn't have existed anyway because Alan is twenty something now. And by the way, gay people are perfectly capable of having kids. I know plenty of gay men and women who have kids. And Robinson has a plan for them. Don't worry, you'll get them back. Just not right away.
That's really all I have to say on the matter. I want people to know how this looks to the eyes of a gay teenager. I hope you all will read this and begin to truly appreciate how commendable Robinson's, and by extension, DC's, decision is. Hopefully you will read this and stop looking at the situation as a publicity stunt, and start seeing it as a genuine attempt to diversify the DC universe and give young, gay readers a hero to look up to.
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