Gay DC Character to Bring Comics Out of the Closet

Okay, the soon-to-be introduced Gay DC character is certainly not the first homosexual comic book character, but the introduction is notable nonetheless.

The gay DC character’s details were in part revealed over the weekend, at the Kapow Comic Convention in London. According to DC Comics co-publisher Dan DiDio, a previously announced (and previously straight) superhero will be coming out of the closet in an unspecified upcoming edition, and detailed some of what fans can expect when meeting the new gay DC character.

According to comic blog BleedingCool.com, DC Comics has gone on record in the past saying that no sexuality changes should be expected for existing characters in DC universes. Comic fans asked why DC characters have changed in other fundamental ways, such as race, and of the recent change, DC VP Bob Wayne indicated that much like the President, DC’s stance on gay characters has “evolved.”

Not even a year ago, DiDio reflected the brand’s previous position in an interview about an upcoming gay DC character in The Advocate. At the time, he explained:

“One of the things we’re very focused on doing for these types of stories is rather than [change an existing] character, we want to make sure that this is the basis of who that character is right from the start.

“So if we’re going to introduce a gay character in Teen Titans, we want to make it a new character and make sure that is an iatrical part of who he is, or who she is, right from the start so we can really lean and grow with her or him.”

The gay DC character is not the only same-sex superhero or comic icon to tackle homosexuality on comic book pages in recent years- Archie Comics introduced a gay character in 2010, and there was a gay wedding in Riverdale in 2011.