first openly gay superhero?

... and it's not Batman & Robin?

With the help of Jeff Dunham


-
Tom Polanski

Northstar in Marvel.

Hero Cruz in DC.

Tom beat me to the Northstar comment.  He was the first openly homosexual American comic book super hero sometime back in the early 90's.  Even before his creater was able to officially claim him as being gay due to company/comics code rules, he implied it in his writing as early as the 80's.  Really ground breaking series of Marvel issues when it first was addressed, if I recall. 

Aren't there a pair of teen boy superheroes who are also gay?  1 is like  asuper-strong tank while the other is a magic-using weather person?

Anyway... I forgot about Northstar.  However, I was never a big x-men/mutant-themed reader.

Well, I guess Batwoman is the first non-mutant lesbian superhero?

Aren't there a pair of teen boy superheroes who are also gay?  1 is like  asuper-strong tank while the other is a magic-using weather person?

Anyway... I forgot about Northstar.  However, I was never a big x-men/mutant-themed reader.

Well, I guess Batwoman is the first non-mutant lesbian superhero?

Yeah, here they are

www.quicktimeflix.net/agd/

Hulkling and Wiccan from Young Avengers. It's weird, because during the whole Decimation and House of M, these two were Scarlet Witch and Vision's kids.

If you want to read some very well done story for Northstar coming out, check out the Eve of Destruction arc (X-Men Vol 2 112+)

Apollo and Midnighter of the authority  are, I believe, the first and only openly gay and married superhero couple.

Hulkling and Wiccan from Young Avengers. It's weird, because during the whole Decimation and House of M, these two were Scarlet Witch and Vision's kids.

If you want to read some very well done story for Northstar coming out, check out the Eve of Destruction arc (X-Men Vol 2 112+)

Hulkling is not related to Scarlet witch. He's half skrull and half Kree . 

Hulkling and Wiccan from Young Avengers. It's weird, because during the whole Decimation and House of M, these two were Scarlet Witch and Vision's kids.

If you want to read some very well done story for Northstar coming out, check out the Eve of Destruction arc (X-Men Vol 2 112+)

Hulkling is not related to Scarlet witch. He's half skrull and half Kree . 

He's the reincarnation(Wrong word) of one of the kids. Even has the same first name. When the reality went back to 'normal' it correcteditself.

Apollo and Midnighter of the authority  are, I believe, the first and only openly gay and married superhero couple.

Apollo and Midnighter came out in The Authority #7 in 2000. Northstar has them beat by a few years. [openly revealed sexuality (Alpha Flight #106, 1992)]; Also, I think we can agree that the whole Mystique/Destiny thing could be contribed since the two are life partners.

marvel.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Gay_Characters

Was going to mention the whole Mystique/Destiny thing too as well.  In fact, they would have been before Northstar I think if Marval had decided to go along with it.

Its all cause the guy in charge of marvel at the time had a rule against gay characters in the marvel universe.  Northstar, Mystique/Destiny, and i believe someone else as well apparantly would have all been much earlier if the writers had been allowed to do so.

The Comic Book Code had some very interesting interpretations as to decency standards, especially in the 70's, with Howard the Duck and Green Arrow bridging the sublime to the ridiculous.  The Powers that Were told Marvel that it was unacceptable for Howard, a duck, to visit the apartment of his GF, Beverly, as the latter was wearing a nightgown and Howard was not (ever) wearing pants.  Stan Lee agreed to change the illustrations if the board would put in writing exactly why they objected and what they thought was going on.  With Green Arrow, the objection was to his ward, becoming addicted to heroin.  With such small minds at work, there should not be any wonder that the bigger, broader issue of homosexuality should be stomped on by the censors.  In the former case the book received the approval stamp with no changes and in the latter, there was actually an issue that did not receive the stamp of approvalk, which means it does not appear on the cover.  Not certain of the issue.

NorthStar was 1991, but much earlier was Element lad of the Legion of Superheroes in DC. It was alluded to early on, but when Geffin did the book in the late 80's, It was revealed that Schvahn Erin of the Science Police was actually taking a gender switching drug to be with him, and Jan (Element Lad) admitted he would have liked Schvahn better male - he went back to Sean.

Also, Lightning Lord and Raxxas, both Villains.

Pyro and Avalanche - marvel villains

I'm pretty sure the Green Lantern/Greeen Arrow issue is 89

I do believe currently Colossus and Northstar are gay together in Ultimate X-Men as well. Along with Sunfire and Spider-Woman in Exiles.

Other alluded to gay comic book heros

Toad-soooo had the hots for Magneto
Lightspeed of Power Pack-Rainbows flew out her ass...literally
Falcon-loves blonde hair and blue eyes
Doctor Druid-nuff said

So, in some of the recently current comics, we have more gay characters.  However, this is only recently.

I'll be honest and say that I always thought Bugs Bunny was gay.  He dressed in drag a lot... kissed Porky and Elmer a ton of times... and always was munching on something phallic. 

"Sometimes a cigar is only a cigar."
Sigmund Freud

Its the "openly" part that throws me.  Stompa from Kirby's early 70s Forever People seemed to fit the bill, but was not open.

So, in some of the recently current comics, we have more gay characters.  However, this is only recently.

I'll be honest and say that I always thought Bugs Bunny was gay.  He dressed in drag a lot... kissed Porky and Elmer a ton of times... and always was munching on something phallic. 

That's just crossdressing for comedy of that era.

Charlie, care to elaborate?

I think Paul was pulling your/our leg(s), Tom.

Elaborate on Stompa.  Her name tells you what her special ability was.  Now I must pull out the issues and reread them (its been about a decade, but work, work ,work....