"Holy Muffdiving Batman, Batwoman's Gay, Too!"

(originally published May 31, 2006)


Maybe it's just me but I always thought Batman and Robin were a gay couple. I mean c'mon, Bruce Wayne is a filthy rich white man who keeps a penniless young man named Robin as his ward. They live in this humongous mansion taken care of by a male butler named Alfred. Toogether they don tight latex suits and fight crime all night every night and you never see either one of them with women. Seems like business as usual in boystown to me.

Now comes word that Batwoman has been resurrected (she was killed off in 1979) as a rich dyke who loves the ladies. But she has typical lesbian issues. She apparently still hasn't come out to her parents yet. But I'm sure her brother knows, if she has one. Boy that's a bummer. Imagine running thru the mansion changing all the photos and artwork after finding out mommy and daddy are coming over for a chat. Still with a big house it is easier to stash the girlfriend and to hide the fact that the two of 'em are sleeping in the same bed.

It's all part of an effort by DC Comics to diversify the comic book universe which has been lilly white and straight for almost all of it's existence. Oh, there have been black superheroes with names like Black Panther or Storm of X-men fame. But they were marginalized just like in real life sometimes. Except for Storm, she's kicking ass on the big screen in X-men III in case you haven't seen it yet. Please go, it's worth the price of the ticket. In addition to Batwoman, DC Comics is also adding Latinos to the line up.

According to a story in the New York Daily News, some comic book geeks who inhabit the internet are grumbling about Batwoman's change in sexuality, as if they could get with her when she was straight. I think being a lesbian makes her a more interesting wet dream. Don't straight guys love dreaming about women together anyway? Now they have the possibility of seeing their fantasy in color.

Now if we can just get Wonder Woman to kick open that closet door. Man what a power couple that would be.

Casting my vote for WW...

Cincinnati: Home to Many Fruits and a Whole Lot of Nuts

Cincinnati, The Queen City, is aptly named. It is home to many queens most of whom proudly marched in Sunday's Pride Parade through Clifton and Northside much to the delight of a similarly fruity throng of rainbow clad happy people. I was one of them. It was a fun day.

Despite the sometimes oppressive and downright discriminatory nature of the city, fruits have always thrived here. The city is a veritable orchard when it comes to growing fruits. And with the city now making strides to leave the 19th century and enter the 21st by doing away with outdated draconian laws, it can only get more festive in coming years.

But the climate around here is also great for growing nuts and that's not necessarily a good thing. Some of the more harmless but fun nuts have gone national, like Jerry Springer, or Morganna the kissing bandit. . Some are just locally famous like Fife, rest in peace, lady, or the late Charlie Taft or Marge, no last name needed. There was a vibrancy, an aliveness, if you will in their nuttiness. They provided a spark and twinkle that is missing today from this once great city.

Others, however, are more dangerous in their nuttiness, like The Wilkes, husband and wife, Phil Burress, and lately, one Tom Brinkman. The Wilkes founded "Right to Life." Phil Burress is a reformed porn addict who campaigns for "community values." Tom Brinkman sponsors legislation aimed at women. He is the man behind a proposal in the Ohio State House that would ban all abortions, even for rape victims. There is a hearing today on the issue.

Were I living in a more enlightened State than the Great State of Ohio, I would not be too concerned about this piece of legislation making it into law. After all it completely contradicts federal law on the issue. But this is Ohio, home to a convicted Governor who is nephew of the aforementioned Charlie. It is home to wannabe governor Ken Blackwell, who uses his powers as Secretary of State to steal elections for the GOP among other seemingly questionable actions, and he is also from Cincinnati.

Considering Ohio was the swing state for re-electing Dubya to the White House for four more years of "compassionate conservatism," well you can understand my reticence for assuming that common sense and logic will prevail in knocking down this insidious measure.

Women have a right to choose, period. I get angry just having to feel that I have to justify my rights on any level to anyone other than myself. I, and I know there are other women who refuse to be returned to being second class citizens. I grew up back in the day of back alley abortions where women died after being violated by hacks with coat hangers. I remember that. It's not some history lesson for me. We ain't goin' back there.

This whole anti abortion movement is based on two premises that date all the way back to when men figured out how to write. One, that men need to propagate and live on, preferably thru their sons, and two, that women need to be protected and have decisions made for them by right thinking upstanding individuals, namely their husbands, fathers, brothers, uncles, grandfathers. Get the picture ? We haven't been property for a very long time, guys.

I don't know any woman who chooses routinely to have an abortion, or even wants to have one. I certainly don't know any women who enjoy getting raped.

The right to a safe abortion is simply one of many choices available, or would be available if this same movement and the Tom Brinkmans of the world would stop fighting sex education and knowledge about contraception in schools and on the internet.

One of the most horrendous things that this White House has done is to erase sex education information from all government websites. It has also successfully withheld federal funding in the fight to keep women safe.

The Tom Brinkmans of the world are not pro life or they wouldn't be about getting laws passed that kill women.

"Holy Muff-diving" Batman, Batwoman's gay too!

(originally published May 31, 2006)


Maybe it's just me but I always thought Batman and Robin were a gay couple. I mean c'mon, Bruce Wayne is a filthy rich white man who keeps a penniless young man named Robin as his ward. They live in this humongous mansion taken care of by a male butler named Alfred. Toogether they don tight latex suits and fight crime all night every night and you never see either one of them with women. Seems like business as usual in boystown to me.

Now comes word that Batwoman has been resurrected (she was killed off in 1979) as a rich dyke who loves the ladies. But she has typical lesbian issues. She apparently still hasn't come out to her parents yet. But I'm sure her brother knows, if she has one. Boy that's a bummer. Imagine running thru the mansion changing all the photos and artwork after finding out mommy and daddy are coming over for a chat. Still with a big house it is easier to stash the girlfriend and to hide the fact that the two of 'em are sleeping in the same bed.

It's all part of an effort by DC Comics to diversify the comic book universe which has been lilly white and straight for almost all of it's existence. Oh, there have been black superheroes with names like Black Panther or Storm of X-men fame. But they were marginalized just like in real life sometimes. Except for Storm, she's kicking ass on the big screen in X-men III in case you haven't seen it yet. Please go, it's worth the price of the ticket. In addition to Batwoman, DC Comics is also adding Latinos to the line up.

According to a story in the New York Daily News, some comic book geeks who inhabit the internet are grumbling about Batwoman's change in sexuality, as if they could get with her when she was straight. I think being a lesbian makes her a more interesting wet dream. Don't straight guys love dreaming about women together anyway? Now they have the possibility of seeing their fantasy in color.

Now if we can just get Wonder Woman to kick open that closet door. Man what a power couple that would be.

Casting my vote for WW...