Rev. Mary Glasspool Becomes First Openly Lesbian Elected to Episcopal Assistant Bishop
December 14, 2009 by Tania Torres, GLAAD's Religion, Faith & Values
After a 2006 moratorium on electing gay bishops in the Episcopal Church was lifted in July, the Diocese of Los Angeles wasted no time in acting on the more inclusive policy by nominating two openly gay priests for assistant bishop positions. On Dec. 5 the diocese officially elected one of those priests, Rev. Mary Glasspool of Maryland.
If the decision is approved by the majority of bishops and standing committees of clergy and lay leaders in the Episcopal Church, Glasspool would be the first openly lesbian consecrated as bishop in all of the global Anglican Communion. Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire is currently the only openly gay Episcopal bishop.
Earlier this week the Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams released a statement where he questioned the move and warned the Episcopal Church not to approve the decision because ordaining another gay bishop would impact the whole church. Thousands of Anglicans have since then urged him to retract his statement and to “exercise moral leadership to protect gays and lesbians.”
Glasspool, who grew up in New York and followed her father into the Episcopal priesthood when she was ordained in 1982, says that apart from Rowan’s reaction she has received nothing but statements of support from people all over the world. In an interview with the Baltimore Sun, Glasspool expressed her joy in the Diocese of Los Angeles’ decision: “I’m deeply grateful. I am profoundly moved by just about everything that’s going on… I’m excited about the future. I think this is a real hopeful sign to the world.”
Related Posts:Maine Faith Leaders Speak out on Marriage Equality
October 5, 2009 by Tania Torres, GLAAD's Religion, Faith & Values
As the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland passed offering plates to fight Maine’s marriage equality bill, pro-marriage equality faith leaders redoubled their efforts. An array of clergy from Maine effectively got their voices into media representing Maine Religious Coalition for Freedom to Marry.
Bishop Richard J. Malone went so far as to have a recorded message played at Sunday masses in Maine to encourage Catholics to financially support and vote in favor of Question 1 that would repeal marriage equality passed by Maine’s legislature back in May. In response, Catholics for Marriage Equality organized a protest by asking parishioners to put notes in the collection baskets stating their opposition to the church’s anti-gay stance. Anne Underwood, co-director of the Catholics for Marriage Equality, stated that, “Marriage in the Catholic Church is a sacrament reserved to the Church to define and administer…no church can morally deprive families and children of state recognition.”
Polls show support for equality is growing as 50% percent of Maine residents support the marriage equality while 41% want to repeal the law—an improvement from a recent Daily Kos poll that showed a statistical dead heat. Maine citizens will vote on Nov. 3.
Related Posts:Tyra Banks Show Features Story of Teen’s Alarming Attempt to Turn Straight
September 28, 2009 by Tania Torres, GLAAD's Religion, Faith & Values
Tyra Banks interviewed sixteen-year-old Jeffrey who was the subject of a dramatic video posted on YouTube by Manifested Glory Ministries in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where ministers targeted him for a “casting out of evil spirits.” The video shows Jeffrey flailing on the floor surrounded by several church members who call out for the “homosexual demon” to exit the boy’s body—and of him throwing up during the process.
Jeffrey, still sixteen, shared that he was aware of being gay at age five and began to date other boys when he became a teen. He reached out to counselors at True Colors, a pro-LGBT youth organization but three days after a gay prom, sponsored by True Colors, he participated in the exorcism and now says the “evil spirit” is gone but the removal of attractions is “a process.”
Tyra brought on both the ministers from Manifested Glory Ministries and Kamora Herrington of True Colors to discuss the impact of “the belief that gay people are going to hell and are possessed by evil spirits.” Ms. Herrington said that she deals with the harm of these beliefs every week in her work with young gay people— and that too often kids harm themselves because of these beliefs.
GLAAD continues to provide resources to journalists about so-called “ex-gay” programs. When the exorcism video first came out in June, GLAAD directed The Associated Press to speak to the Rev. Roland Stringfellow, who spoke firsthand as an African American who had been subjected to exorcisms as a young gay man. He said he was put in front of the church as members shouted “demon of homosexuality come out of him” and said, “it caused nothing but shame and embarrassment.”
It is also important that media outlets who cover this topic know that the American Psychological Association recently concluded there is no scientific evidence that therapies to change orientation work—and these attempts can be harmful.
Related Posts:Sea Change in the Churches
September 24, 2009 by Tania Torres, GLAAD's Religion, Faith & Values
Back in June, we published a round up of LGBT issues on the docket for a cluster of denominations. The result was a sea change in the churches. Here are the exciting results:
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH USA
The Presbyterian Church USA led the way this summer as it voted on a constitutional amendment on ordination equality. Ratification by the required half of the 173 regional presbyteries was not expected so LGBT faith leaders worked with GLAAD to keep the focus on “growing support.” Early in the voting, regions like North Carolina, Alabama, Texas and Arkansas voted for equality. GLAAD helped LGBT Presbyterians blast an early media release through Religion News Service which laid emphasized messages of “growing support” and “churches are changing” to shape coverage of all LGBT church stories. When the vote was final, four LGBT Presbyterian groups worked with GLAAD on a media release. The Associated Press carried the “change” message nationwide.
MENNONITE CHURCH
Young LGBT and allied Mennonites made national news for the first time ever as they protested anti-LGBT policies and practices in the Mennonite Church. GLAAD helped young and old alike to get their voices into media. Wearing pink and prepped with talking points, young people expertly used the media to tell the Mennonite Church USA Assembly, June 30 – July 5, in Columbus, Ohio, that youth are leaving the church because of discrimination against LGBT church members. Hundreds of Mennonite pastors signed an open letter calling Mennonites to heal the harm done to LGBT people.
THE EPISCOPAL CHURCH
In July, bishops and elected deputies gathered for the Episcopal Church’s triennial General Convention in Anaheim, California, where they bravely moved forward, despite high-profile opposition, to approve a resolution to officially allow ordination of gay and lesbian priests. They affirmed that God could call anyone to ordination, including people in same-sex marriages or partnerships. Shortly after the ban was lifted, two Episcopal dioceses announced the nomination of openly gay and lesbian priests for bishop. The Convention also recognized transgender rights and inclusion, and delegated the task of proposing blessing rites for same sex-couples.
EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA
The watershed event of the summer was when the mother church of Protestantism, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, voted for inclusion at their biennial Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis on August 17-23. After decades of struggle, the body was ready to vote on an inclusive Social Statement on Human Sexuality as well as ministry policies that allow clergy to be in committed same-sex partnerships. After defeating an attempt to change the voting rules, the body took on the Social Statement on Human Sexuality. For passage it required 2/3 of the 1000 plus voting delegates to support it. When the electronic vote was projected, people gasped. The vote was precisely 66.67%. Expert long-term strategies by the LGBT Lutheran coalition combined with GLAAD’s spokesperson training and media pitching helped bring about these mounmental changes. When the third and final vote was taken on LGBT concerns, the ELCA put the icing on the cake by dropping the celibacy requirement for gay clergy and allowing clergy to be in same-sex unions. Change happened!
UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
The United Church of Christ, the first mainline denomination to support full equality for LGBT people, held its General Synod in June. At the weeklong event, UCC representatives approved a resolution to support diversity education in public schools and to encourage other denominations to build ecumenical support for basic respect for all people, including LGBT individuals and families.
UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST
The Unitarian Universalist United Nations office, which now has a staff person designated for sexual orientation and gender identity work, initiated an action of immediate witness against the ongoing violence targeting gay men and lesbians in Iraq. With hundreds of victims in recent years, the church is raising awareness and actively encourages advocacy on the issue.
Mormon LGBT Group Challenges LDS on Anti-Gay Practices
September 22, 2009 by Tania Torres, GLAAD's Religion, Faith & Values
Affirmation Gay and Lesbian Mormons celebrated 30 years of support and advocacy on September 18-20. More than 200 members from across the country convened in Salt Lake City, Utah, to explore next steps toward equality in the Mormon Church and society.
GLAAD staff was on hand to provide media assistance for a press conference where Affirmation launched its “Keep Them and Love Them” website. The site provides accurate information in accessible language to prevent family and church rejection when a loved one comes out. People who are coming out, their families and church leaders need accurate information to reduce homelessness, despair and suicide.
Robert Moore/Photo Courtesy of Salt Lake Tribune
Affirmation’s director of youth work, Robert Moore, shared his story of being a seventh generation Mormon who was thrown out of his family’s home as a teen when they discovered he was gay. He was homeless for many months but worked to support himself. Today, he says, “We cannot keep treating our young people like trash.”
GLAAD staff helped Affirmation with media releases and prepared them for follow-up television interviews. With coverage by the Salt Lake City Tribune, the Deseret News and local Fox TV, hundreds of thousands of Utah residents know that gay Mormons are shining a light on the harm caused by misinformation and discrimination.
The high profile role of Mormons in the Proposition 8 campaign in California mobilized an increasing number of pro-LGBT Mormons and ramped up additional political actions to urge Utah government officials and Mormon leaders to support pro-LGBT legislation and families with gay members. While up-front funding of anti-equality work has diminished, leaders in Iowa recently pointed toward the well-known anti-equality group, National Organization for Marriage, as a conduit for Mormon monies.
Affirmation’s media engagement paves the way for two separate early October meetings with Utah Governor Gary Herbert. One is with the Foundation for Reconciliation and the other is with leaders of Equality Utah. Both meetings were precipitated by earlier media work by the Foundation for Reconciliation as assisted by GLAAD in response to Utah’s Governor comparing legal protections for LGBT people to legal protections for “blue-eyed blonds.”
Related Posts:Lutherans Pass Policy Statement on Human Sexuality by Supermajority
August 20, 2009 by Tania Torres, GLAAD's Religion, Faith & Values
A tornado touched down on the street outside the convention hall where Lutherans were debating whether you could be a biblical Christian and support LGBT couples and their families. Conservative bloggers saw the storm as a dire sign but they ignored the sun breaking through just as the assembly voted for the new Social Policy on Human Sexuality by precisely the 2/3 vote required . As 66.67 to 33.33 percent vote results were posted on the screen, voters and visitors gasped and then burst into applause.
The national meeting for the entire Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) is held every two years—this year in Minneapolis, Minn., August 17-23. The new policy, which creates a theological framework allowing for disagreements within the ELCA over sexuality and scripture, replaces a previous statement that was 15 years old.
Lutherans Concerned, an LGBT affirming Lutheran group, sent a press release to 1800 religion writers and associates through the Religion News Service the week before the assembly, resulting in wide media coverage. Key votes throughout the week and GLAAD’s assistance with media strategies and pitching enhanced that effort. Private interviews with GLAAD trained spokespeople were set with the New York Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Washington Post, Los Angles Times, and others. Related votes will happen on Thursday and Friday.
On Tuesday a devotional booklet, “One Table, Many Blessings,” was released with the names of 95 out LGBT ministers. On Wednesday, a PBS Religion & Ethics reporter interviewed five key LGBT faith leader (airing August 24). Immediately after the vote on the Social Policy on Human Sexuality, PBS filmed the procession of the LGBT coalition’s worship service attended by about 2,000 people. The videographer quipped, “This will be our stock footage of Lutherans worshipping for years to come!”
The ELCA is the second largest mainline Protestant church in the U.S. with 4.6 million members and now joins the Episcopal Church and the United Church of Christ as mainline denominations that have moved toward full inclusion in recent years. An increasing number clergy, laity and family members are going on record for equality.
Related Posts:Lutherans Pass First Hurdle Toward Partnered LGBT Clergy
August 19, 2009 by Tania Torres, GLAAD's Religion, Faith & Values
Lutherans leapt the first hurdle at their biennial policy setting meeting after extensive debate on allowing ministers be in committed same-gender relationships.
Conservatives lobbied hard as they made a motion to raise the percentage required to pass the measures but failed by a large margin. The national meeting for the entire Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) is held every two years—this year in Minneapolis, Minn., August 17-23.
Photo Courtesy of ELCA.org
GLAAD staff is on-site as Lutheran LGBT advocates are making the most of media opportunities to expand the impact of their work. The ELCA will vote on a proposed Social Statement on Human Sexuality and a Recommendation on Ministry Policies. The policy statement lays the groundwork for all policies on human sexuality.
The Recommendation on Ministry Policies proposes to remove the ban on openly gay clergy by allowing congregations who wish to do so to have a minister who is in a committed, same-gender relationship, while not requiring any congregation to do so.
The ELCA is the second largest mainline Protestant church in the U.S. with 4.6 million members. This year, an increasing number clergy, laity and family members are going on record about the important ministries shared by people who are LGBT who have faced discrimination up to now.
Related Posts:Lutherans Debate Partnered LGBT Clergy
August 12, 2009 by Tania Torres, GLAAD's Religion, Faith & Values
Same-gender partners and their families will be front-and-center at the upcoming national meeting where policy for the entire Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) is voted on every two years. This year, the body will decide to drop—or keep—the requirement of celibacy for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender clergy.
Lutheran LGBT advocates are organized and are hopeful in light of The Episcopal Church national meeting where LGBT equality was affirmed, as well as the changing landscape of opinions of mainline clergy who increasingly support LGBT rights.
2007 Churchwide Assembly (Photo Courtesy of ELCA.org)
Meeting in Minneapolis, Minn., August 17-23, the denomination will vote on a range of topics, but the most high-profile is whether or not to lift the ban on ministers who are in same-gender, committed relationships.
Two proposals impact LGBT people: a 30-page, Social Statement on Human Sexuality and a Recommendation on Ministry Policies.
The Social Statement is the theological and teaching document for the ELCA on constructive social relationships and responsibilities. It lays out the range of good faith opinions among Lutherans on same-gender committed relationships and asks the church to agree to disagree while moving forward in hospitality.
The Recommendation on Ministry Policies proposes to remove the ban by allowing congregations who wish to do so to have a minister who is in a committed, same-gender relationship, while not requiring any congregation to do so.
The ELCA is the second largest mainline Protestant church in the U.S. with 4.6 million members. At its 2007 national meeting, 82 ministers came out and introduced themselves and their partners. In response, the body voted to ask bishops to “refrain” from punishing partnered clergy and congregations. Despite this vote, the ban on clergy in partnered same-gender relationships was not changed and the impact of written policies continued to impact many clergy, families and congregations. This year, more clergy, laity and family members are going on record about the important ministries shared by people who are LGBT who have faced discrimination up to now.
When the 82 Lutheran miniters came out in 2007 GLAAD worked closely with Lutherans Concerned, an LGBT affirming Lutheran group, to help those ministers tell their stories effectively in the media.
This year GLAAD is also working with affirming Lutheran’s to ensure that as the ELCA once again takes up the issue of LGBT clergy, those voices will be fairly represented in mainstream coverage of the national meeting. GLAAD has media trained more than twenty top LGBT Lutheran ministers for interviews with USA Today and National Public Radio. And during the convention, GLAAD will be on-site to expand the coalition’s media capacity. Win or lose, the world will know through the media that Lutheran LGBT advocates are challenging the ELCA to take a step toward full equality.
Related Posts:Episcopalians Announce Openly Gay Nominees for Bishop
August 7, 2009 by Tania Torres, GLAAD's Religion, Faith & Values
Earlier this week, two Episcopalian dioceses announced their nomination of openly LGBT priests for bishop positions. As we wrote previously, the Episcopal Church overwhelmingly voted in favor of ending a 2006 moratorium on ordaining openly gay bishops on July 14.
Rev. Bonnie Perry, Photo Courtesy of Advocate.com
The Rev. Bonnie Perry, rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Chicago, Illinois, is among three nominees for the Minnesota bishop position. She has been in a committed relationship with her partner, the Rev. Susan Harlow, for 22 years. Harlow is a professor at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary.
The Diocese of Los Angeles also announced the nomination of the Rev. John L. Kirkley of San Francisco and the Rev. Mary Douglas Glasspool of Maryland, both of whom are in committed same-sex relationships. There are six candidates for the position of suffragan (assistant) bishop in the Diocese of Los Angeles.
Rev. John Kirkley, Photo Courtesy of Bay Area Reporter
In a statement to the Bay Area Reporter, IntegrityUSA President Reverend Susan Russell applauded the nominations:
Coming so soon after the slate announced by the Diocese of Minnesota, today’s announcement by the Diocese of Los Angeles is another sign that the ’season of fasting’ at the expense of the vocations of gays and lesbians in the Episcopal Church is at an end. For Minnesota and California to move so quickly after our convention, what they are doing is signaling that the resolution that we passed in Anaheim is not just a resolution but reality. The Episcopal Church is in a place where it is able to be broadly inclusive. That is good news not only for the diocese, but also the whole church.
If the candidates are elected by lay and clergy church leaders later this year, they would be the first openly gay priests to take the position of bishop since the ordination of Bishop Gene Robinson in 2003.
Related Posts:Fish Out of Water Premieres at Rhode Island International Film Festival
August 6, 2009 by Tania Torres, GLAAD's Religion, Faith & Values
Director Ky Dickens teams up with Golden Globe music nominee Kaki King on the feature-length documentary, Fish Out of Water, to challenge often-quoted texts from the Bible used by anti-gay conservatives against LGBT people.
Inspired by Dickens own coming out experience, the film features an animated version of the filmmaker Ky and her biblical entourage as they take a surprisingly fun and insightful look at interpretations of Biblical text. Theologians and community members from across the country are also interviewed about why they want to open the church doors to LGBT people.
Fish out of Water received rave reviews at its world debut at Outfest in Los Angeles last month.
The movie premieres at the Rhode Island International Film Festival on August 8 at the Bell Street Chapel in Providence. Click here to reserve your tickets.
Related Posts:
Vigils Scheduled to Mourn Tel Aviv LGBT Victims
August 5, 2009 by Tania Torres, GLAAD's Religion, Faith & Values
As we previously reported, New York City’s City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn has called on fellow New Yorkers to join her this Wednesday, August 5th in remembering victims of the shooting at the Tel Aviv Gay and Lesbian Association.
Vigils are now also scheduled for Boston and Los Angeles. Please join in a vigil close to you—or pause to reflect today - August 5th – as we mourn for the victims, pray for the injured, and express our outrage at the attacks at the Tel Aviv LGBT youth center.
Here is information on vigils and services across the country:
- Boston, MA: Vigil at Temple Israel (477 Longwood Avenue—on the steps of the Riverway), 6:30 p.m.
- Los Angeles, CA: Vigil at Congregation Beth Chayim Chadishim, 6:30 p.m. (6000 W Pico Blvd, one block east of Crescent Heights)
- New York, NY: Vigil at Congregation Beth Simchat Torah (57 Bethune St.), 7 p.m.
Vigils are also are also being scheduled in London, San Francisco, Manchester, and many other cities across the globe to honor the victims of the attack. Twitter users are spreading the word about the vigils.
To find out more about the violent shooting in Tel Aviv, click over to our blog post on the media coverage surrounding the attack.
Related Posts:Godcasts and Radio: LGBT People of Faith Explore Spirituality on Airwaves
July 29, 2009 by Tania Torres, GLAAD's Religion, Faith & Values
From radio to ‘Godcasts,’ religious themed podcasts, LGBT people are reclaiming their voice within religious and faith communities. Hitting the digital airwaves is a rapidly growing trend and here are a few shows that deserve attention:
Tony Sweet
As the host of one of the top LA Talk Radio shows, Tony Sweet, a gay Christian musician, engages LGBT people of faith in Los Angeles and across the country. Reaching more than 50,000 listeners per show, On Air with Tony Sweet hosts people of all faiths to empower and strengthen his audience through music and on-air conversations with individuals from both the religious and entertainment world. A Gospel singer, Tony sang at a major rally against Prop 8 and was also in the cast of a YouTube video response to NOM’s “Gathering Storm” called “Weathering the Storm.”
Alicia Ross
Inspired by her own spiritual journey, Alicia Ross set out to help LGBT people who were trying to reconcile their faith with their sexual orientation. She charted new territory at LOGO with the video webcast, Oh God I’m Gay, which quickly became one of LOGO’s most popular webcasts. Ross now hosts One Gay Under God and invites faith leaders from many faiths and backgrounds to explore religious and social issues affecting the LGBT community that are often not covered by mainstream media.
Candace Chellew-Hodge
Fighting to claim a place for LGBT Christians in the Bible Belt is Whosoever, an online magazine for LGBT Christians founded in 1996 by Candace Chellew-Hodge. Whosoever regularly features podcasts on its website with the goal of providing LGBT Christians a space and the necessary resources to rekindle their faith and build welcoming communities by reaching out to both LGBT people and their straight allies. Whosoever won the first 2009 Pride Choice Award for best gay and lesbian focused nonprofit in the Southeast. Candace is currently promoting her book, Bulletproof Faith.
Justin Lee
Over at the Gay Christian Network (GCN) Radio, a weekly podcast on issues pertaining to LGBT Christians, Justin Lee and co-host Brian Eckstein cover a wide range of topics from the Catholic transgender experience to helping people recover from so-called “ex-gay” ministries. Lee, the Executive Director of GCN, founded the nonprofit ministry in 2001 to provide resources and support to help individuals reconcile their faith and sexuality. GCN builds networks of supportive Christian communities and works with families, friends, and churches to create respectful dialogue on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Related Posts:The Episcopal Church Says “YES” to Ordination for Gays
July 16, 2009 by Tania Torres, GLAAD's Religion, Faith & Values
On July 14, LGBT leaders in The Episcopal Church proclaimed, ”Amen,” as the decades of struggle of ordination for gay people came to an end. The House of Delegates and the House of Bishops voted to allow ordination of gay and lesbian priests and bishops. All affirmed that God could call to ordination anyone, including people living in a same-sex marriage or partnership.
The Episcopal Church House of Bishops supported inclusion by a 99-45 vote, with two abstentions and it was overwhelmingly ratified by the House of Delegates comprised of laity and priests. The new resolution officially ends a 2006 moratorium on ordaining openly gay bishops. The moratorium was initially meant to halt any further division within the church after the ordination of Gene Robinson but unity was not maintained and no efforts for unity were offered by conservatives.
Earlier this year conservatives, now identifying themselves as the Anglican Church of America and claiming 100,000 followers, abandoned The Episcopal Church while unsuccessfully laying claim to buildings belonging to The Episcopal Church. The group’s leader, Robert Duncan, said that women and gay people are not “capable” of holding the 
office of bishop. The breakaway group is not recognized by the greater Anglican Communion.
One time LGBT supporter, Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, did not support lifting the moratorium, but delegates voted yes on all inclusive resolutions so far. One delegate from Western Massachusetts told the Associated Press that it was the right thing to do, “I personally believe we had to do this. It’s the way we see the Gospel.” Archbishop Williams met with gay and lesbian deputies while at the convention but expressed regret over the decision.
The bishops will vote on resolutions related to blessing same-sex unions, transgender equality and adaptation of theological resources and liturgies to be more inclusive of gay and lesbian couples.
Related Posts:A Young Mormon’s Coming Out Story
July 13, 2009 by Tania Torres, GLAAD's Religion, Faith & Values
In a new Current TV segment, 26 year-old Cody Derrick tells his coming out story. According to the video’s synopsis, Derrick grew up in a conservative Mormon home in Salt Lake City, Utah. The viral video has been featured on blogs like Pam’s House Blend and shows the young Mormon and his parents discussing how they came to terms with their faith and Derrick being gay. Derrick mentions that his biggest fear was of losing God’s love and potentially going to hell:
I felt like I was losing the religion. My identity that was the Church and in losing that I was losing God because God wouldn’t love you if you were not obeying the Church’s teachings. My biggest fear was I’ll go to hell…that was the hard part.
Derrick’s father, who is identified as a former Bishop in the Mormon Church, clarifies that there was no doubt for them that they would love and support their child no matter what: ”Some people forget, first thing we are Christians and everything else is added upon that. As a Christian, we are supposed to love.”
Derrick shared that people ask him whether it was hard to come out. He tells them that because of the support of his family, their faith and unconditional love, it was easy and he wants to help others.
Related Posts:I feel like it’s my duty because of how wonderful they’ve been to say, ‘No, it wasn’t hard at all.’ It was hard for me because of aspects outside of my family but not because of them. I would’ve died without them.
Marvel Comics’ Rictor and Shatterstar Kiss!
July 1, 2009 by Tania Torres, GLAAD's Religion, Faith & Values
In his latest installment of X-Factor, Marvel Comics writer Peter David has ended any speculation surrounding the sexual orientation of two fan favorite characters, Rictor and Shatterstar.
X-Factor #45
The two characters, which have websites like Shattering the Earth dedicated to them, share a kiss in X-Factor #45. According to one online review on iFanboy, this is the first “male/male romantic kiss ever to appear on-panel in a Marvel comic.”
In recent interviews with Newsarama and CBR, David hinted at finally addressing the question of whether or not both characters were “more than friends” but that Shatterstar’s future storyline was totally dependent on the response from readers.
Marvel Comics, which introduced its first openly gay character when Northstar was revealed to be gay back in the 1990s, has in recent years introduced more gay characters including Victor Borkowski and Jonas Graymalkin from Young X-Men, Karolina Dean from Runaways, and the gay teen couple Hulking and Wiccan in Young Avengers, which received the award for Outstanding Comic Book at the 17th Annual GLAAD Media Awards.
Related Posts:
