September 23rd isn’t just the official first day of fall that sets off a Pavlovian response for untold numbers of people drooling for pumpkin spice any thing. Since 1999 the date has been marked as Celebrate Bisexuality Day with the intent to draw attention and support and to foster understanding of bisexual people. Among the many widespread misconceptions of bisexual people is the idea that they’re simply confused or in a phase while trying to figure out if they’re straight or gay/ lesbian. Bisexual people are caught in the middle when it comes to being pressured from the straight and gay & lesbian ends of the sexual spectrum. And that doesn’t make sense, especially coming from gays and lesbians who’ve all too often heard the same refrain. A dear friend once shared with me the stress she felt put on her to decide if she was interested in men or women until coming to the realization she didn’t have to decide – and that understanding for her came from reading the alternative comics created by Lee Marrs.
When it comes to bisexual representation in mainstream comics today I think writers and publishers are often but not always trying to do a better job. Kieron Gillen made some readers happy when Prodigy came out as bi in Young Avengers. Grek Pak strongly inferred Hercules’ bisexuality when he incorporated his mythological counterpart’s love for Hylas in a flashback and alluded to an off panel tryst with Northstar. According to Axel Alonso, the post Secret Wars Hercules sadly will not be bisexual. James Tynion IV and Ming Doyle write a deliciously bi John Constantine. When Genevieve Valentine started writing Catwoman she gave Selina Kyle a female love interest with Eiko Hasigawa. After much innuendo between the pre-DCNU Cat Man and Deadshot, Gail Simone makes the feline fan favorite unabashedly bisexual in the first issue of the new Secret Six.
Please share your favorite bisexual characters or writers with us!