Secret Identities

Comic Book Mutants and the LGBT Community

By Malcolm J Carey IV

I remember the first comic book that I ever read. As a child I wasn’t terribly interested in comic books or superheroes; I preferred high fantasy stories. That changed the day that my younger brother left a copy of Uncanny X-Men #303 (August 1993) in my room by accident. I opened it, read it, and was instantly enthralled by the story of a young mutant dying from a virus that seemed to specifically target mutants. The heart of the issue was the death of Colossus’s little sister Illyana, the latest victim of the Legacy virus.

No one knew where it came from. The X-Men universe seemed to be in a state of confusion and turmoil. Typical battles with supervillains suddenly became sidelined by an invisible plague tearing through the population. In 1993, shortly after the height of the AIDS crisis, this story resonated with me. As the story climaxes, the Legacy Virus mutates and begins killing humans. As with HIV, the spread of the disease to the broader population was necessary to finally draw the world’s attention to what had been previously considered a ‘mutant problem’. Eventually, Colossus makes the ultimate sacrifice with the help of a human scientist and purges the world of the Legacy virus in the process – a fantasy ending to an allegory for a horrific piece of gay history.

Unlike stereotypical comic books, X-Men is not a story of good guys versus bad guys. Rather, it is about the history of human rights and oppression as explored through the lens of mutants. Even as a young boy I could see that the story that they were telling was bigger than huge muscles and skintight costumes.

Many LGBT youth live double lives – presenting as heterosexual to the world while hiding their secret LGBT identity. Staying closeted evolves into a massively complicated job of people management, tracking who knows the secret identity and what topics are safe to broach in different circles. LGBT youth still need to ace their classes and to deal with the standard burdens of adolescence, just as the X-Men still need to stop the random super villain in any given issue, while also bearing the additional burden of constantly worrying about letting their mask slip off.

Just as some LGBT youth are kicked out and forced to live on the street because their parents don’t understand them, young mutants face familial rejection. Kitty Pryde came from a wealthy family that sent her to Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters in order to rid themselves of their mutant daughter. In the film universe, Angel, one of the founding members of the X-Men in the comics, deals with an extreme version of familial rejection, when his mutant-hating father develops a ‘cure’ reminiscent of conversion therapy, since he cannot accept his son’s identity.

X-Men even touches on themes of religious persecution of LGBT people. Staunchly religious William Stryker, known from the movies as the man who gave Wolverine his adamantium skeleton, believes that mutants were sent by the devil and are a blight on humanity that must be purged. This storyline hits close to home for many LGBT youth raised in religious homes. Growing up, it was terrifying for me to read these stories. It was drilled into my head that I would be going to hell if I didn’t follow what God asked. The threat that this theological oppression represented was enough for the long-time enemies Magneto and Professor X to join forces to defeat Stryker.

Comic books have long attracted LGBT readers, who see their lives reflected in the lives of superheroes.

Just like real world human rights activists, the X-Men engage in infighting amongst people that really have the same end goal. Magneto and Professor X take radically different approaches to achieving mutant liberation. Magneto believes that mutants are superior and that humans should be subjugated into obedience. He places a high value on the preservation and advancement of the mutant race. Professor X approaches the problem with the goal of achieving peace and encouraging humans and mutants to live together in harmony. There are similar divides in the LGBT movement today. Some want to march and to protest to try to change society, while others prefer to work within the status quo to increase societal acceptance, and assimilation, of LGBT people.

X-Men is not the only comic series that contains themes relating to gay culture. Comic books have long attracted LGBT readers, who see their lives reflected in the lives of superheroes. In fact, in recent years, the metaphorical LGBT representation in comic books has become literal, as known superheroes like Batwoman, Wonder Woman, and Iceman have come out, respectively, as lesbian, bisexual, and gay, and new characters have been introduced, such as the transgender superhero in Alters. The X-Men were there for me to help me come to terms with my identity, and I hope that they – and other superheroes – can be there for other young children who need to know that they are not alone.

Malcolm J Carey IV is Treasurer of the Board of Directors of Boston Pride. In addition to reading and collecting comics, Malcolm enjoys video games, tabletop role-playing games, and crochet.