A group of DC Comics fans are petitioning to make Batman’s arch nemesis gay.
The petition was posting on Change.org, currently has over 400 signatures at the time of this post’s publication, and states that The Joker was portrayed as a homosexual man for at least half of his 80-plus years of existence. They then say Batman: The Animated Series “retconned his homosexuality” by introducing Harley Quinn as a love interest.
In order to back up these claims, the petition uses several references like Frank Miller’s version of the character in The Dark Knight Returns, Grant Morrison’s interpretation in Arkham Asylum: A Serious House On A Serious Earth, and the opinion of Batman artist Neal Adams.
The petition also mentions former actions of the Joker that were “stereotypically” gay but supposedly gave readers a “very clear picture” of the villain’s sexuality.
Specifically, the petition says the Joker was gay because of how he dressed. It says he “has many feminine traits – he uses lipstick, paints his nails, wears high heels and sometimes does crossdressing.”
Let’s be honest though, the petition bases its argument on stereotypes of what gay men are like. Of course, the stereotypes may apply to some gay men, and were used heavily in the past, but they don't apply to all.
In addition, these stereotypes weren't just for presenting gay men but also dandy men or just presenting a man who didn't subscribe to machoness (often for shock or "otherness" factor).
Question is, do those stereotypes really point out the character’s sexuality? Because the text clearly didn’t mention it until Harley’s arrival.
What do you think? Do you think the Joker should be made gay? Do you think he was gay before? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments.
