—Warner Todd Huston, the conservative Chicago columnist and old-ish person who is still alive to say things like this, about the doomsday scenario Archie‘s gay character presents. [via]
Huston also appeared in this CBS 2/Chicago news segment about the comic, which right off the bat brands the introducing of a gay character as “provocative.”
[flv:http://cbstv.vo.llnwd.net/e2/0015/flash/20100423220936_03774_000524p5000804p4.flv https://queerty-prodweb.s3.amazonaws.com/wp/docs-null/2010/04/warner903.jpg 650 400]
Andrew
Of course, because you know, excluding the millions of gay teens from youth entertainment is really the “wholesome” thing to do.
I mean God, I just don’t get it. Why the hell does it bother people so much? He prefers dicks over chicks in his private life. It’s not like they have an anal scene in the comic now.
Nickadoo
The larger controversy should be their decision to turn the Archie gang into a bunch of Jersey Shore douche bags. How soon can we expect Jughead to suckerpunch Veronica?
Hal
What this douche also doesn’t get is that Archie DID have a number of Christian-oriented stories back in the 60’s and 70’s. I seem to remember they were done for hire (i.e. I think a christian group commissioned them) and not in the mainline Archie titles, but they were definitely out there.
Here’s a really good analysis of the event:
http://www.comicsalliance.com/2010/04/23/ask-chris-archie-and-the-league-of-skull-faced-villain/
Kieran
I surprised they didn’t succumb to the temptation to name the gay character Lance or Bruce.
Ted C.
“Or how about on the other end of the spectrum and putting in a strict Christian character?”
They should kill two birds with one stone and put in a gay strict Christian character. Like, he dates a lot of boys but doesn’t want to have sex with any of them until they’re married. That would be a nice bit of representation there, and a deviation from the clichés.
(Though, depending on what state Riverdale is in, he might be waiting a long time.)
clark
They could combine a Christian character, a priest, and a pedophile – and his name could be Father Peter Dickinson.
TONYD
My character ideas: a trannie character that rags on the girls out dated clothes, an Arizona racist chick that calls Jughead a “dirty Jew,” and bullies anyone with a tan, assuming they’re illegal, a “straight acting,” HRC, fresh from a reality tv show, confused, stupid child poster boy, ready to bed anything that comes his way, and a token brown/black kid (not too dark, don’t want to scare America) with funny one liners! What a beautiful country we live in. lol
Male Nurse Dave
Um, in the ’60s and ’70s, comics WERE full of the Vietnam War and race riots. YAH, SRSLY.
adman
@clark: So tasteless and crass I had to give thumbs up, but I hope that the conflation of GLBT’s with Pedos can sometimes show a throwing the hands up sense of humor. I just hope I wasn’t suckered into that thumbs up by another hatero pervert!
clark
@adman:
Hatero: Nope, 100% USDA gay
Pervert: Not in a pedo way, that’s for sure!
Just thought it funny…..
Wy
Well as usual, it’s only natural that there be a liberal plot to corrupt all that is American. At least that would be the viewpoint of someone who probably remembers the conservative Christian plot to exploit Archie for its own ends: http://generationexploitation.blogspot.com/2006/06/history-of-christian-archi_114951302719460209.html
Ogre Magi
So he get all pissy about a gay character, but dosen’t mind Sabrina the teenage witch (who as you may remember started out as an Archie character)? Doesn’t the Bible say “Thou shalt not suffer a witch live”?
Hyhybt
“Kid’s entertainment doesn’t have to “reflect the current world of Teens.” It doesn’t have to present harsh realities or controversy. It can just be about fun or fantasy and it doesn’t have to delve into every aspect of life whether it be provocative, even deviate. “
—That’s the point, though: for the target audience, and indeed most people up to an age significantly higher than Archie’s target audience, no longer think merely being gay is “provocative,” “deviate,” etc. It’s just a surprising disappointment for a girl to find out about the guy she’s interested in. Isn’t that wonderful?
“I surprised they didn’t succumb to the temptation to name the gay character Lance or Bruce.”
Did I read the name right, “Kevin Keller?” Remarkably familiar-sounding name.
Ryan Kiefer
As a fellow ChicagoNow blogger, I felt I had to address this man’s absurd accusations. And I did, you can read about our argument all over the comments section. It’s great to see this picked up by my favorite LGBT news website. It makes me feel a little bit exclusive.
Ryan Kiefer
Also, when you read the original posting, scroll down and read his response to my question about why including a gay character was salicious, you can really see his bigotry. He starts spouting nonsense about the gay agenda and how leftists have to have gays put into everything, and finally concluded by calling me a fascist and intolerant. It was actually kind of pathetic that not only this man believes these things, but that he had been given a medium on a Chicago Tribune-sponsored blog platform to spew it to the masses.
B
Well, we could keep Warner Todd Huston happy by introducing a conservative character for “balance” – Rush Limbaugh, who would be visiting the town while on vacation. Teenagers “acting out” could make rude comments about his considerable girth in addition to derogatory comments about his opinions.
TONYD
@Ryan Kiefer: No one really likes to admit 1-dimensional characters have no depth, hence my offensive offers of other character suggestions. Sadly, Warner Todd Huston is a living stereotype of a bigot and has offered no other example of a different identity.
merkin
Seeing as everyone in Riverdale is white, I guess Huston would complain if Archie Comics added a black character.
JamesStone
What an ass!!! “Ozzie and Harriet” and “Leave it to Beaver” were never real. Yea..the “good old days…” Women did not really walk around the house in their dresses with pearls and high heels and have a meatloaf in the oven waiting for their hubbys to come home with a suit and tie. I cannot EVEN imagine how horrible it would have been to be gay back then!! We think it is bad now but we are light years ahead of that.
I applaud adding a gay character to the comics! I WISH I had one growing up. Things are changing but I wish they would change faster….
Andy
It’s nice to see Speedo Student making progress in his career.
salinalumb
Really a educative and informative post, the post is good in all regards,I am glad to read this post.
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/review-on-zetaclear-does-zetaclear-work-2178958.html
Sean Newham
I think the real issue isn’t why have they got a gay person, which for anyone younger than 30 is not even an issue any more. (Unless the parents specifically try to instill the hatred.)
The real issue, to me, is where are all the ethnic minorities?
Assuming gays are about 1 in 30 (a made up figure but around about right), we’re outnumbered by black people (http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/00000.html) more than 2 to 1, and they’re not “controversial” to the very conservative Christians. Anymore. In public. There should be at least one person of a different ethnicity.
In other news, the very conservative Christians need to get in touch with the reality in which we live.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
@Andy: Rim shot!
Cam
It’s the typical “Paint themselves as victims” methodology that the Mormons and the Conservative Christians are trotting out every chance they get. You will notice that they try to move the discussion away from how exactly this is damaging to kids and instead try to say things like “Why aren’t Christians being represented? Why isn’t ARchie Mormon?” etc…
Rikard
LOL! Silly breeder. Teen angst and youthful hijinks are exactly what the Archie comics are about. That is as gay as it gets. I always had Reggie and Moose pegged for gay, but secretly crushed on Jughead. I know, what does that tell you about me?
Lamar
Who the hell cares if it is provocative to homophobic breeders! Thats like not having black characters in case it pisses of racists or not having men in case it pisses of extreme feminists. That “suppose it rufffles a few feathers” logic is just dumb. If you don’t like the new Archie comics find a different one that isn’t at all “provocative”. I commend whoever introduced a gay character as it takes guts to defy homophobes like him.
Mike Fourth
Or how about on the other end of the spectrum and putting in a strict Christian character?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spire_Christian_Comics
M R Villamor
I just find it humorous that a gay character is salacious and deviant.
For decades the backbone of this comic for “teens” has been the love triangle between Archie, Veronica and Betty.
Archie has played them both, while the girls have sabotaged each other’s efforts to get him, … yep … good clean wholesome fun!
alan brickman
If the Jersey Shore Guys were whiter…then they would be the Nazis!….
Jeremy
I guess I can kind of understand where they’re coming from: Archie comics is a VERY comfortable place for every adult and child to come back to, a place that never changes and is always happy (they’re still stuck in some 50s wonderland). Prolly a reminder of “the good ole days”. I myself have enjoyed the series as it was, satisfied with the usual “Jughead is sooo gay for Archie” undertones.
Still it is exciting to see the series moving forward, both socially and in terms of actually getting noticed by people again. Good for them!