Lesbian Batwoman's Publishers Should Be Ashamed, Pro-Family Critic Says
by Chad Groening
June 8, 2006
(AgapePress) - - Robert Knight, a pro-family activist and director of the Culture and Family Institute, is blasting a popular comic book company for deliberately exposing young children to the homosexual lifestyle.
Knight is outraged that DC Comics, the prominent U.S. comic book publisher that has brought fans such "heroic" characters as Superman, Wonder Woman, the Justice League, and Batman, has announced plans to introduce a lesbian Batwoman character next month. A company spokesman says DC wants more diversity in its comics.
However, Knight believes this move is obviously targeting the minds of children and has a mercenary motive as well. "This is a direct attempt to sell homosexuality to kids," he says, "It's also an attempt to revive the Batwoman brand by trying to do something shocking to get a little media. DC Comics ought to be ashamed of itself."
The pro-family advocate says a lesbian Batwoman character has the potential to do tremendous harm to impressionable young readers. "Most comics readers are boys, though some girls read comics, and I can't imagine this will be a good influence on girls," some of whom "might be sexually confused," or "not quiet sure who they are," he says.
Knight feels a homosexual superheroine could easily cause the minds of young girls to become perplexed. "If they have a heroine like Batwoman who's consorting with another woman, this is a very wrong message to send to them," he contends.
The Culture and Family Institute spokesman says DC has a long heritage of producing great comic books with great heroes like Superman and Batman. However, he notes, "I can recall a few years ago when a new executive took over DC Comics and said, 'We're going to be cutting edge now. We're going to use more profanity' -- in fact, they never had it before -- 'We're going to add profanity and sexual situations.' And I thought, 'Oh, great.'"
It now sounds as though DC's new policy is coming to fruition at DC, particularly with this new Batwoman "coming out of the closet," Knight says. However, he asserts, "This is an idea that ought to be shoved far, far back into the Batcave."
According to Associated Press reports, the new Batwoman character will be unveiled in July, but DC has already been bombarded by phone calls from media intrigued by the comic book character's lesbian reinvention. DC vice president and executive editor Dan Didio says the company expected its introduction of the character to attract some notice, but he says he is surprised at how much attention the news has garnered.
Chad Groening, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
