If you read comics, you know Gail Simone. She is one of the most prolific comic book writers of the last ten years. And she doesn”t shy away from shining a light on some of the more questionable industry norms, prodding comics into a more inclusive future. From coining the now universally phrase “Women in Refrigerators” to creating the first transgender character in a contemporary mainstream comic – Alysia Yeoh in BATGIRL – to having a bisexual Catman in SECRET SIX, Simone has done her best to make sure her comics reflect the real life variety of sexual orientation.
Whether you think it”s a gimmick or not, diversity sells. A-FORCE, SPIDER-GWEN, SILK, SAGA, PRINCESS LEIA, THOR, HARLEY QUINN, and more consistently show up in the Top 20 biggest sellers and that doesn”t even include digital copies. Yet there is still a hesitancy from the industry to push boundaries – especially with sexual orientation – and give readers that aren”t cis white men characters they relate to. Gail Simone would like that to change, for decision-makers to trust that readers can find gay superheroes just as believable as sentient robots.
I am always getting invited to lgbtq panels at conventions, because I have a lot of lgbtq characters. There are more every year, yay!
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015
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I found a note in my 'notes' section on my ipad from years ago after such a con just a couple days ago. An audience member asked…
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015
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“Where are all the queer superheroes?”
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015
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And that simple question really got to me. It was a packed room at a huge con, audience is all Lgbtq, and that question just KAPOWed me.
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015
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We complain about representation now, rightfully so, but just a few years ago, there was almost NOTHING at the big companies.
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015
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And I wrote the note to remind myself of that person asking that question, and none of us on the panel had a decent response. Stuck with me.
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015
It was this thing, that the signing lines at cons were FULL of diversity, but the comics we were giving them were not.
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015
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My focus had always mostly been getting more cool female characters in the audience but that panel made me try to think bigger.
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015
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And I didn't want to just pass it off, as often happens after a panel where such issues are raised. Then @ruckawriter said something great.
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015
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The panel was ending, last question was, “DC is getting some lesbian characters, good, but what about gay male characters?”
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015
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And Greg was truthful like he always is and said that it was a little easier to have an attractive gay WOMAN at that time…
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015
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He said, “We'll know we are making progress when we have a gay MAN on the cover of his own book.”
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015
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And then he said, “And we'll know we've REALLY made progress when we have someone TRANS on the cover of their own book.”
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015
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He said that as he was leaving, and it was great, because no one at the big two was even TALKING about anything like that yet…
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015
…everyone was leaving, but I just sat there, and it all hit me pretty hard. Why ARE those things so 'difficult,' and inconceivable?
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015
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It just didn't make any sense. People will buy books about aliens and mutants and robots, but not about real people? I didn't believe that.
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015
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So, it's a small contribution for sure, but I won't write a book without lgbtq representation. And I want a trans hero with their own book.
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015
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Because it's way past time, because lgbtq readers are readers and should be represented, but also because…
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015
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…the audience is better than publishers think on this stuff! I keep saying this forever.
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015
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Every time there's been a huge fear of backlash, for Batwoman, for Kevin Keller, for Alysia Yeoh, it never happens.
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015
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Those characters were all embraced by the audience. They weren't tokens, they were all just characters they liked.
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015
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So why is anyone still afraid at this point? It's ridiculous.
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015
The audience keeps proving itself over and over. They can handle a brown girl superhero. They can handle a gay Green Lantern.
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015
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Even pretending there's some big risk involved at this point is disingenuous.
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015
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Anyway, thanks to @ruckawriter and that lovely audience member for really making me realize the need to try harder on these things.
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015
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The sandbox we play in is 70 years old. But the toys we put IN the sandbox don't have to be.
– GAIL SIMONE (@GailSimone) June 24, 2015