“Why change Robin? It was a no brainer. It happens to a lot of bisexual people, it seemed like natural character development.”
Lately all the news has been about Superman’s son Jonathan Kent coming out recently as bi-sexual in the comics - and the not so-nice reception it’s has gotten in the real world (WTF...Louis Lane?!?). But just weeks before that, ROBIN - one of the most recognizable (Queer?) icons ALSO came out as Bi-sexual. This matters. It represents as big a pop culture moment as when Miles Morales & Kamala Khan were introduced to the world. And while Robin (aka Tim Drake) is not the FIRST comic book hero to come out as Queer, he represents the most important hero to do so. Because Robin has been all of us all along. From kids envisioning themselves as him, to Queer’s taking ownership (#representation), to the “Seduction of the Innocent” (+those other 1950s fear-mongering hearings) — Robin has always had us envisioning, and questioning things. There has been celebration and pushback, and we wanted to talk about what it all means. So we brought together past guests Karl Preissner (Equity / Inclusion Ally & Advocate) and Steven Wakabayashi (Yellow Glitter Podcast host ), along with Ainsley Waller (Bisexual designer AND fellow comics geek) to unpack this moment and challenge our assumptions about the evolution of some of our most beloved characters...
This episode is sponsored by the Department of Health & Human Services, who’s encouraging you and your community to make sure you’ve got the COVID-19 Vaccine & Booster. We can do this, together. Find vaccines and boosters near you @ VACCINES.gov
LEARN ABOUT

Tim Drake’s big news: https://n.pr/3DCFzAh

Ainsley Waller: behance.net/AinsleyRiversWaller

Steven Wakabayashi: stevenwakabayashi.com

Karl Preissner: modmypod.com/episodes/11-karl-preissner-on-pampgs-insider-diversity-1

MENTIONS

COMIC: Batman Urban Legends #6: dccomics.com/comics/batman-urban-legends-2021/batman-urban-legends-6

NEWS: Robin Writer Chuck Dixon’s problematic take: https://bit.ly/2YKbIr7

BOOK: Seduction of the Innocent (1954): wikipedia.org/wiki/Seduction_of_the_Innocent

PERSON: Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie): wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rise_and_Fall_of_Ziggy_Stardust_and_the_Spiders_from_Mars

TV: Queer as Folk (1999): imdb.com/title/tt0262985/

FILM: Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994): imdb.com/title/tt0109045/

TV: Xena Warrior Princess: imdb.com/title/tt0112230/

BOOK: On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous (Ocean Vuong): goodreads.com/book/show/41880609-on-earth-we-re-briefly-gorgeous

COMIC: Flamer (Mike Curato): goodreads.com/book/show/52751434-flamer

COMIC: Displacement (Kiku Hughes): goodreads.com/book/show/46223303-displacement

FILM: Moonlight (2016): imdb.com/title/tt4975722/

CHARACTER: Elizabeth Bennet (Pride & Prejudice): wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Bennet

CHARACTER: Master Splinter (TMNT): wikipedia.org/wiki/Splinter_(Teenage_Mutant_Ninja_Turtles)

CHARACTER: Dumbledore (Harry Potter): wikipedia.org/wiki/Albus_Dumbledore


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