I’ve just read this on BBC news and I can’t help wonder if this is another case of changing characters just to be trendy and so they can say they are now LGBT+ friendly. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-58879161
It very well maybe to sell comics, however it is a natural extension of what should be human rights. What the LGBT+ community has been fighting for for years. The right to be seen and not have to stuff your emotions in a box and be afraid to let them show. I would encourage the young ones to watch an American TV series called When We Rise. It will provide a peek into what people endured so that we can enjoy what we have now. The fight is not over, but if Superman's son needs to be bisexual to sell books then maybe it will help society be more open to the community at large, I say then, let it be so. Dean
I don't read a lot of superhero comics besides Batman but I know a bit about them. I think Jon Kent is not quite as obviously pandering as making Iceman from X-men gay or more recently Tim Drake's Robin bi. Those characters have been around since the 60s and 80s, respectively, and I know in the case of Iceman had a decades-established hetero romance so it does feel a bit like pandering to me. Obviously I would like more LGBT-from-the-get-go heroes like Midnighter and Apollo but Jon Kent is a more recent hero(debuted in 2015) so I feel like they have more wiggle room with him. Either way representation matters so it is cool to see.
I feel pretty skeptical myself. On one hand I'm bothered by the bigots who don't even take the time to realize it isn't Kal-El who's been made bi, but his son. But on the other, I can't help wondering if DC really cares about LGBT issues, or if this is merely a cash grab. I hope for the former, of course--I mean, look at Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn; I love their romance--but if experience has taught me anything, it's that major corporations, publishers and the like will do whatever fattens their wallets. That said, as long as they treat the subject with respect, I'll be happy.
Marketing or not, I find it cool that they make characters come out as lgbt. The mindset back in the 20th century was very heteronormative - so even if a character was lgbt, they wouldn't be portrayed as such, because it wasn't a "thing". To be honest, I know plenty of bi dudes who are just average masculine dudes like the Superman (I mean in terms of personality and self-expression), so no need to make Superman more flamboyant or something.
Not really related to this discussion, but I would like to mention this here. I don’t like how John Kent and Conner Kent both go by Superboy when it comes to their superhero names. I either get the two mixed up, or I mistake both of them as the same person because of it.
A traditionally hetero character (textbook establishment full time employee) turns suddenly Bi. Wow, that was fast... A Superman thing, naturally!
I'll admit I'm skeptical, but it could be a good thing in the long run I suppose. But Batman is still my favorite.
Could it be that Superman is one of those guys that's just too good looking - to some - to be straight?
OK, going to add some thoughts. I'm married (hetro), bi. out, and accepted. Wife and I recently took a day getaway to the second largest city near our home. Oh, do they have a comic book and game store! Back story, as a kid I got a total of one comic book, a Superman that I read till the covers came off. At ten or so years old, dad told me he wasn't buying anymore of "that" junk. Most likely a whole .49 cents back then. Anyway, I have in front of me two copies, (different covers) of DC Comics, Superman, Son of Kal-El issue #5. I can't help but think what it would have meant if that was my issue 40 years ago. Maybe a shy introverted kid would have realized that he wasn't alone in life. That he wasn't less than. Don't kid yourselves, if there wasn't still anger and hate and phobias about us would there even be a need for this website? There are people of all ages suffering in silence still, and until there is not there is a need for things of this nature, regardless of who makes money. Books are more powerful than you can ever imagine. A thought can change a society. Again, let it be so. Dean