Catwoman issue 39
It’s been revealed in the latest issue (#39) of Catwoman that the famous feline superhero is bisexual. Series writer Genevieve Valentine outed the famous comic character, noting that while Catwoman’s sexuality has always been ambiguous, it was time to shed light on this revelation. In the issue, Selina Kyle, aka Catwoman, shares a kiss with Eiko Hasigaway, and it is this action alone that effectively marks the lead character as bisexual, considering her previous relationships with men within the comic book world. The fact that this kiss was the act that revealed her orientation, rather than a great speech, really shows that it is a low-key revelation, and is not meant to grab headlines in order to increase revenue. It means that her sexuality is not a gimmick, but rather a defining part of a beloved character’s identity.
This is a great leap forward for DC, as it has been lagging behind Marvel in terms of diversity and representation for a while. In DC, the only LGBT leads are Catwoman and Batwoman, with Earth 2 and Teen Titans featuring other LGBT characters in their casts. On the other hand, we have Marvel who have LGBT characters in X-Men, Wolverines, Amazing X-Men and Loki: Agent of Asgard amongst others.
The news of this is great for LGBT representation, especially for the bisexual part of the community. Whilst gay and lesbian characters are gaining more momentum in the public eye, bisexual characters remain either ‘in the closet’, labelled as gay, straight or their sexualities are not addressed at all. Television shows tend to steer clear of writing in bisexual characters, as they fear that it will confuse the audience with what way the characters swing, because they aren’t slapping on the ‘gay’ or ‘straight’ label onto them. The ‘bisexual’ label has come to have negative connotations in the media over the last few years, leading to a lack of bisexual characters, which has significantly impacted on people who really do identify as bisexual. This means that sexuality is shown as either black or white, which is not a realistic representation, rather than as a spectrum.
However, by having characters like Catwoman that are bisexual, it means that sexual orientations are used less as plot devices, and more about allowing characters to express their own identities. Other fiction mediums have started doing this, with the recent revelation that Clarke Griffin from The 100, set on a post-apocalyptic world, is bisexual, showing that bisexuality is becoming more valid in the eyes of the viewer and television producers.
It is great to have such a high-profile character like Catwoman come out as bisexual, as it allows conversations to happen about what sexuality means to us in the modern age. She helps to get rid ‘bisexual erasure’ in the media and creates a dialogue about the fluidity of sexual identities. She is a role model to people who feel they have to hide their true sexual orientations by showing them that their identities are just as valid as straight people’s.
