How many non-hetero characters can you name?

[Captain Comics]

As we've discussed new Number Ones HERE and HERE, I've begun to notice that LGBTQ characters have become so commonplace they're hardly worth mention (because we're not mentioning them). I mean, when Batgirl got a trans roommate and lesbian character Batwoman got her own title, that was NEWS! But now that doesn't appear to be the case any more. Marvel's Angela has her own title, and nobody's even bothered to mention that she co-stars with her female lover. (Has she always been gay? I've never read about her before.)

I'm thinking of writing a column about this. I will if the evidence supports my anecdotal observation. So help me out, Legionnaires -- how many LGBTQ characters of recent vintage can you remember? Or  tolder characters who have recently been revealed to be gay -- I'm not picky.

I've got a few of my own I want to mention, but first I want to hear from you folks. Sound off!

[Captain Comics]

Sure, Iceman pursued women. But he never caught any, and after a while that starts to look like he's not trying very hard.

[Ron M.]

Maybe he's just really bad at it.

Some people have suggested Tony Stark is gay because he dates so many women but never got all that serious with any of them.

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

From what I understand, the Iceman who's been around all these years is still straight. It's only his time-traveling younger self that's gay. The stories address this dichotomy, from what I've heard, but haven't yet explained it. 

As a clue that they might be a team from another dimension instead of a past timeline, that's actually a pretty awesome clue. But I'm not sure if that's the case or not. For all the readers know, the All-New X-Men are still just their younger selves, plucked from 10 years ago.

[Ron M.]

But not Earth-2's Alan Scott. 

The Multiverse was a whole lot less confusing before they decided it was confusing.
 
Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod) said:

Oh, and Earth 2's Alan Scott!

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

From what Bleeding Cool is speculating, tomorrow's long-awaited X-Men 600 will shed some light on the whole Iceman thing:

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2015/11/03/is-this-why-uncanny-x-men-60...

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

SOLVED! Tomorrow's Iceman scene, today! It was spoiled in The Advocate.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2015/11/03/marvel-spoil-the-iceman-scen...

[Ron M.]

Unconvincing. If that's true then there would be evidence in past stories. "Why not a superhero?" Why Iceman? Did they just pick one at random? According to that everyone that has relationship problems or never gets married must be gay.

[Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod)]

I thought it was really touching.

And no, they're not saying everyone who has relationship problems must be gay. They're just saying that this one person who has relationship problems is gay. There's no extrapolation going on. Batman is still straight.

[ClarkKent_DC]

Everyone's mentioned most of the characters I can think of, but nobody's cited John Constantine, who is bisexual (or heteroflexible or genderfluid).

There's also Mr. Hand, a supporting character in the old Ms. Tree detective series. He was a veddy proper British gent, a former special ops soldier who became a tutor to Ms. Tree's stepson. Writer Max Allan Collins wrote that a member of the team was gay months before he revealed exactly who.

[Captain Comics]

That's actually the most likely and the most dramatic outcome of this seeming paradox. Nice work, Marvel.

Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod) said:

SOLVED! Tomorrow's Iceman scene, today! It was spoiled in The Advocate.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2015/11/03/marvel-spoil-the-iceman-scen...

[Ron M.]

What about Dr. Occult?

[Dave Elyea]

Dr. Occult is an interesting case--if a mixed gender couple merges like Doc & Rose did, is the result a transgender or bisexual character, or are they just sort of "straight squared"?  Starhawk would fall into the same category, whatever that turns out to be.