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To be honest, I wasn't going to revisit the topic. I said back when this was first news that this was basically Marvel insulting gay people. It's flat out saying that gay people are defined solely by their sexuality, and so any story with a gay lead character must, by extension, be sexual in nature. Which is patent nonsense, as anyone with even a modicum of common sense could tell you. But then, this is Marvel Comics we're talking about here. The exception Marvel seems to be willing to make is that gay characters can have "supporting" roles in titles, but they can't be the lead or the focus of a story. In cinema terms, this means that the largest role a gay character can play in a "non-explicit" Marvel comic is the "wacky gay neighbor."
The thing that really galls me is the arrogance Quesada displays. He insists that, by not releasing any non-mature readers labeled comics with gay lead characters, he is somehow protecting the comics industry from a new Fredric Wertham. Please. The forces of order and morality have bigger fish to fry these days than something as trivial as the super-hero comics industry. They've got smutty video games and pay cable shows to focus their energy on. On those rare occasions they do go after comics it's purely as an afterthought or because some zealous news producer has sought them out for a juicily outraged quote. No, Quesada's only real concern here is whether or not a gay character will attract bad publicity for Marvel. It's a cowardly, self-serving precedent to establish. But then, this is Marvel Comics we're talking about here.
