Legion World Forums LEGION CLUBHOUSE The Legion of Super-Heroes Long Live the Legion! How did the LSH get the reputation of having a larger than average % of gay fans?

(For the purpose of this thread I'm not interested in whether or not the LSH DOES have a larger than average gay fanbase but rather how this became "common knowledge".)

I first heard about this at the Captain Comics website in 2000 or so. Someone wrote to Andrew Smith (he's the Captain) and mentioned this. I don't have the actual piece to quote, but if my memory holds, both had heard this in the 1970s. (I seem to recall 25% mentioned, but don't hold me to that.)

So I'm wondering...did any of you ever hear this? When? How? Message board are fairly new and I have a hard time imagining the letter columns of the 70s getting "controversial". Perhaps through APAs?

Legion fandom has always been tight-knit, so I can imagine the APAs and such lending creedence to the theory. These MBs are really just the next evolutionary step for LSH fandom. Now we are tighter than ever before, so to speak!

hey! Didya know that, along with the alleged higher % of gay fans that the Legion also has always allegedly had a higher % of female fans? S'true. The most diverse fandom in the land!

I believe I've heard that. One could, I suppose, count up the number of girls who had letters published (as well as one could guess gender from names) but that would just be a point of interest, not hard proof.

I heard that what appeals to us homos is the Legion's sense of family, belonging, tolerance for all except the stinky (see THE POLECAT and THE MESS) and whatnot.

I heard that what appeals to you chicks is the Legion's high number of femme castmembers.

Maybe it was Element Lad? (I think he was mentioned in that CC Q&A.)

Well, Saturn Girl was definately ahead of her time! And rumors of Jan being gay go back to the early 1970's I think (read that in a Keith Giffen interview, so take it for what's its worth).

No idea as to why the reputation evolved into being. I just enjoy the fact that I have a chance to interact with such a diverse group of people here. I can honestly say that two experiences changed my life in how I interact with homosexuality: my first roomate in college being bisexual and meeting all the LMBPers who were around then, becoming friends with them when I was clearly in the minority of being strait! It was a fun experience that subtley shaped my view on the world (Seriously!).

The Jan-is-gay theory dates back at least to the following character synopsis by Jim Shooter:

"Hmm. An introvert who covers with snappy patter! Could be gay, who knows? He is confident, almost arrogant. He has a right to feel very special, and his is an overwhelming power."

I know that Cosmic Boys costume attracted me seriously to the Legion....

Maybe it was Dave Cockrums fantastic costume designs coupled with the snazzy space age decor and uber liberal mentality? Or maybe it's just because we have such cultured taste?

I do think the theory comes from judging active fandom. When I joined APA-LSH, there were a few other gay members, and there are still a few of us even as overall membership has declined. I've heard that Legion fandom has been the most active and most vocal the longest, so there has been plenty of time to gather anecdotal evidence.

Eric

Sonnie is on the right track -- I always saw it as being the Cockrum Disco Era influence, at least for attracting initial attention in the '70s. Along with gay body-building culture, intersecting with the ultra-built and numerous men.

Also, part of it seems to me to lie in the Legion not really oozing machismo -- and gay culture is by no means strongly supportive of it, either. (Buff bodies and physical culture aren't necessarily macho, and that's a minority interest among non-hets anyway.)

The culture of the United Planets era seems to be almost intuitively anti-macho. The teamwork is emphasized on the Legionnaires' parts, more than "merely" pounding enemies into submission. The Earth culture is a maternalistic welfare state. (Levitz noted this explicitly in the Mayfair RPG sourcebooks.)

And beyond all this, differences are not merely tolerated, but entirely non-humanoid and exotic species are even hardly noticed on city streets. Against all that, two men or two women in a public display of affection would be small potatoes as to attracting notice.

That setting for stories came across strongly in the "Action"/"SLSH"/Levitz eras, and it would have been refreshing to anyone misunderstood, teenagers or closeted or not.

I'm still interested in your insights!

I don't know how LSH got the rep of having alot of gay fans, but i purchased a Legion comic at my local Comic Shop and made an off comment about how I may be the only straight Legion fan. Just tongue in cheek stuff, nothing with any vitriol behind it. And the comic book guy at the store said that's nothing, "You should see the Wonder Woman fanboys. Legion fandom has nothing on them when it comes to gayness."

Ah, but you knew it was common knowledge - enough to make a lighthearted joke. Please, what was your source - APAs, personal knowledge (such as: every Legion fan you knew was gay), info from another collector, or something else?

I came to comics really late. I didn't start collecting until I graduated from college in 1998. I really didn't know much about comic fandom or anything until I found message boards later that year. When the DC boards switched over and we as a group started our migration to other boards that shall remain unnamed, that's when I got my first inkling that the view about Legion fan's sexual orientation was an ongoing joke.

i never knew anything about this -- as i was more an isolated fan in my social circles growing up and even now ... i've always been drawn to the vision of the future where anyone could join a group of idealistic tough superpowered men and women working towards a better universe (if a girl who could split into 2 and a fat guy could do it...) -- i guess there was a 'gay' element in a lot of the disco redesigns (as i found myself drawn to Tyroc, Cosmic Boy and Karate Kid)

I first learned about it in some book on comic book history I found in a book store many years ago. Couldn't even begin to tell you what the book was about or when it was written (late 80's, early 90's maybe?). Anyway, as I usually do when I find books like this, I looked in the index to find all of the LSH references. I found one reference that stated that LSH and X-men both had large gay followings. That came as a bit of a shock to me since at that time, I had yet to meet even one other Legion fan, let alone any fans that were gay. For that matter I had never met any gay people either.

I have no idea how the rep developed. But the only way I became aware that was via this board (and its predecessors) .

I do wonder if it is the "anonymity" of a message board that allows people to be more open and honest about sexuality than perhaps they might be in real life?

OOO! For the next Gay Pride parade I'm making myself a banner that says,"Gays Who Read LEGION!" It's GOTTA be more successful than my "Gays Who Drink ORANJINA!" banner from the last Gay Pride parade.

lil'rhino

I personally think it was an outgrowth of juvenile comments by comic book readers (young males) who felt that anyone who bought books with males dressed in pink must have been a "sissy" I recall plenty of comments like those back in the 60's from non-Legion readers.

Of course, back then, the Legion had Jan and Cos in pink. That's also how the speculation about Jan's orientation got started.

Then Cockrum came in and redesigned everyone. Jan got a perm, Cos got what looked like a leather corset. And the specualtion became rampant.

With all of that going on, it's no suprise that gay comic book readers would be curious about the title and pick it up. Once they did, they'd get hooked because of the diversity, positive outlook, and lack of macho attitudes as mentioned by others (and, to be honest, the plethora of good looking young bucks! )

Voila! Instant gay following!

Us gays like the good stuff!

I never heard this but I'm not exactly surprised. Of gay comic readers I know there seem to be a surprising number of them who are Legion fans. I think it just means we've got good taste.

Real life or here doesn't make much difference to me. The shop owner where I go knows I'm gay and doesn't care one way or the other. We actually spend a lot of time talking about a fairly wide range of topics. Next week I'll have to ask him if he's noticed a disproportionate number of gay LSH readers. From what I understand there aren't that many Legion readers in his shop.

As an "isolated fan" I was unaware of this also, matter of fact I asked (one of my first posts) why there was such an obsession with the sexuality of the characters on this board. So if this board is a reflection of other Legion fandom I would guess the rep came from all the fans discussing the sexuality of the characters! Other than the occaisional "men in tights", or "nice outfit you picked for that teen sidekick Bats" comments I don't think too many people give a serious second thought to the sexuality of most of the Justice Leaguers (boy, I can just see the posts that will pop up after I say that). Plus, with 20+ members in the Legion at any given time the writers couldn't take the time to establish a big private life for each member, leaves a lot of room for imaginations to wander.
I think most heterosexuals tend to assume, justifiably percentage-wise, that most of the characters (and indeed most people they meet who don't "act gay" in their opinion) are also heterosexual, so by some shaky inductive pseudo-logic the assumption is if you question a characters sexual preferences it is because your own is "other".

Atleast my experience...nearly all the big Legion fans I knew were gay. Then I read somewhere what a big gay following they had.

But all of my old school legion net buddies are gay.

Jorge

hmmm...I just thought everyone I talked to on the MBs was gay. well, a high percentage of gay members is a rep I can live with. Beats the hell out of the "all green lantern fans are psychotic" rep those cats earned on the old DCMBs.