They are such perfect people that it's almost expected that they would be supportive of gay rights. Clark and Diana's greatest powers aren't super strength or combat skills, their real power is just caring about others. Not in a supremacist way that is analyzed in superhero fare like Watchmenor The Boys (both of which are fantastic shows, by the way) but simply just because they're kind people.
These two heroes have always represented the best a person can be. In comparison, Superman and Wonder Woman are also excellent allies that a lot of gay people identify with. Bruce Wayne and Batman mean so much more to gay audiences than the other heavy hitters in DC because his story is so wildly understandable. The double-life that Bruce Wayne leads is instantly recognizable to anyone who regularly has to code-switch just to get through an average day. Being Batman is the quintessential gay experience. You don't have to be attacked by clowns and scarecrows to feel a need to protect people from having to deal with the hardships that you have to. You don't have to spend over a decade training as a ninja to understand the feeling of putting on a mask to hide your identity. You don't have to witness your parents being shot in an alleyway as a child to feel sadness and a sense of being betrayed by the world just for existing.
Having not been much of a comic reader prior to this, the character and lore of Batman had to be explained to Conroy, and, almost immediately, he seemed to understand his pain. A fact that became abundantly more clear as Conroy told his own story.Īt a crescendo of sadness and being at rock bottom, Conroy described the Batman audition process. We are not that far removed from the Stonewall riots, people. People were shot and killed just for daring to be out in public at a place that was typically safe for them to go. It was horrible, and it still continues to be horrible. If you weren't there that night, most local LGBTQIA+ people at least knew someone who had friends there. The absolute tragedy that happened that night did not go unfelt by the community. This was not too far away from where I was living at the time, and a city I spent three years living in shortly after. I have reminded people of the severity of this by simply recounting how it was only six years ago when the mass shooting at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando occurred. It sounds like an over-exaggeration, and a lot of people who don't understand will almost always call you overdramatic. All to simply not be, at best, rejected by the people you love, or at worst, getting attacked or killed. The other nicer and more open, where you can actually be yourself around people that you trust with all of your heart. One outward presenting, repressing basic parts of your personality, and hiding things about yourself to avoid being berated for just existing. Gay people are still dealing with the rejection from communities, the harassment from others for daring to be just a little open, and being forced to live a double life. This adds another layer of sadness, knowing that not much has really changed in the past 50-60 years. As someone who grew up in the suburbs of the bible belt, the brand of homophobia he experienced rings all too true. On top of that, he was growing up in the suburbs of a predominantly Catholic family and area. He described his life growing up with a brother who suffered from schizophrenia and parents who were in an abusive marriage that was breaking at the seams. Conroy told of his life up until auditioning for Batman, in mostly chronological order, but written from the perspective of him looking back at it in the present day. And sadly, the struggles he described are ones all too familiar to the vast majority of gay fans, making his story even more impactful. This is why it was surprising to read his personal story, called Finding Batman, about how the struggles of his life contributed to his Batman performance. A lot of people would even argue that he is the best actor to take on the role of The Dark Knight.
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