A Savant And Creote Thing…
Okay, as I said elsewhere, this was where their story was always going to go. It’s been the plan since my first year on the book. And the response from the lgbtq community has been absolutely heart-melting. I thank all the people that sent kind notes and emotional letters and met me at St. Louis Project Comic Con 2 to tell me what the story meant to you. I don’t deserve readers that wonderful but I’m NOT GIVING YOU BACK so there.
But man, the weirdest thing happened. I feel kind of odd bringing it up because I haven’t processed it yet. But over and over I had straight people, mostly guys but some girls too, coming up and saying they loved the scene. I mean, one near exact quote was a nice-looking guy who came up and said, “That was the sweetest, most romantic thing I’d seen in comics in years, and I’m a straight guy!”
On the one hand, it’s totally taken me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting it. I’ve had so much crap thrown at me this year (some of it well-deserved, some of it not so much) and have read so much homophobic stuff that I guess deep down I have to admit that I had girded myself for some negative comments or at least some snark about the scene from some het corners. And I don’t want to bash the readership that doesn’t deserve it, but we’ve all seen that there’s still a lot of dumbass homophobia out there.
So I was prepare a little for that, mentally. It’s not that I was worried, because I really don’t worry that much what some people think. But I was prepared.
Let me tell you a little story. This took place in a foreign country, a beautiful place that is one of my favorite places in the world and where I, and my family, were treated absolutely wonderfully. I met so many beautiful, kind, and passionate readers there, it was thrilling.
I met several young men, and they were super polite and adorable, and very kind and enthusiastic about my work. So things were going great, right?
Anyway, I’m doing a panel on writing. And one of the young men, a very sweet young guy, I was positive, gets up and asks this question sincerely. I mean, I thought he was kidding in some awful way. But he wasn’t, this was his serious question about how to become a writer.
“Ms. Simone, I love your work and I want to be a writer one day. What I want to know is, how do you write gay characters…”
And I’m thinking, well, this is nice, he’s going to say he likes the way I write gay characters, right?
Except no, he wasn’t.
“…because just the THOUGHT of having to write a gay character makes me want to puke.”
Dead serious, a sincere question. From an otherwise smart, charming, handsome, sweet young man.
I never get choked up during panels, but that made me want to cry. I just felt this wave of despair. I looked around and several people were nodding, they not only found nothing wrong with the question, they were waiting patiently for the answer.
It could have happened anywhere, the country itself isn’t important.
But that’s what you’re dealing with, sometimes. Sometimes it’s hateful, vicious homophobia from bigoted weirdos and sometimes it’s a young man you just want to shake until some sense pops into his head.
Anyway, my point was that I’m used to it. I don’t sit and talk about it because I don’t want to give the impression that I’m some fearless avatar or whatever. The truth is, I don’t give a shit if bigots don’t like me or my books and I’ve had many great laughs at their expense. Because I’m prepared.
But not only has that not happened in this case, but over and over I keep having straight people say that that really meant something to them, to see those two characters embrace and acknowledge each other. Let’s face it, it’s easier for straight guys, as a rule, to read a story where two gorgeous women feel attraction, but men, that’s different, somehow.
But as I say, I kept hearing straight people say they loved it and they were so happy. I haven’t fully figured it out yet, and I’m sure if I kept turning this Rubik’s Cube around and around, I could make it come up as a bad thing somehow, but…
…dang, I don’t know. It seems to me like the idea that a lot of people were looking at two gay men in the opening moments of a tender, loving relationship in a way that seemed to surprise them, that they didn’t expect. It SEEMS like they were not only empathizing with Savant and Creote, but actively rooting for them AND coming out and speaking about it with enthusiasm in public. I’ve been around comics a lot this past several years and I can’t remember seeing anything quite like it, maybe the closest I can think of being so many straight Authority fans being happy when Apollo and Midnighter came out as a couple.
I haven’t got it all figured out yet, but I can’t shake the feeling that it’s a nice thing, that these people are looking at two men in love and they’re moved by it, and happy for those characters and willing to say so. It feels a little bit like a step being taken, however small. Is it wrong to be optimistic about such a thing?
I’m not trying to overstate things. But it happened quite a lot, and it makes me happy.