blog@cliffdweller

I clicked on a link expecting to see pictures of Christian Bale doing Ewan McGreggor from Velvet Goldmine, but instead I was treated to a very interesting read about the history of Batman in this country and how the whole anti-Gay fanatacism keeps rearing it's ugly head here and there.

Here's an excerpt of a claim made in the 1950s:

Batman and Robin, Wertham charged, inhabited "a wish dream of two homosexuals living together." They lived in "sumptuous quarters," unencumbered by wives and girlfriends, with only an aged butler for company. They cared for each other's injuries, frequently shared quarters, and lounged together in dressing gowns. Worse still, both exhibited damning psychological characteristics: proclivities for costumes, dressing up, and fantasy play; secretive behavior and double-lives; little interest in women; and, most damning of all, neurotic compulsions resulting in their violent vigilantism. Indeed, Wertham argued, depictions of Batman and Robin were frequently homoerotic, visually emphasizing Batman's rippling physique and Robins splayed, bare thighs.

More than just Batman stories, it goes on to talk about The Lavender Scare, where being Gay was thought to be an in for the Russians in an assault on our very society.

It's a lengthy, but fascinating read, over at The Belirico Project. Check it out.