A supposed requt for a webse for a same-sex weddg played a mor role a major clash between ee speech and gay rights at the Supreme Court.
Contents:
- WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT A SEEMGLY FAKE DOCUMENT A GAY RIGHTS CASE
- GAY RIGHTS VS. FREE SPEECHSUPREME COURT BACKS WEB DIGNER OPPOSED TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
- HOW THE X-MEN HELPED FORETELL OUR CIVIL RIGHTS FUTUREILLTRATN BY ADAM WAO GET OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTERSTAY THE KNOW ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENG LLECTIBL, NFTS, CULTURE, AND VTG.YOU'RE ON THE LIST!LOOK OUT FOR OTIS EMAILS YOUR BOX EVERY WEEK. DOWNLOAD THE APP TO START VTG NOW.OOPS! SOMETHG WENT WRONG WHILE SUBMTG THE FORM.HOW THE X-MEN HELPED FORETELL OUR CIVIL RIGHTS FUTUREAUGT 27, 2020JAM CHARISMAIN 1963, THE UNED STAT WAS HTG A BREAKG POT.SCE THE END OF THE CIVIL WAR, “SEPARATE BUT EQUAL” JIM CROW LAWS — SEGREGATN POLICI THAT ENFORCED SOCIAL AND ENOMIC OPPRSN AGAST BLACK AMERINS FOR NEARLY A CENTURY — WERE BEG CREASGLY CHALLENGED BY A SERI OF NATNWI PROTTS: S-S AT PUBLIC PARKS, LIBRARI, MMS, AND DGSTORE LUNCH UNTERS; B RIS THROUGH THE DEEP SOUTH TO TT RECENT ANTI-SEGREGATN LGS. IN AUGT 1963, SPE ACTIVISTS RECEIVG THREATS OF BOMBGS AND ASSASSATNS, CLOSE TO 250,000 PEOPLE MARCHED ON WASHGTON D.C. ON BEHALF OF ENOMIC AND CIVIL RIGHTS FOR PEOPLE OF LOR. LS THAN TWO WEEKS LATER, A DIFFERENT TYPE OF DOCUMENT WAS PUBLISHED; NOT BY CONGRS, BUT A PANY LLED MARVEL.IMAGE VIA MARVELIT WAS A IC BOOK ABOUT A RACE OF PEOPLE WHO, BEE OF THEIR GEIC MAKP, WERE NSIRED SEND-CLASS CIZENS, EHER TO BE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF OR EXTERMATED. AMONG THE MUTANT OUTSTS, SEVERAL HAD BAND TOGETHER TO FORM A POWERFUL TEAM OF HERO THAT WORKED TOWARDS PEACE AND EQUALY FOR ALL HUMANS A WORLD MARKED BY STRONG ANTI-MUTANT BIGOTRY. THEY WERE LLED THE X-MEN.“NORMAL PEOPLE FEARED ME, DISTSTED ME! I REALIZED THE HUMAN RACE IS NOT YET READY TO ACCEPT THOSE WH EXTRA POWERS,” THE GROUP’S LEAR, PROFSOR X, EXPLAS TO NEW REC JEAN GREY THE FIRST ISSUE. “HERE WE STAY, UNSPECTED BY NORMAL HUMANS, AS WE LEARN TO E OUR POWERS FOR THE BENEF OF MANKD … TO HELP THOSE WHO WOULD DISTST IF THEY KNEW OF OUR EXISTENCE.”AT THE TIME, X-MEN CREATORS STAN LEE AND JACK KIRBY MAY HAVE SIMPLY WANTED TO TRODUCE CHARACTERS WHO DIDN’T REQUIRE A PLEX EXPLANATN FOR HOW THEY GOT THEIR POWERS: “I ULDN’T HAVE EVERYBODY BTEN BY A RADACTIVE SPIR OR ZAPPED WH GAMMA RAYS, AND OCCURRED TO ME THAT IF I JT SAID THAT THEY WERE MUTANTS, WOULD MAKE EASY,” LEE SAID A 2000 TERVIEW WH THE GUARDIAN. “INSTEAD OF THEM JT BEG HERO THAT EVERYBODY ADMIRED, WHAT IF I MA OTHER PEOPLE FEAR AND SPECT AND ACTUALLY HATE THEM BEE THEY WERE DIFFERENT? … IT WAS A GOOD METAPHOR FOR WHAT WAS HAPPENG WH THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT THE UNTRY AT THAT TIME.”BUT LEE AND KIRBY WERE ALSO NO STRANGERS TO STGGL FOR CIVIL EQUALY.BORN STANLEY LIEBER AND JACK KURTZBERG, BOTH MEN ME OM WORKG-CLASS JEWISH IMMIGRANT FAI MANHATTAN AND HELPED THE U.S. ARMY FIGHT NAZIS DURG WORLD WAR II. IN THE BACK PAG OF MOST IC ISSU BEGNG 1967, LEE STARTED WRG A MONTHLY LUMN HE TLED, “STAN’S SOAPBOX,” WHICH HE ED TO PREVIEW UPG CHARACTERS, PLAYFULLY PROVOKE OTHER IC PUBLISHERS, AND MENT ON REAL-WORLD EVENTS. IN HIS LUMN, LEE WOULD LL OUT BIGOTRY AND RACISM AS “AMONG THE ADLIT SOCIAL ILLS PLAGUG THE WORLD TODAY” AND THAT “’S TOTALLY IRRATNAL, PATENTLY SANE TO NMN AN ENTIRE RACE…” STAN LEE. PICTURE BY GAGE SKIDMORE; LICENSE CC BY-SA 2.DPE ORIGALLY GOG OUT OF PRT 1970, THE IC WAS LATER RURRECTED AND NTUED TO BREAK BARRIERS. IN 1975, AN “ALL-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT” X-MEN TEAM (WHICH MARVEL’S MANAGEMENT TENTNALLY AIMED AT APPEALG TO TERNATNAL REARS) TRODUCED A DIVERSE ST THAT FEATURED A HARLEM-BORN, KENYAN-AMERIN GODSS OF WEATHER (STORM); A SOLAR-POWERED JAPANE EEDOM FIGHTER (SUNFIRE); A NATIVE AMERIN FORMER MARE (THUNRBIRD); AN ATHEIST SOVIET PACIFIST AND PATER (COLOSS); AN IRISH FORMER INTERPOL AGENT (BANSHEE); A TELEPORTG GERMAN CATHOLIC EX-CIRC PERFORMER (NIGHTCRAWLER); AND A GFF, CIGAR-CHOMPG CANADIAN (WOLVERE).IT WAS SENTIALLY A BRAND NEW TEAM, SELF VELOPED BY A BRAND NEW TEAM, WH THEN-24-YEAR-OLD CHRIS CLAREMONT AT THE HELM AS LEAD WRER. THE BRISH-BORN CLAREMONT KNEW WHAT FELT LIKE TO BE AN OUTSIR AMERI AND BROUGHT THE NOTN OF PREJUDICE TO THE FOREONT. “THE X-MEN ARE HATED, FEARED, AND SPISED LLECTIVELY BY HUMANY FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN THAT THEY ARE MUTANTS,” CLAREMONT SAID 1981. “SO WHAT WE HAVE HERE, TEND OR NOT, IS A BOOK THAT IS ABOUT RACISM, BIGOTRY, AND PREJUDICE.”IT WAS CLAREMONT WHO NNECTED PROFSOR X’S DREAM OF MUTANTS AND HUMANS PEACEFULLY EXISTG ALONGSI THE DREAM OF MART LUTHER KG JR. HE ALSO MA LONGTIME X-MEN ADVERSARY MAGO A SURVIVOR OF THE HOLOT, WHICH GAVE SOME JTIFITN TO THE CHARACTER’S ANGER AND DISTST OF HUMANY. (THOUGH WOULD BE LATER, VIA A LE OF DIALOGUE OM THE FIRST X-MEN MOVIE 2000—“BY ANY MEANS NECSARY”—THAT WOULD HELP ALIGN MAGO CLOSER TO MALLM X.) “IF THEY ARE WILLG TO GIVE MY DREAM A CHANCE, THEN SO AM I,” PROFSOR X TELLS MAGO X-MEN: GOD LOV, MAN KILLS. “BUT SHOULD YOU FAIL,” MAGO CRYPTILLY WARNS THE X-MEN LATER THE GRAPHIC NOVEL, “ WILL BE MY TURN.”IMAGE VIA MARVELWRTEN BY CHRIS CLAREMONT 1982, X-MEN: GOD LOV, MAN KILLS REPRENTED A TURNG POT THE POP CULTURE INTY OF THE X-MEN. AS THE 1970S BEME THE ‘80S AND THE 20TH CENTURY WORE ON, THE IC ME TO ENPASS ANOTHER HUMAN RIGHTS STGGLE: THE RISG LGBTQ+ MOVEMENT AND QUEER CULTURE THE UNED STAT. IN THE CRILLY ACCLAIMED GRAPHIC NOVEL, A FIRE AND BRIMSTONE PREACHER NAMED WILLIAM STRYKER TELEVANGELISM TO WAGE WAR AGAST THE X-MEN, CLARG ALL MUTANTS TO BE “AN AFONT” TO GOD. STRYKER’S GOAL IS THE MASS EXTERMATN OF ALL MUTANTS; EVEN AFTER FOILG HIS LERAL PLANS OF VLENCE, THE X-MEN ARE STILL FORCED TO FEAT THE PREACHER G WORDS STEAD OF SUPERPOWERS TO BAT HIS MSAGE OF HUMAN SUPREMACY ON NATNAL TELEVISN: “IF WE DON’T STAND UP TO [STRYKER’S BELIEFS] — HERE AND NOW — THEN ALL WE’VE DONE IS LAY AN EVABLE HOLOT,” SAYS CYCLOPS.LIKE THE “LAVENR SRE” OF THE 1940S AND ‘50S, WHICH CREATED A MORAL PANIC THE UNED STAT ABOUT GAY MEN AND LBIANS BEG SUPPOSED MUNIST SYMPATHIZERS AND RISKS TO NATNAL SECURY, STRYKER ATTEMPTS TO NVCE HIS DIENCE THAT MUTANTS POSE A SIARLY VISIBLE THREAT AGAST THE RT OF THE “MON FOLK[S]” OF THE POPULATN.IN 1993, MARVEL TRODUCED THE LEGACY VIS. IT WAS A VASTATG PLAGUE THAT DISPTED THE PRODUCTN OF HEALTHY CELLS MUTANTS, RULTG FATIGUE, FEVER, BAD UGH, SK LNS, AND, EVENTUALLY, ATH. A THLY VEILED PARISON TO THE HIV EPIMIC AND AIDS CRISIS, THE LEGACY VIS WAS NICKNAMED “THE MUTANT PLAGUE” AND FIRST PRODUCED THE ICS AS A WEAPON CREATED AGAST MUTANTS.FEARS SURROUNDG THE LEGACY VIS LEAD TO BIGGER NONTATNS BETWEEN HUMANS AND MUTANTS (HOMO SAPIENS AND “HOMO SUPERR,” AS SCRIBED THE ICS). BEHD THE SCEN, LONGTIME X-MEN ALLY AND NONMUTANT MOIRA MACTAGGERT WORKED ON VELOPG A CURE FOR THE LEGACY VIS—THOUGH ULTIMATELY, ’S ONLY AFTER NON-MUTANT HUMANS BEE DIAGNOSED WH THE LEGACY VIS IS A CURE DISVERED FOR THE DISEASE.A “CURE” FOR THE MUTANT GENE IS THE FOC OF THE THIRD FILM THE ORIGAL X-MEN FILM TRILOGY, 2006’S X-MEN: THE LAST STAND, WHICH PS THE X-MEN AGAST AN ARMY OF MUTANTS ASSEMBLED BY MAGO OVER WHAT MANY BELIEVE TO BE THE EVENTUAL FORCED EXTERMATN OF THE MUTANT RACE. “IT’S ABHORRENT TO ME, AS WOULD BE IF A PERSON SAID I NEED CURG OF MY SEXUALY, OR IF SOMEONE SAID THAT BLACK PEOPLE ULD TAKE A PILL THAT WOULD ‘CURE’ THEM OF BEG BLACK,” SAID ACTOR IAN MCKELLEN, WHO WAS ORIGALLY ATTRACTED TO THE ROLE OF MAGO BEE OF THE PARALLELS BETWEEN X-MEN AND THE STGGLE FOR GAY RIGHTS. MANY ELEMENTS OF THE X-MEN FILM ANCHISE, OM THE IC STORYL ED TO SPIRE THE SCREENPLAYS TO THE PICTN OF MUTANTS, HAVE HELPED TO SYMBOLILLY SERVE AS A QUEER PARABLE. IN THE FIRST X-MEN MOVIE, A SENATE HEARG, WHICH IS BEG HELD TO TERME WHETHER OR NOT MUTANTS ARE DANGERO, QUICKLY SCENDS TO A LL FOR MUTANT REGISTRATN TO ALLOW AMERINS “TO CI WHETHER THEY WANT THEIR CHILDREN … TO BE TGHT BY MUTANTS,” AMONG OTHER REASONS. WHEN ICEMAN “ OUT” AS A MUTANT TO HIS PARENTS 2003’S X2, HIS MOTHER ASKS WHETHER HE HAS “EVER TRIED NOT BEG A MUTANT?” IN 2011’S X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, A REFERENCE IS MA TO “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL,” WHILE CHARACTERS E TO INTIFY THEMSELV AS “MUTANT AND PROUD.”IMAGE VIA MARVELOVER 50 YEARS SCE THE X-MEN FIRST BUTED, ’S DIFFICULT TO MEASURE THE X-MEN’S FULL IMPACT FOR PEOPLE OF LOR AND LGBTQ+ MUNI. FOR IC ARTIST YVETTE “Y.” SANRS, WATCHG THE 1992 X-MEN RTOON SERI SPIRED HER TO PICK UP THE RRPONDG ICS—WHICH SPIRED SANRS TO DRAW HER OWN MUTANTS THAT WERE PREDOMANTLY FEMALE, AS WELL AS BLACK, LATO, AND QUEER, G THE IMAG OF X-MEN ARTISTS CHRIS BACHALO AND JOE MADUREIRA AS A BASE. FOR STEPHANIE IJOMA, A GAMER AND NTENT CREATOR WHO GO BY THE HANDLE NNAGA, ICS LIKE X-MEN WERE FORMATIVE TO HER VELOPMENT AS A CREATIVE. “GROWG UP AS A BLACK WOMAN, I OFTEN READ MARVEL ICS AS AN PE,” SHE TOLD THE BBC 2018. “STAN [LEE] CREATED THIS UNIMAGABLE WORLD … HE MA OL AND SPIRED ME TO CREATE MY OWN PLATFORM.” WALKG THROUGH FLAME CON, THE BIGGT LGBTQ+ POP CULTURE NVENTN THE WORLD, 2016, VULTURE WRER MANUEL BETANURT OBSERVED THE BROAD FLUENCE OF X-MEN: ILLTRATORS SELLG FAN ART OF THE CHARACTERS; SPLAYERS DRSG UP LIKE MUTANTS SUCH AS ROGUE, MYSTIQUE, JUBILEE, AND EMMA FROST (MANY AS GENR-BENT VARIATNS OR RIFFG ON VARYG LOOKS OVER THE S); AND X-MEN WRER CHRIS CLAREMONT HOSTG A PANEL ABOUT “PRI AND THE X-MEN.”DPE THE PUBLICY, SOME OF THE MOST MEANGFUL EFFECTS OF THE IC HAVE LIKELY OCCURRED PRIVATE. IN 1994’S UNNNY X-MEN #317, A LETTER WAS PUBLISHED OM A YOUNG WOMAN WHO RECENTLY LOST HER 19-YEAR-OLD BROTHER TO LKEMIA. BEFORE HIS ATH, HE HAD E OUT TO HER, AND HE EXPLAED HIS SEXUAL ORIENTATN WAS WHY HE LIKED THE X-MEN: “BEE THEY WERE MUTANTS, HATED AND FEARED BY SOCIETY FOR JT BEG WHAT THEY WERE,” THE ANONYMO WOMAN WROTE. “HE WAS THE BLUE-FURRED BEAST THAT PEOPLE GLARED AT. HE WAS ROGUE, AAID TO TOUCH OTHER PEOPLE. HE EVEN TOLD ME HE WAS THE ICEMAN, BRAGGG TO HIS IENDS ABOUT WOMEN THAT HE LTED AFTER, BUT REALLY SECURE EP DOWN SI.” (IN THE ICS, ICEMAN WOULD E OUT AS GAY 2015.)“MAYBE ‘MUTANTS’ AQUATELY EMBODY ALL THE DIFFERENC OF HUMANKD TO GET THE POT ACROSS SYMBOLILLY,” THE WOMAN WROTE. “BE PROUD OF YOURSELV. YOU’RE SENDG OUT AN IMPORTANT MSAGE.”COMICSMAGAZERELATED POSTSNO EMS FOUND.VIEW ALLOTIS MAK VTG CULTURE ACCSIBLE.
- ‘X-MEN: FIRST CLASS,’ GAY RIGHTS, AND THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNY
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT A SEEMGLY FAKE DOCUMENT A GAY RIGHTS CASE
AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTA supposed requt for a webse for a same-sex weddg played a mor role a major clash between ee speech and gay rights at the Supreme Supreme Court led last week that a Colorado graphic signer has the right to refe to create webs for same-sex Jiang for The New York TimAfter the Supreme Court led last week that a Colorado graphic signer has the right to refe to create webs for same-sex marriag, crics of the cisn raised qutns about a form clud urt papers the se that appeared to show that a gay uple had sought the servic of the signer, Lorie man who supposedly submted the form said he was unaware of s existence until a reporter for The New Republic lled him. More about Adam LiptakA versn of this article appears prt on, Sectn A, Page 12 of the New York edn wh the headle: Crics Are Qutng a Seemgly Fake Document a Recent Gay Rights Case.
GAY RIGHTS VS. FREE SPEECHSUPREME COURT BACKS WEB DIGNER OPPOSED TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
ImageLorie Smh said her Christian fah requir her to turn away ctomers seekg servic to celebrate same-sex Woolf for The New York TimThe Supreme Court sid on Friday wh a web signer Colorado who said she had a First Amendment right to refe to sign weddg webs for same-sex upl spe a state law that forbids discrimatn agast gay people.
’”The se, though amed as a clash between ee speech and gay rights, was the latt a seri of cisns favor of relig people and groups, notably nservative cisn also appeared to suggt that the rights of L. The liberal jtic viewed as somethg else entirely — a dispute that threatened societal protectns for gay rights and rolled back some recent an impassned dissent, Jtice Sonia Sotomayor warned that the oute signaled a return to a time when people of lor and other mory groups faced open discrimatn.
HOW THE X-MEN HELPED FORETELL OUR CIVIL RIGHTS FUTUREILLTRATN BY ADAM WAO GET OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTERSTAY THE KNOW ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENG LLECTIBL, NFTS, CULTURE, AND VTG.YOU'RE ON THE LIST!LOOK OUT FOR OTIS EMAILS YOUR BOX EVERY WEEK. DOWNLOAD THE APP TO START VTG NOW.OOPS! SOMETHG WENT WRONG WHILE SUBMTG THE FORM.HOW THE X-MEN HELPED FORETELL OUR CIVIL RIGHTS FUTUREAUGT 27, 2020JAM CHARISMAIN 1963, THE UNED STAT WAS HTG A BREAKG POT.SCE THE END OF THE CIVIL WAR, “SEPARATE BUT EQUAL” JIM CROW LAWS — SEGREGATN POLICI THAT ENFORCED SOCIAL AND ENOMIC OPPRSN AGAST BLACK AMERINS FOR NEARLY A CENTURY — WERE BEG CREASGLY CHALLENGED BY A SERI OF NATNWI PROTTS: S-S AT PUBLIC PARKS, LIBRARI, MMS, AND DGSTORE LUNCH UNTERS; B RIS THROUGH THE DEEP SOUTH TO TT RECENT ANTI-SEGREGATN LGS. IN AUGT 1963, SPE ACTIVISTS RECEIVG THREATS OF BOMBGS AND ASSASSATNS, CLOSE TO 250,000 PEOPLE MARCHED ON WASHGTON D.C. ON BEHALF OF ENOMIC AND CIVIL RIGHTS FOR PEOPLE OF LOR. LS THAN TWO WEEKS LATER, A DIFFERENT TYPE OF DOCUMENT WAS PUBLISHED; NOT BY CONGRS, BUT A PANY LLED MARVEL.IMAGE VIA MARVELIT WAS A IC BOOK ABOUT A RACE OF PEOPLE WHO, BEE OF THEIR GEIC MAKP, WERE NSIRED SEND-CLASS CIZENS, EHER TO BE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF OR EXTERMATED. AMONG THE MUTANT OUTSTS, SEVERAL HAD BAND TOGETHER TO FORM A POWERFUL TEAM OF HERO THAT WORKED TOWARDS PEACE AND EQUALY FOR ALL HUMANS A WORLD MARKED BY STRONG ANTI-MUTANT BIGOTRY. THEY WERE LLED THE X-MEN.“NORMAL PEOPLE FEARED ME, DISTSTED ME! I REALIZED THE HUMAN RACE IS NOT YET READY TO ACCEPT THOSE WH EXTRA POWERS,” THE GROUP’S LEAR, PROFSOR X, EXPLAS TO NEW REC JEAN GREY THE FIRST ISSUE. “HERE WE STAY, UNSPECTED BY NORMAL HUMANS, AS WE LEARN TO E OUR POWERS FOR THE BENEF OF MANKD … TO HELP THOSE WHO WOULD DISTST IF THEY KNEW OF OUR EXISTENCE.”AT THE TIME, X-MEN CREATORS STAN LEE AND JACK KIRBY MAY HAVE SIMPLY WANTED TO TRODUCE CHARACTERS WHO DIDN’T REQUIRE A PLEX EXPLANATN FOR HOW THEY GOT THEIR POWERS: “I ULDN’T HAVE EVERYBODY BTEN BY A RADACTIVE SPIR OR ZAPPED WH GAMMA RAYS, AND OCCURRED TO ME THAT IF I JT SAID THAT THEY WERE MUTANTS, WOULD MAKE EASY,” LEE SAID A 2000 TERVIEW WH THE GUARDIAN. “INSTEAD OF THEM JT BEG HERO THAT EVERYBODY ADMIRED, WHAT IF I MA OTHER PEOPLE FEAR AND SPECT AND ACTUALLY HATE THEM BEE THEY WERE DIFFERENT? … IT WAS A GOOD METAPHOR FOR WHAT WAS HAPPENG WH THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT THE UNTRY AT THAT TIME.”BUT LEE AND KIRBY WERE ALSO NO STRANGERS TO STGGL FOR CIVIL EQUALY.BORN STANLEY LIEBER AND JACK KURTZBERG, BOTH MEN ME OM WORKG-CLASS JEWISH IMMIGRANT FAI MANHATTAN AND HELPED THE U.S. ARMY FIGHT NAZIS DURG WORLD WAR II. IN THE BACK PAG OF MOST IC ISSU BEGNG 1967, LEE STARTED WRG A MONTHLY LUMN HE TLED, “STAN’S SOAPBOX,” WHICH HE ED TO PREVIEW UPG CHARACTERS, PLAYFULLY PROVOKE OTHER IC PUBLISHERS, AND MENT ON REAL-WORLD EVENTS. IN HIS LUMN, LEE WOULD LL OUT BIGOTRY AND RACISM AS “AMONG THE ADLIT SOCIAL ILLS PLAGUG THE WORLD TODAY” AND THAT “’S TOTALLY IRRATNAL, PATENTLY SANE TO NMN AN ENTIRE RACE…” STAN LEE. PICTURE BY GAGE SKIDMORE; LICENSE CC BY-SA 2.DPE ORIGALLY GOG OUT OF PRT 1970, THE IC WAS LATER RURRECTED AND NTUED TO BREAK BARRIERS. IN 1975, AN “ALL-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT” X-MEN TEAM (WHICH MARVEL’S MANAGEMENT TENTNALLY AIMED AT APPEALG TO TERNATNAL REARS) TRODUCED A DIVERSE ST THAT FEATURED A HARLEM-BORN, KENYAN-AMERIN GODSS OF WEATHER (STORM); A SOLAR-POWERED JAPANE EEDOM FIGHTER (SUNFIRE); A NATIVE AMERIN FORMER MARE (THUNRBIRD); AN ATHEIST SOVIET PACIFIST AND PATER (COLOSS); AN IRISH FORMER INTERPOL AGENT (BANSHEE); A TELEPORTG GERMAN CATHOLIC EX-CIRC PERFORMER (NIGHTCRAWLER); AND A GFF, CIGAR-CHOMPG CANADIAN (WOLVERE).IT WAS SENTIALLY A BRAND NEW TEAM, SELF VELOPED BY A BRAND NEW TEAM, WH THEN-24-YEAR-OLD CHRIS CLAREMONT AT THE HELM AS LEAD WRER. THE BRISH-BORN CLAREMONT KNEW WHAT FELT LIKE TO BE AN OUTSIR AMERI AND BROUGHT THE NOTN OF PREJUDICE TO THE FOREONT. “THE X-MEN ARE HATED, FEARED, AND SPISED LLECTIVELY BY HUMANY FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN THAT THEY ARE MUTANTS,” CLAREMONT SAID 1981. “SO WHAT WE HAVE HERE, TEND OR NOT, IS A BOOK THAT IS ABOUT RACISM, BIGOTRY, AND PREJUDICE.”IT WAS CLAREMONT WHO NNECTED PROFSOR X’S DREAM OF MUTANTS AND HUMANS PEACEFULLY EXISTG ALONGSI THE DREAM OF MART LUTHER KG JR. HE ALSO MA LONGTIME X-MEN ADVERSARY MAGO A SURVIVOR OF THE HOLOT, WHICH GAVE SOME JTIFITN TO THE CHARACTER’S ANGER AND DISTST OF HUMANY. (THOUGH WOULD BE LATER, VIA A LE OF DIALOGUE OM THE FIRST X-MEN MOVIE 2000—“BY ANY MEANS NECSARY”—THAT WOULD HELP ALIGN MAGO CLOSER TO MALLM X.) “IF THEY ARE WILLG TO GIVE MY DREAM A CHANCE, THEN SO AM I,” PROFSOR X TELLS MAGO X-MEN: GOD LOV, MAN KILLS. “BUT SHOULD YOU FAIL,” MAGO CRYPTILLY WARNS THE X-MEN LATER THE GRAPHIC NOVEL, “ WILL BE MY TURN.”IMAGE VIA MARVELWRTEN BY CHRIS CLAREMONT 1982, X-MEN: GOD LOV, MAN KILLS REPRENTED A TURNG POT THE POP CULTURE INTY OF THE X-MEN. AS THE 1970S BEME THE ‘80S AND THE 20TH CENTURY WORE ON, THE IC ME TO ENPASS ANOTHER HUMAN RIGHTS STGGLE: THE RISG LGBTQ+ MOVEMENT AND QUEER CULTURE THE UNED STAT. IN THE CRILLY ACCLAIMED GRAPHIC NOVEL, A FIRE AND BRIMSTONE PREACHER NAMED WILLIAM STRYKER TELEVANGELISM TO WAGE WAR AGAST THE X-MEN, CLARG ALL MUTANTS TO BE “AN AFONT” TO GOD. STRYKER’S GOAL IS THE MASS EXTERMATN OF ALL MUTANTS; EVEN AFTER FOILG HIS LERAL PLANS OF VLENCE, THE X-MEN ARE STILL FORCED TO FEAT THE PREACHER G WORDS STEAD OF SUPERPOWERS TO BAT HIS MSAGE OF HUMAN SUPREMACY ON NATNAL TELEVISN: “IF WE DON’T STAND UP TO [STRYKER’S BELIEFS] — HERE AND NOW — THEN ALL WE’VE DONE IS LAY AN EVABLE HOLOT,” SAYS CYCLOPS.LIKE THE “LAVENR SRE” OF THE 1940S AND ‘50S, WHICH CREATED A MORAL PANIC THE UNED STAT ABOUT GAY MEN AND LBIANS BEG SUPPOSED MUNIST SYMPATHIZERS AND RISKS TO NATNAL SECURY, STRYKER ATTEMPTS TO NVCE HIS DIENCE THAT MUTANTS POSE A SIARLY VISIBLE THREAT AGAST THE RT OF THE “MON FOLK[S]” OF THE POPULATN.IN 1993, MARVEL TRODUCED THE LEGACY VIS. IT WAS A VASTATG PLAGUE THAT DISPTED THE PRODUCTN OF HEALTHY CELLS MUTANTS, RULTG FATIGUE, FEVER, BAD UGH, SK LNS, AND, EVENTUALLY, ATH. A THLY VEILED PARISON TO THE HIV EPIMIC AND AIDS CRISIS, THE LEGACY VIS WAS NICKNAMED “THE MUTANT PLAGUE” AND FIRST PRODUCED THE ICS AS A WEAPON CREATED AGAST MUTANTS.FEARS SURROUNDG THE LEGACY VIS LEAD TO BIGGER NONTATNS BETWEEN HUMANS AND MUTANTS (HOMO SAPIENS AND “HOMO SUPERR,” AS SCRIBED THE ICS). BEHD THE SCEN, LONGTIME X-MEN ALLY AND NONMUTANT MOIRA MACTAGGERT WORKED ON VELOPG A CURE FOR THE LEGACY VIS—THOUGH ULTIMATELY, ’S ONLY AFTER NON-MUTANT HUMANS BEE DIAGNOSED WH THE LEGACY VIS IS A CURE DISVERED FOR THE DISEASE.A “CURE” FOR THE MUTANT GENE IS THE FOC OF THE THIRD FILM THE ORIGAL X-MEN FILM TRILOGY, 2006’S X-MEN: THE LAST STAND, WHICH PS THE X-MEN AGAST AN ARMY OF MUTANTS ASSEMBLED BY MAGO OVER WHAT MANY BELIEVE TO BE THE EVENTUAL FORCED EXTERMATN OF THE MUTANT RACE. “IT’S ABHORRENT TO ME, AS WOULD BE IF A PERSON SAID I NEED CURG OF MY SEXUALY, OR IF SOMEONE SAID THAT BLACK PEOPLE ULD TAKE A PILL THAT WOULD ‘CURE’ THEM OF BEG BLACK,” SAID ACTOR IAN MCKELLEN, WHO WAS ORIGALLY ATTRACTED TO THE ROLE OF MAGO BEE OF THE PARALLELS BETWEEN X-MEN AND THE STGGLE FOR GAY RIGHTS. MANY ELEMENTS OF THE X-MEN FILM ANCHISE, OM THE IC STORYL ED TO SPIRE THE SCREENPLAYS TO THE PICTN OF MUTANTS, HAVE HELPED TO SYMBOLILLY SERVE AS A QUEER PARABLE. IN THE FIRST X-MEN MOVIE, A SENATE HEARG, WHICH IS BEG HELD TO TERME WHETHER OR NOT MUTANTS ARE DANGERO, QUICKLY SCENDS TO A LL FOR MUTANT REGISTRATN TO ALLOW AMERINS “TO CI WHETHER THEY WANT THEIR CHILDREN … TO BE TGHT BY MUTANTS,” AMONG OTHER REASONS. WHEN ICEMAN “ OUT” AS A MUTANT TO HIS PARENTS 2003’S X2, HIS MOTHER ASKS WHETHER HE HAS “EVER TRIED NOT BEG A MUTANT?” IN 2011’S X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, A REFERENCE IS MA TO “DON’T ASK, DON’T TELL,” WHILE CHARACTERS E TO INTIFY THEMSELV AS “MUTANT AND PROUD.”IMAGE VIA MARVELOVER 50 YEARS SCE THE X-MEN FIRST BUTED, ’S DIFFICULT TO MEASURE THE X-MEN’S FULL IMPACT FOR PEOPLE OF LOR AND LGBTQ+ MUNI. FOR IC ARTIST YVETTE “Y.” SANRS, WATCHG THE 1992 X-MEN RTOON SERI SPIRED HER TO PICK UP THE RRPONDG ICS—WHICH SPIRED SANRS TO DRAW HER OWN MUTANTS THAT WERE PREDOMANTLY FEMALE, AS WELL AS BLACK, LATO, AND QUEER, G THE IMAG OF X-MEN ARTISTS CHRIS BACHALO AND JOE MADUREIRA AS A BASE. FOR STEPHANIE IJOMA, A GAMER AND NTENT CREATOR WHO GO BY THE HANDLE NNAGA, ICS LIKE X-MEN WERE FORMATIVE TO HER VELOPMENT AS A CREATIVE. “GROWG UP AS A BLACK WOMAN, I OFTEN READ MARVEL ICS AS AN PE,” SHE TOLD THE BBC 2018. “STAN [LEE] CREATED THIS UNIMAGABLE WORLD … HE MA OL AND SPIRED ME TO CREATE MY OWN PLATFORM.” WALKG THROUGH FLAME CON, THE BIGGT LGBTQ+ POP CULTURE NVENTN THE WORLD, 2016, VULTURE WRER MANUEL BETANURT OBSERVED THE BROAD FLUENCE OF X-MEN: ILLTRATORS SELLG FAN ART OF THE CHARACTERS; SPLAYERS DRSG UP LIKE MUTANTS SUCH AS ROGUE, MYSTIQUE, JUBILEE, AND EMMA FROST (MANY AS GENR-BENT VARIATNS OR RIFFG ON VARYG LOOKS OVER THE S); AND X-MEN WRER CHRIS CLAREMONT HOSTG A PANEL ABOUT “PRI AND THE X-MEN.”DPE THE PUBLICY, SOME OF THE MOST MEANGFUL EFFECTS OF THE IC HAVE LIKELY OCCURRED PRIVATE. IN 1994’S UNNNY X-MEN #317, A LETTER WAS PUBLISHED OM A YOUNG WOMAN WHO RECENTLY LOST HER 19-YEAR-OLD BROTHER TO LKEMIA. BEFORE HIS ATH, HE HAD E OUT TO HER, AND HE EXPLAED HIS SEXUAL ORIENTATN WAS WHY HE LIKED THE X-MEN: “BEE THEY WERE MUTANTS, HATED AND FEARED BY SOCIETY FOR JT BEG WHAT THEY WERE,” THE ANONYMO WOMAN WROTE. “HE WAS THE BLUE-FURRED BEAST THAT PEOPLE GLARED AT. HE WAS ROGUE, AAID TO TOUCH OTHER PEOPLE. HE EVEN TOLD ME HE WAS THE ICEMAN, BRAGGG TO HIS IENDS ABOUT WOMEN THAT HE LTED AFTER, BUT REALLY SECURE EP DOWN SI.” (IN THE ICS, ICEMAN WOULD E OUT AS GAY 2015.)“MAYBE ‘MUTANTS’ AQUATELY EMBODY ALL THE DIFFERENC OF HUMANKD TO GET THE POT ACROSS SYMBOLILLY,” THE WOMAN WROTE. “BE PROUD OF YOURSELV. YOU’RE SENDG OUT AN IMPORTANT MSAGE.”COMICSMAGAZERELATED POSTSNO EMS FOUND.VIEW ALLOTIS MAK VTG CULTURE ACCSIBLE.
”A Colorado law forbids discrimatn agast gay people by bs open to the public as well as statements announcg such discrimatn.
The dissentg jtic, he wrote, foced on “the stris gay Amerins have ma towards securg equal jtice unr law. Kavangh and Amy Coney Barrett, shifted the urt to the urts have generally sid wh gay and lbian upl who were refed service by bakeri, florists and others, lg that potential ctomers are entled to equal treatment, at least parts of the untry wh laws forbiddg discrimatn based on sexual owners of bs challengg those laws have argued that the ernment should not force them to choose between the requirements of their fahs and their livelihoods. A baker refed to make a weddg ke for their receptn on relig Cote for The New York TimHad there been an actual gay person who was refed a weddg-related service at the center of 303 Creative L.
‘X-MEN: FIRST CLASS,’ GAY RIGHTS, AND THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNY
Dale that the anizatn uld exclu gay sutmasters bee opposn to homosexualy is part of the anizatn’s “exprsive msage.
Irish-Amerin Gay, Lbian and Bisexual Group of Boston, Inc., a se om 1995 which the urt sid wh the anizers of a veterans para that blocked a group of gay, lbian and bisexual people om marchg the event. Jtice Sotomayor seemed pecially ncerned about the way the urt’s opn would send a disapprovg msage to the public about people who are gay, lbian, bisexual or transgenr, or who were same-sex relatnships.
Addnally, several stat terpret existg laws agast sex discrimatn to apply to bias relatg to sexual orientatn and genr inty, even though they do not have laws explicly forbiddg such stat that do not offer protectns to gay and transgenr people on those grounds, municipal laws ver many Human Rights Campaign, an L. McCoy for The New York TimThe urt’s cisn favor of a Colorado web signer, Lorie Smh, had an unual feature: It was based on njecture and Smh, who objects to providg weddg-related servic for same-sex marriag, never turned down a gay uple.