'All the Fay' Was the First Show to Take on Gay Reprentatn

Contents:

• YOU THK 'RIVERDALE' IS WILD? WA TIL YOU HEAR ABOUT ROBERTO AGUIRRE-SASA'S GAY ARCHIE PLAY
• ARCHIE, BELOVED IC BOOK IN, DI SAVG GAY IEND
• ‘ALL THE FAY’: INSI THE EARLY EPISO THAT CHALLENGED ARCHIE BUNKER’S VIEW OF GAY PEOPLE
• ARCHIE GO GAYBY BRETT BERKAPRIL 26, 2010SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVETHE GANG AT ARCHIE COMICS, ONE OF THE WORLD’S LONGT-NNG AND MOST POPULAR IC BOOKS EVER, HAS FALLY CID TO QUEER THGS UP A LTLE. THIS FALL, AN OPENLY GAY TEENAGER, KEV KELLER—A HUNKY YOUNG TRANSFER STUNT WH A SQUARE JAW AND A FURROWED BLOND HAIRDO THAT LOOKS NOT UNLIKE A GILD RO MIRROR AME—WILL ENROLL AT RIVERDALE HIGH, IMMEDIATELY DRAWG THE ATTENTN OF BOYS AND GIRLS ALIKE. I SEE THIS AS FURTHER EVINCE OF GLEE’S FLUENCE AS THE GAYT THG TO H THE MASTREAM SCE MANSPG (AND THE PENULTIMATE STEP THE HOMOSEXUAL TAKEOVER OF AMERI). NOW THAT CHRIS COLFER (“KURT”) IS THE NATN’S SWEETHEART, EVERY NOCENT BASTN OF TEENAGER-DOM IS STGGLG TO GET S OWN LTLE HOMO. OBVLY, I SUPPORT THIS ENAVOR. GAY KIDS ARE EVERYWHERE, AND THEY SERVE TO SEE THEMSELV STEREOTYPILLY PORTRAYED AS HOT, POPULAR, BODY-OBSSED, VAPID, AND TWO-DIMENSNAL JT LIKE EVERY OTHER PICTN OF YOUNG PEOPLE POPULAR CULTURE. BUT THIS KEV CHARACTER BEGS A FEW QUTNS ABOUT THE ARCHIE-VERSE.1) IS HE REALLY FIRST? THE LAST TIME I READ AN ARCHIE IC, I WAS PROBABLY ABOUT EIGHT. THEY HAD THEM THE WAG AREA OF THIS WEIRD FAY RTRANT WE ED TO GO TO SUBURBAN DETRO LLED BILL KNAPP'S, WHERE THEY SERVED THIS TENDON-Y CHICKEN AND BISCUS, AND WHERE YOU ULD GET A EE CHOLATE KE IF YOU ME ON YOUR BIRTHDAY. ANYWAY, AS FAR AS I N REMEMBER, THE ENTIRE PLOT OF NEARLY EVERY STORYLE REVOLVED AROUND AN IMPLIED THREE-WAY BETWEEN THE EPONYMO ARCHIE, BTE HEIRS VERONI, AND FLAXEN-HAIRED GIRL-NEXT-DOOR BETTY. MAYBE GIRL-ON-GIRL ACTN LIKE THIS DON’T UNT AS "GAY." OR MAYBE, SCE THE LADI NEVER OFFICIALLY CLARED THEMSELV TO BE LBIANS, KEV IS THE FIRST OUT GAY CHARACTER.WHEN’S THE MOVIE G OUT? ARCHIE HAS BEEN LEFT LANGUISHG WHILE LERALLY EVERY OTHER IC BOOK EVER WRTEN—AND SOME THAT AREN’T EVEN FISHED YET—HAS BEEN MA TO A MAJOR MOTN PICTURE. WHY? BEE THE SERI IS ENTIRELY LACKG BLOOD-SPLATTERG VLENCE, BROODG AND PRSIVE PROTAGONISTS, SK-TIGHT STUM, ERSATZ SUPERPOWERS, HTS AT SEXUAL ISSN, OR NE YEAR-OLDS NSTANTLY SAYG CUNT AND MOTHER-FUCKER LIKE THEY HAVE A TOURETTIAN TIC. INSTEAD, ’S ABOUT A BUNCH OF SIPID, AVERAGE FOOLS WHO DON’T DO ANYTHG BUT DRIVE AROUND, DRK ICE CREAM SODAS, AND OTHERWISE ACT LIKE THEY JT PED OM A DULLED-DOWN VERSN OF BETTY DRAPER’S ADOLCENCE, OR SOME SORT OF VTAGE MCTEEN VENDG MACHE. NOW THAT THEY’VE GOT A GAY, THEY HAVE AN EDGY, -URANT “PROBLEM” AROUND WHICH THEY N BUILD SOMETHG THAT ULD POTENTIALLY REMBLE A PLOT. (ATTENTN STG DIRECTORS: KELLAN LUTZ WOULD MAKE A GREAT KEV, PECIALLY IF HE TAK LOTS OF SHOWERS.)WHO’S HE GOG TO GET WH? IN KEV'S GURAL ISSUE, VERONI GO ALL BONKERS FOR THE SUPER-CREAMY NEWER, AND HE HAS TO LET HER DOWN EASY BY EXPLAG THAT, WHEN TO BREAKFAST, HE PREFERS LKS OVER PATTI. SPEAKG OF MEAT, THIS LEAV KEV SURVEYG THE BUFFET THE BOYS’ LOCKER ROOM FOR A LIKELY SNACK. LET’S EXAME THE OFFERGS AND TRY TO TERME WHERE THE FOOD PYRAMID HE SHOULD SK HIS TEETH.ARCHIE. IS THE WHOLE MENAGE-A-TROIS ANY REALLY JT AN OVER-PENSATORY SMOKCREEN? EVEN IF, AS MOR HAS , ARCHIE JT LIKE TO WATCH, GIVEN HIS BRAH-TASTIC FAD-JEANS-AND-UNTUCKED-SHIRT ENSEMBLE, MY GAYDAR SAYS,“NO.”JUGHEAD. HIS DORKY CROWN READS AS MORE "PRCE" THAN "QUEEN," AND I THK WE ALL KNOW WHAT THE KIDS WERE REALLY REFERRG TO WHEN THEY NICKNAMED HIM NEEDLE NOSE. KEV SAYS, "PASS."REGGIE. HE’S HANDSOME, ATHLETIC, AND HAS THE BIEBER-QUE “HOT BOVER." ALSO, HE LOV TO PULL PRANKS, LIKE OTHER FAMOLY EFFETE TRICKSTERS (BUGS BUNNY, PK PANTHER, JACK SPARROW, TYLER PERRY). BUT WOULD NEARLY 70 YEARS OF ONE-NOTE PLOTL IF HE SUDNLY WASN’T PETG FOR VERONI’S AMORO ATTENTNS, AND THEN WHAT WOULD THE IC BE ABOUT?MOOSE. AN ALL-STAR ATHLETE WHO’S AS SWEET AS A KTEN: TOTAL THREE-BEER-QUEER. I SEE A SENR YEAR FILLED WH DNKEN TANGL THE BACK OF A TCK. BUT MOOSE’S BLACKOUT EXPERIMENTATN AND SHAMEFUL MONDAY MORNG IGNOMY ISN’T THE LOVE KEV SEEKS OR SERV.DILTON. HE’S A BPECTACLED BRAIAC WHO IS ALWAYS READY TO HELP “TUTOR” OTHER STUNTS—PECIALLY MOOSE. A NTERED PEOPLE PLEASER, HE SEEMS LIKE HE’D BE WILLG TO DO WHATEVER TAK TO GA SOCIAL PAL. KEV MIGHT PLUCK A FEW ELEMENTS OM HIS PERDIC TABLE, BUT WOULD PROBABLY QUICKLY TIRE OF HIS SPERATE BOTTOM ACT.CHUCK. HE’S BLACK, HE’S SHAPE, HE’S AN ARTIST, AND—ACRDG TO HIS ONLE B—HIS GIRLIEND NANCY OFTEN GETS PISSED AT “TAKG A BACK SEAT TO HIS OTHER TERTS.” SISTER, I HATE TO BE THE ONE TO BREAK TO YOU, BUT YOUR MAN IS ON THE DL. GAY AND TERRACIAL! THIS IS JT THE KD OF HEAT THE ARCHIE BRAND NEEDS TO MAKE RELEVANT FOR GENERATN G (GAGA, GLEE, AND GOSSIP GIRL). CHUCKY GETS LUCKY![IMAG: ARCHIE COMIC PUBLITNS INC.]BRETT BERK WR GAILY ABOUT CULTURE, POLICS, AND RS FOR , AND IS THE THOR OF THE GAY UNCLE’S GUI TO PARENTG. VIS HIM AT OR FOLLOW HIM ON TWTER.MOST POPULARAND JT LIKE THAT: MICHAEL PATRICK KG KNOWS WHEN THE AUDIENCE TURNED ON CHE DIAZBY CHRIS MURPHYNETFLIX’S MURDGH MURRS IS OFFICIALLY RETURNG FOR SEASON 2: EXCLIVEBY SAVANNAH WALSHHOW MADONNA TURNED THE LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN SET INTO A THREE-RG CIRCBY ER CARLSONBRETT BERK
• ARCHIE COMICS ANNOUNC NEW GAY CHARACTER
• GAY ARCHIE CHARACTER: THE FAL FRONTIERWHAT DO SAY ABOUT PROGRS WHEN THE MOST MASTREAM, MIDDLE-AMERIN IC BOOK TRODUC A GAY CHARACTER? BARBARA SPL ON ARCHIE’S OL NEW HEARTBREAKER.BARBARA SPLUPDATED JUL. 14, 2017 6:10PM EDT / PUBLISHED AUG. 30, 2010 6:36PM EDT  A TEENAGER HAS E OUT RIVERDALE, AND NO, 'S NOT NOTED "WOMAN-HATER" JUGHEAD JON.IF EVER THERE WAS A SIGN OF CHANGG ATTUS TOWARD HOMOSEXUALY, ARCHIE COMICS, THE AGGRSIVELY MASTREAM AND RELENTLSLY WHOLOME IC BOOKS FEATURG REDHEAD ARCHIE ANDREWS AND HIS IENDS, WILL TRODUCE GAY TEEN KEV KELLER VERONI NO. 202, ON SALE SEPTEMBER 1.VETERAN ARCHIE ARTIST DAN PARENT SAYS HE'D BEEN TOYG WH THE IA OF A GAY CHARACTER FOR A WHILE. KEV FALLY ME TO LIFE A STORY MEETG PARENT HAD WH JON GOLDWATER, THE -CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF ARCHIE COMIC PUBLITNS, AND EDOR CHIEF VICTOR GORELICK."WE'RE BATTG STORY IAS AROUND AND DAN SAYS, 'WHAT IF VERONI, WHO'S ABLE TO GET EVERYTHG SHE WANTS, ISN'T ABLE TO GET SOMETHG? WHAT IF A NEW GOOD-LOOKG BOY TO TOWN AND VERONI WANTS TO DATE HIM AND HE TURNS HER DOWN?'" GOLDWATER RELLS AN TERVIEW. "AND I SAY, 'WHY WOULD HE DO THAT?' AND DAN SAYS, 'BEE HE'S GAY.' AND I SAY, 'NOW THAT'S FUNNY. THAT'S A GOOD PREMISE.' " IN PARENT'S STORY, TLED "ISN'T IT BROMANTIC?," KEV ARRIV RIVERDALE AND IMMEDIATELY PIQU THE TERT OF RICH, SPOILED VERONI. AFTER KEV AND JUGHEAD ENJOY SOME HOMOSOCIAL BONDG AT A HAMBURGER-EATG NTT, JUGHEAD WARNS THE NEW KID THAT VERONI ISN'T LIKELY TO STOP PURSUG HIM UNTIL HE RETURNS HER FLIRTATNS. "IT'S NOTHG AGAST HER. I'M GAY," KEV EXPLAS NONCHALANTLY, SHOWG HOW MUCH MORE SUAL G OUT HAS BEE SCE THE X-MEN SUPERHERO NORTHSTAR MA HEADL 1992 WH THIS CLUNKY ANNOUNCEMENT: "FOR WHILE I AM NOT CLED TO DISCS MY SEXUALY WH PEOPLE FOR WHOM IS NONE OF THEIR BS—I AM GAY!"“I LOVE THE IA THAT WHEN JUGHEAD FDS OUT KEV’S GAY, HIS REACTN ISN’T, ‘WHOA, THAT’S WEIRD!’ BUT, ‘HEY, I N TOTALLY E THAT TO PRANK VERONI.’”FAR OM BEG LABORED, KEV'S G OUT FEELS ENTIRELY RELEVANT TO A IC BOOK ABOUT HOW TEENS RELATE. WHAT'S MORE, PARENT KEV'S SEXUALY AS AN GEN PLOT VICE THAT FS SEAMLSLY WH THE WELL-WORN ARCHIE NARRATIVE. "KEV IS GOG TO TELL HER THAT HE'S GAY, BUT JUGHEAD TELLS HIM NOT TO BEE HE ENJOYS SEEG VERONI MAKG A FOOL OF HERSELF," PARENT EXPLAS. "EVERYONE KNOWS HE'S GAY EXCEPT VERONI. BETTY DON'T PH BEE SHE REALIZ IF VERONI IS CHASG KEV THEN SHE'S GOT THE TIME FOR ARCHIE."IF KEV'S SEXUALY ISN'T IMMEDIATELY OBV TO VERONI—WHO, AS RIVERDALE'S MOST URBANE RINT, SHOULD SUPPOSEDLY HAVE THE MOST SOPHISTITED GAYDAR—THAT MIGHT BE BEE OF HOW PARENT HAS DRAWN THE CHARACTER. "HE'S WELL-DRSED, BUT I DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE HIM TOO FLAMBOYANT," THE ARTIST SAYS. "HE N BE METROSEXUAL, BUT I DIDN'T WANT TO PLAY UP TO THE STEREOTYPE. BUT HE IS FASHNABLE, AS MANY YOUNG GUYS ARE." (HE'S EVEN MORE FASHNABLE WHEN IMAGED BY DONATELLA VERSACE, WHO CREATED THE ABOVE RENDN OF KEV EXCLIVELY FOR THE DAILY BEAST.)KEV'S ARRIVAL WAS ANNOUNCED APRIL, AND GOLDWATER DIDN'T WORRY ABOUT PROTTERS STORMG THE GAT. "I REALLY THK WHAT WE'RE DOG REFLECTS WHAT GO ON THE WORLD. I'M REALLY THRILLED WH HOW PEOPLE HAVE REACTED," HE SAYS, ADDG THAT THE FEW ANGRY REARS WHO HAVE NCELED THEIR SUBSCRIPTNS HAVE BEEN FAR OUTNUMBERED BY SUPPORTERS WHO'VE BEE NEW SUBSCRIBERS BEE OF KEV."THERE HAS NOT BEEN THAT MUCH BACKLASH," SAYS PARENT, WHO NOT THAT HIS DGHTER AND GOLDWATER'S DGHTER, BOTH TEENAGERS, HAD BEEN NUDGG THE PANY THIS DIRECTN FOR A WHILE. "I WAS PREPARED, BUT REALLY 'S BEEN OVERWHELMGLY POSIVE. ANYONE UNR 25 THKS 'S A NON-ISSUE. EVEN IENDS OF ME WHO ARE VERY NSERVATIVE, I WASN'T SURE WHAT THEIR TAKE WOULD BE, BUT THEY'RE AT LEAST SAYG, 'I UNRSTAND . IT'S 2010, 'S A DIFFERENT WORLD.' "BY WAY OF PARISON, GORELICK, WHO'S WORKED AT THE PANY FOR 51 YEARS, C THE MAY 2009 ANNOUNCEMENT OF A IC BOOK THAT PICTED ARCHIE SETTLG DOWN WH VERONI. (IT WAS EVENTUALLY FOLLOWED UP BY A BOOK IMAGG AN ALTERNATE FUTURE WH THE MORE OBV CHOICE, BETTY.) "YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE BACKLASH WE GOT WHEN WE ANNOUNCED THAT ARCHIE WAS MARRYG VERONI!" LGHS GORELICK.CHRIS SIMS, A IC-BOOK WRER AND SENR WRER AT WHO BLOGS AT CHRIS'S INVCIBLE SUPER-BLOG, IS AMONG THE ARCHIE FANS APPLDG KEV'S TRODUCTN. "I THK 'S GREAT," HE SAYS AN EMAIL. "THIS IS ARCHIE COMICS, THE LAST BASTN OF IALIZED SMALL-TOWN LIFE, GOG, 'YEP, THIS IS TOTALLY OK.' PL, I LOVE THE IA THAT WHEN JUGHEAD FDS OUT KEV'S GAY, HIS REACTN ISN'T, 'WHOA, THAT'S WEIRD!' BUT, 'HEY, I N TOTALLY E THAT TO PRANK VERONI.' "SIMS ALSO VOIC HIS APPROVAL FOR OTHER RECENT NOVATNS AT ARCHIE, WHICH CLU TWILIGHT AND JERSEY SHORE PARODI AND DIGAL ICS. "A LOT OF THE ARCHIE BOOKS HAVE THIS FEELG TO THEM THAT THEY'RE LIKE OLD FOLKS TRYG TO MAKE JOK THAT KIDS LIKE. THEY DO GAGS ABOUT TEXT MSAGG, BUT OM THE WAY THEY SET THE JOK UP [ SEEMS] THEY'RE NOT QUE SURE WHAT EXACTLY TEXT MSAGG ENTAILS," HE SAYS. "LATELY, THOUGH, THEY'VE REALLY BEEN STEPPG UP THEIR GAME."MUCH OF THIS CHANGE, SUMMARIZED A RECENT NEW YORK TIM PROFILE, N BE ATTRIBUTED TO -CEO GOLDWATER, SON OF JOHN GOLDWATER, WHO -FOUND THE PANY 1939. "ONE OF MY BIG MISSNS G WAS TO NTEMPORIZE ARCHIE," SAYS GOLDWATER, WHO TOOK OVER FOLLOWG THE ATH OF HIS HALF-BROTHER APRIL 2009. "I FELT LIKE THE WORLD WAS MOVG FORWARD AND ARCHIE WAS NOT."AS FOR HOW KEV WILL MOVE FORWARD, PARENT SAYS THE CHARACTER'S NEXT APPEARANCE WILL BE VERONI NO. 205. HIS SEXUALY "IS BROUGHT UP AGA," PARENT SAYS. "THERE WILL BE STORI WHERE ISN'T AN ISSUE.WE'RE TABLISHG THE FACT THAT HE'S GAY AND THEN 'LL E UP WHEN 'S NECSARY."FOR THE FOREEABLE FUTURE, HOWEVER, EXPECT KEV KELLER TO BE TO ARCHIE COMICS WHAT MATT FIELDG WAS TO MELROSE PLACE: THE GAY GUY WHO PLAYS A SUPPORTG ROLE THE DRAMA OF THE STRAIGHTS WHOUT GENERATG MUCH DRAMA OF HIS OWN. "WE HAVEN'T PLANNED ANYTHG LIKE THAT AT THIS POT," GORELICK SAYS WHEN ASKED WHETHER KEV MIGHT GET A BOYIEND DOWN THE ROAD. "HE STILL HAS TO GET TO THE SWG OF THGS WH BEG A STUNT AT RIVERDALE HIGH."BUT WHILE MAY BE YEARS BEFORE KEV GETS TO BRG A DATE TO THE SOCK HOP, THE FOLKS AT ARCHIE, AWARE OF THE SOCIAL MSAGE KEV PROJECTS—"RIVERDALE IS ACCEPTG OF EVERYBODY AND WE HOPE THE WORLD IS ACCEPTG OF EVERYBODY," GOLDWATER SAYS—PROMISE THAT HE'LL BE A PERMANENT MEMBER OF THE GANG. "ESPECIALLY THE GAY MUNY, WE'VE REASSURED PEOPLE THAT WE'RE NOT GOG TO DUMP HIM AFTER THIS," SAYS PARENT. "THE KEV CHARACTER IS HERE TO STAY."PL: CHECK OUT MORE OF THE LATT ENTERTAMENT, FASHN, AND CULTURE VERAGE ON SEXY BEAST—PHOTOS, VIOS, FEATUR, AND TWEETS.BARBARA SPL IS A WRER AND EDOR WHO VERS BOOKS AND CULTURE. SHE HAS NTRIBUTED TO TIME OUT NEW YORK, DETAILS, SP, THE BARN & NOBLE REVIEW, , AND OTHER PUBLITNS. SHE HAS A PH.D. AMERIN STUDI AND LIV BROOKLYN. BARBARA SPL

YOU THK 'RIVERDALE' IS WILD? WA TIL YOU HEAR ABOUT ROBERTO AGUIRRE-SASA'S GAY ARCHIE PLAY

Related: Archie Comics’ gay pal Kev Keller is gettg married.

In 2010, Archie Comics troduced the first-ever gay character s seri’ 70 year history, Kev Keller. Well, at the time the theater's artistic director Sean Daniels said "Archie Comics thought if Archie was portrayed as beg gay, that would dilute and tarnish his image. And was bee he ma Archie gay?

ARCHIE, BELOVED IC BOOK IN, DI SAVG GAY IEND

It reimaged Archie as a gay teen and llege stunt makg his way through the world. However, Kev did not reciprote the feelgs, revealg later on that this was bee he is gay, markg a tone for the imprt as s first character to intify as part of the LGBTQ+ muny.

Kev is picted as beg openly gay the seri as well, formg relatnships wh other characters such as Moose Mason (Cody Kearsley) and Fangs Fogarty (Drew Ray Tanner). "The troductn of Kev, Archie Comics first gay character, igned rears and fans across the untry and 's a ttament to Dan's creative work that Kev is such a posive and everlastg fixture the world of Riverdale.

Kev Keller, the seri’ first openly gay character.

‘ALL THE FAY’: INSI THE EARLY EPISO THAT CHALLENGED ARCHIE BUNKER’S VIEW OF GAY PEOPLE

One example is episo five, “Judgg Books by Covers, ” which prented an unexpected take on the subject of homosexualy — at a time that nobody was alg wh . The All the Fay wiki offers up this plot scriptn: “Archie thks he knows a homosexual when he se one and when Mike v his flamboyant photographer iend Roger (Anthony Geary) to the Bunker hoehold, Archie tomatilly assum that Mike’s iend is a “flamer. ” Retreatg to the safety of Kelcy’s Bar, Archie choos to spend time wh his “he-man” pals, notably his old arm-wrtlg crony Steve (Philip Carey), who, when hearg about Roger, reveals himself to be gay — which Archie never spected.

Televisn historian and thor Jim Colucci, who is currently -wrg wh Norman Lear a 50th-anniversary book voted to All the Fay, ments, “This was a brand new show g blazg out of the gate, bee if they were gog to tackle touchy issu 1971, gay reprentatn was certaly among the touchit. Jim mentns that when he wrote his book Goln Girls Forever, he mented that the first regular gay character on televisn was the short-lived s The Corner Bar, which aired 1972. Gay liberatn and Stonewall had been 1969, so certaly was somethg the world was talkg about.

And the gay muny had started to fd s very nascent voice, but wasn’t beg reprented mastream media and certaly not on televisn. “Not only did they have gay reprentatn, but they also were breakg the harmful stereotyp that were the only thg that day and age people knew about gay people. In 1971 people probably thought all gay people were ty, feme, limp-wristed men wh lisps — jt all the stereotyp.

ARCHIE GO GAYBY BRETT BERKAPRIL 26, 2010SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVETHE GANG AT ARCHIE COMICS, ONE OF THE WORLD’S LONGT-NNG AND MOST POPULAR IC BOOKS EVER, HAS FALLY CID TO QUEER THGS UP A LTLE. THIS FALL, AN OPENLY GAY TEENAGER, KEV KELLER—A HUNKY YOUNG TRANSFER STUNT WH A SQUARE JAW AND A FURROWED BLOND HAIRDO THAT LOOKS NOT UNLIKE A GILD RO MIRROR AME—WILL ENROLL AT RIVERDALE HIGH, IMMEDIATELY DRAWG THE ATTENTN OF BOYS AND GIRLS ALIKE. I SEE THIS AS FURTHER EVINCE OF GLEE’S FLUENCE AS THE GAYT THG TO H THE MASTREAM SCE MANSPG (AND THE PENULTIMATE STEP THE HOMOSEXUAL TAKEOVER OF AMERI). NOW THAT CHRIS COLFER (“KURT”) IS THE NATN’S SWEETHEART, EVERY NOCENT BASTN OF TEENAGER-DOM IS STGGLG TO GET S OWN LTLE HOMO. OBVLY, I SUPPORT THIS ENAVOR. GAY KIDS ARE EVERYWHERE, AND THEY SERVE TO SEE THEMSELV STEREOTYPILLY PORTRAYED AS HOT, POPULAR, BODY-OBSSED, VAPID, AND TWO-DIMENSNAL JT LIKE EVERY OTHER PICTN OF YOUNG PEOPLE POPULAR CULTURE. BUT THIS KEV CHARACTER BEGS A FEW QUTNS ABOUT THE ARCHIE-VERSE.1) IS HE REALLY FIRST? THE LAST TIME I READ AN ARCHIE IC, I WAS PROBABLY ABOUT EIGHT. THEY HAD THEM THE WAG AREA OF THIS WEIRD FAY RTRANT WE ED TO GO TO SUBURBAN DETRO LLED BILL KNAPP'S, WHERE THEY SERVED THIS TENDON-Y CHICKEN AND BISCUS, AND WHERE YOU ULD GET A EE CHOLATE KE IF YOU ME ON YOUR BIRTHDAY. ANYWAY, AS FAR AS I N REMEMBER, THE ENTIRE PLOT OF NEARLY EVERY STORYLE REVOLVED AROUND AN IMPLIED THREE-WAY BETWEEN THE EPONYMO ARCHIE, BTE HEIRS VERONI, AND FLAXEN-HAIRED GIRL-NEXT-DOOR BETTY. MAYBE GIRL-ON-GIRL ACTN LIKE THIS DON’T UNT AS "GAY." OR MAYBE, SCE THE LADI NEVER OFFICIALLY CLARED THEMSELV TO BE LBIANS, KEV IS THE FIRST OUT GAY CHARACTER.WHEN’S THE MOVIE G OUT? ARCHIE HAS BEEN LEFT LANGUISHG WHILE LERALLY EVERY OTHER IC BOOK EVER WRTEN—AND SOME THAT AREN’T EVEN FISHED YET—HAS BEEN MA TO A MAJOR MOTN PICTURE. WHY? BEE THE SERI IS ENTIRELY LACKG BLOOD-SPLATTERG VLENCE, BROODG AND PRSIVE PROTAGONISTS, SK-TIGHT STUM, ERSATZ SUPERPOWERS, HTS AT SEXUAL ISSN, OR NE YEAR-OLDS NSTANTLY SAYG CUNT AND MOTHER-FUCKER LIKE THEY HAVE A TOURETTIAN TIC. INSTEAD, ’S ABOUT A BUNCH OF SIPID, AVERAGE FOOLS WHO DON’T DO ANYTHG BUT DRIVE AROUND, DRK ICE CREAM SODAS, AND OTHERWISE ACT LIKE THEY JT PED OM A DULLED-DOWN VERSN OF BETTY DRAPER’S ADOLCENCE, OR SOME SORT OF VTAGE MCTEEN VENDG MACHE. NOW THAT THEY’VE GOT A GAY, THEY HAVE AN EDGY, -URANT “PROBLEM” AROUND WHICH THEY N BUILD SOMETHG THAT ULD POTENTIALLY REMBLE A PLOT. (ATTENTN STG DIRECTORS: KELLAN LUTZ WOULD MAKE A GREAT KEV, PECIALLY IF HE TAK LOTS OF SHOWERS.)WHO’S HE GOG TO GET WH? IN KEV'S GURAL ISSUE, VERONI GO ALL BONKERS FOR THE SUPER-CREAMY NEWER, AND HE HAS TO LET HER DOWN EASY BY EXPLAG THAT, WHEN TO BREAKFAST, HE PREFERS LKS OVER PATTI. SPEAKG OF MEAT, THIS LEAV KEV SURVEYG THE BUFFET THE BOYS’ LOCKER ROOM FOR A LIKELY SNACK. LET’S EXAME THE OFFERGS AND TRY TO TERME WHERE THE FOOD PYRAMID HE SHOULD SK HIS TEETH.ARCHIE. IS THE WHOLE MENAGE-A-TROIS ANY REALLY JT AN OVER-PENSATORY SMOKCREEN? EVEN IF, AS MOR HAS , ARCHIE JT LIKE TO WATCH, GIVEN HIS BRAH-TASTIC FAD-JEANS-AND-UNTUCKED-SHIRT ENSEMBLE, MY GAYDAR SAYS,“NO.”JUGHEAD. HIS DORKY CROWN READS AS MORE "PRCE" THAN "QUEEN," AND I THK WE ALL KNOW WHAT THE KIDS WERE REALLY REFERRG TO WHEN THEY NICKNAMED HIM NEEDLE NOSE. KEV SAYS, "PASS."REGGIE. HE’S HANDSOME, ATHLETIC, AND HAS THE BIEBER-QUE “HOT BOVER." ALSO, HE LOV TO PULL PRANKS, LIKE OTHER FAMOLY EFFETE TRICKSTERS (BUGS BUNNY, PK PANTHER, JACK SPARROW, TYLER PERRY). BUT WOULD NEARLY 70 YEARS OF ONE-NOTE PLOTL IF HE SUDNLY WASN’T PETG FOR VERONI’S AMORO ATTENTNS, AND THEN WHAT WOULD THE IC BE ABOUT?MOOSE. AN ALL-STAR ATHLETE WHO’S AS SWEET AS A KTEN: TOTAL THREE-BEER-QUEER. I SEE A SENR YEAR FILLED WH DNKEN TANGL THE BACK OF A TCK. BUT MOOSE’S BLACKOUT EXPERIMENTATN AND SHAMEFUL MONDAY MORNG IGNOMY ISN’T THE LOVE KEV SEEKS OR SERV.DILTON. HE’S A BPECTACLED BRAIAC WHO IS ALWAYS READY TO HELP “TUTOR” OTHER STUNTS—PECIALLY MOOSE. A NTERED PEOPLE PLEASER, HE SEEMS LIKE HE’D BE WILLG TO DO WHATEVER TAK TO GA SOCIAL PAL. KEV MIGHT PLUCK A FEW ELEMENTS OM HIS PERDIC TABLE, BUT WOULD PROBABLY QUICKLY TIRE OF HIS SPERATE BOTTOM ACT.CHUCK. HE’S BLACK, HE’S SHAPE, HE’S AN ARTIST, AND—ACRDG TO HIS ONLE B—HIS GIRLIEND NANCY OFTEN GETS PISSED AT “TAKG A BACK SEAT TO HIS OTHER TERTS.” SISTER, I HATE TO BE THE ONE TO BREAK TO YOU, BUT YOUR MAN IS ON THE DL. GAY AND TERRACIAL! THIS IS JT THE KD OF HEAT THE ARCHIE BRAND NEEDS TO MAKE RELEVANT FOR GENERATN G (GAGA, GLEE, AND GOSSIP GIRL). CHUCKY GETS LUCKY![IMAG: ARCHIE COMIC PUBLITNS INC.]BRETT BERK WR GAILY ABOUT CULTURE, POLICS, AND RS FOR , AND IS THE THOR OF THE GAY UNCLE’S GUI TO PARENTG. VIS HIM AT OR FOLLOW HIM ON TWTER.MOST POPULARAND JT LIKE THAT: MICHAEL PATRICK KG KNOWS WHEN THE AUDIENCE TURNED ON CHE DIAZBY CHRIS MURPHYNETFLIX’S MURDGH MURRS IS OFFICIALLY RETURNG FOR SEASON 2: EXCLIVEBY SAVANNAH WALSHHOW MADONNA TURNED THE LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN SET INTO A THREE-RG CIRCBY ER CARLSONBRETT BERK

While any stereotype has some tth, what the episo took pas to show is that never tells you whether Roger, Mike’s iend who wears the ast and is very boistero, and ee talks wh his hands, is gay or not.

But what do show is that the macho man, the nfirmed bachelor who’s an arm wrtler and big and beefy, and a former play player, whom Archie idoliz and hangs out wh the bar all the time, has been gay all the years. “So there was jt so much that the show did, ” Jim pots out, “to give reprentatn to a gay character, which would have been ground breakg enough, but also showed multi-dimensns to what beg gay meant.

This fall, an openly gay teenager, Kev Keller—a hunky young transfer stunt wh a square jaw and a furrowed blond hairdo that looks not unlike a gild Ro mirror ame—will enroll at Riverdale High, immediately drawg the attentn of boys and girls alike.

ARCHIE COMICS ANNOUNC NEW GAY CHARACTER

I see this as further evince of Glee’s fluence as the gayt thg to h the mastream sce manspg (and the penultimate step the homosexual takeover of Ameri). Now that Chris Colfer (“Kurt”) is the natn’s sweetheart, every nocent bastn of teenager-dom is stgglg to get s own ltle homo. Gay kids are everywhere, and they serve to see themselv stereotypilly portrayed as hot, popular, body-obssed, vapid, and two-dimensnal jt like every other pictn of young people popular culture.

Maybe girl-on-girl actn like this don’t unt as "gay. " Or maybe, sce the ladi never officially clared themselv to be lbians, Kev is the first out gay ’s the movie g out? Now that they’ve got a gay, they have an edgy, -urant “problem” around which they n build somethg that uld potentially remble a plot.

Even if, as mor has , Archie jt like to watch, given his brah-tastic fad-jeans-and-untucked-shirt ensemble, my gaydar says, “No. Gay and terracial!

GAY ARCHIE CHARACTER: THE FAL FRONTIERWHAT DO SAY ABOUT PROGRS WHEN THE MOST MASTREAM, MIDDLE-AMERIN IC BOOK TRODUC A GAY CHARACTER? BARBARA SPL ON ARCHIE’S OL NEW HEARTBREAKER.BARBARA SPLUPDATED JUL. 14, 2017 6:10PM EDT / PUBLISHED AUG. 30, 2010 6:36PM EDT  A TEENAGER HAS E OUT RIVERDALE, AND NO, 'S NOT NOTED "WOMAN-HATER" JUGHEAD JON.IF EVER THERE WAS A SIGN OF CHANGG ATTUS TOWARD HOMOSEXUALY, ARCHIE COMICS, THE AGGRSIVELY MASTREAM AND RELENTLSLY WHOLOME IC BOOKS FEATURG REDHEAD ARCHIE ANDREWS AND HIS IENDS, WILL TRODUCE GAY TEEN KEV KELLER VERONI NO. 202, ON SALE SEPTEMBER 1.VETERAN ARCHIE ARTIST DAN PARENT SAYS HE'D BEEN TOYG WH THE IA OF A GAY CHARACTER FOR A WHILE. KEV FALLY ME TO LIFE A STORY MEETG PARENT HAD WH JON GOLDWATER, THE -CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF ARCHIE COMIC PUBLITNS, AND EDOR CHIEF VICTOR GORELICK."WE'RE BATTG STORY IAS AROUND AND DAN SAYS, 'WHAT IF VERONI, WHO'S ABLE TO GET EVERYTHG SHE WANTS, ISN'T ABLE TO GET SOMETHG? WHAT IF A NEW GOOD-LOOKG BOY TO TOWN AND VERONI WANTS TO DATE HIM AND HE TURNS HER DOWN?'" GOLDWATER RELLS AN TERVIEW. "AND I SAY, 'WHY WOULD HE DO THAT?' AND DAN SAYS, 'BEE HE'S GAY.' AND I SAY, 'NOW THAT'S FUNNY. THAT'S A GOOD PREMISE.' " IN PARENT'S STORY, TLED "ISN'T IT BROMANTIC?," KEV ARRIV RIVERDALE AND IMMEDIATELY PIQU THE TERT OF RICH, SPOILED VERONI. AFTER KEV AND JUGHEAD ENJOY SOME HOMOSOCIAL BONDG AT A HAMBURGER-EATG NTT, JUGHEAD WARNS THE NEW KID THAT VERONI ISN'T LIKELY TO STOP PURSUG HIM UNTIL HE RETURNS HER FLIRTATNS. "IT'S NOTHG AGAST HER. I'M GAY," KEV EXPLAS NONCHALANTLY, SHOWG HOW MUCH MORE SUAL G OUT HAS BEE SCE THE X-MEN SUPERHERO NORTHSTAR MA HEADL 1992 WH THIS CLUNKY ANNOUNCEMENT: "FOR WHILE I AM NOT CLED TO DISCS MY SEXUALY WH PEOPLE FOR WHOM IS NONE OF THEIR BS—I AM GAY!"“I LOVE THE IA THAT WHEN JUGHEAD FDS OUT KEV’S GAY, HIS REACTN ISN’T, ‘WHOA, THAT’S WEIRD!’ BUT, ‘HEY, I N TOTALLY E THAT TO PRANK VERONI.’”FAR OM BEG LABORED, KEV'S G OUT FEELS ENTIRELY RELEVANT TO A IC BOOK ABOUT HOW TEENS RELATE. WHAT'S MORE, PARENT KEV'S SEXUALY AS AN GEN PLOT VICE THAT FS SEAMLSLY WH THE WELL-WORN ARCHIE NARRATIVE. "KEV IS GOG TO TELL HER THAT HE'S GAY, BUT JUGHEAD TELLS HIM NOT TO BEE HE ENJOYS SEEG VERONI MAKG A FOOL OF HERSELF," PARENT EXPLAS. "EVERYONE KNOWS HE'S GAY EXCEPT VERONI. BETTY DON'T PH BEE SHE REALIZ IF VERONI IS CHASG KEV THEN SHE'S GOT THE TIME FOR ARCHIE."IF KEV'S SEXUALY ISN'T IMMEDIATELY OBV TO VERONI—WHO, AS RIVERDALE'S MOST URBANE RINT, SHOULD SUPPOSEDLY HAVE THE MOST SOPHISTITED GAYDAR—THAT MIGHT BE BEE OF HOW PARENT HAS DRAWN THE CHARACTER. "HE'S WELL-DRSED, BUT I DIDN'T WANT TO MAKE HIM TOO FLAMBOYANT," THE ARTIST SAYS. "HE N BE METROSEXUAL, BUT I DIDN'T WANT TO PLAY UP TO THE STEREOTYPE. BUT HE IS FASHNABLE, AS MANY YOUNG GUYS ARE." (HE'S EVEN MORE FASHNABLE WHEN IMAGED BY DONATELLA VERSACE, WHO CREATED THE ABOVE RENDN OF KEV EXCLIVELY FOR THE DAILY BEAST.)KEV'S ARRIVAL WAS ANNOUNCED APRIL, AND GOLDWATER DIDN'T WORRY ABOUT PROTTERS STORMG THE GAT. "I REALLY THK WHAT WE'RE DOG REFLECTS WHAT GO ON THE WORLD. I'M REALLY THRILLED WH HOW PEOPLE HAVE REACTED," HE SAYS, ADDG THAT THE FEW ANGRY REARS WHO HAVE NCELED THEIR SUBSCRIPTNS HAVE BEEN FAR OUTNUMBERED BY SUPPORTERS WHO'VE BEE NEW SUBSCRIBERS BEE OF KEV."THERE HAS NOT BEEN THAT MUCH BACKLASH," SAYS PARENT, WHO NOT THAT HIS DGHTER AND GOLDWATER'S DGHTER, BOTH TEENAGERS, HAD BEEN NUDGG THE PANY THIS DIRECTN FOR A WHILE. "I WAS PREPARED, BUT REALLY 'S BEEN OVERWHELMGLY POSIVE. ANYONE UNR 25 THKS 'S A NON-ISSUE. EVEN IENDS OF ME WHO ARE VERY NSERVATIVE, I WASN'T SURE WHAT THEIR TAKE WOULD BE, BUT THEY'RE AT LEAST SAYG, 'I UNRSTAND . IT'S 2010, 'S A DIFFERENT WORLD.' "BY WAY OF PARISON, GORELICK, WHO'S WORKED AT THE PANY FOR 51 YEARS, C THE MAY 2009 ANNOUNCEMENT OF A IC BOOK THAT PICTED ARCHIE SETTLG DOWN WH VERONI. (IT WAS EVENTUALLY FOLLOWED UP BY A BOOK IMAGG AN ALTERNATE FUTURE WH THE MORE OBV CHOICE, BETTY.) "YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE BACKLASH WE GOT WHEN WE ANNOUNCED THAT ARCHIE WAS MARRYG VERONI!" LGHS GORELICK.CHRIS SIMS, A IC-BOOK WRER AND SENR WRER AT WHO BLOGS AT CHRIS'S INVCIBLE SUPER-BLOG, IS AMONG THE ARCHIE FANS APPLDG KEV'S TRODUCTN. "I THK 'S GREAT," HE SAYS AN EMAIL. "THIS IS ARCHIE COMICS, THE LAST BASTN OF IALIZED SMALL-TOWN LIFE, GOG, 'YEP, THIS IS TOTALLY OK.' PL, I LOVE THE IA THAT WHEN JUGHEAD FDS OUT KEV'S GAY, HIS REACTN ISN'T, 'WHOA, THAT'S WEIRD!' BUT, 'HEY, I N TOTALLY E THAT TO PRANK VERONI.' "SIMS ALSO VOIC HIS APPROVAL FOR OTHER RECENT NOVATNS AT ARCHIE, WHICH CLU TWILIGHT AND JERSEY SHORE PARODI AND DIGAL ICS. "A LOT OF THE ARCHIE BOOKS HAVE THIS FEELG TO THEM THAT THEY'RE LIKE OLD FOLKS TRYG TO MAKE JOK THAT KIDS LIKE. THEY DO GAGS ABOUT TEXT MSAGG, BUT OM THE WAY THEY SET THE JOK UP [ SEEMS] THEY'RE NOT QUE SURE WHAT EXACTLY TEXT MSAGG ENTAILS," HE SAYS. "LATELY, THOUGH, THEY'VE REALLY BEEN STEPPG UP THEIR GAME."MUCH OF THIS CHANGE, SUMMARIZED A RECENT NEW YORK TIM PROFILE, N BE ATTRIBUTED TO -CEO GOLDWATER, SON OF JOHN GOLDWATER, WHO -FOUND THE PANY 1939. "ONE OF MY BIG MISSNS G WAS TO NTEMPORIZE ARCHIE," SAYS GOLDWATER, WHO TOOK OVER FOLLOWG THE ATH OF HIS HALF-BROTHER APRIL 2009. "I FELT LIKE THE WORLD WAS MOVG FORWARD AND ARCHIE WAS NOT."AS FOR HOW KEV WILL MOVE FORWARD, PARENT SAYS THE CHARACTER'S NEXT APPEARANCE WILL BE VERONI NO. 205. HIS SEXUALY "IS BROUGHT UP AGA," PARENT SAYS. "THERE WILL BE STORI WHERE ISN'T AN ISSUE.WE'RE TABLISHG THE FACT THAT HE'S GAY AND THEN 'LL E UP WHEN 'S NECSARY."FOR THE FOREEABLE FUTURE, HOWEVER, EXPECT KEV KELLER TO BE TO ARCHIE COMICS WHAT MATT FIELDG WAS TO MELROSE PLACE: THE GAY GUY WHO PLAYS A SUPPORTG ROLE THE DRAMA OF THE STRAIGHTS WHOUT GENERATG MUCH DRAMA OF HIS OWN. "WE HAVEN'T PLANNED ANYTHG LIKE THAT AT THIS POT," GORELICK SAYS WHEN ASKED WHETHER KEV MIGHT GET A BOYIEND DOWN THE ROAD. "HE STILL HAS TO GET TO THE SWG OF THGS WH BEG A STUNT AT RIVERDALE HIGH."BUT WHILE MAY BE YEARS BEFORE KEV GETS TO BRG A DATE TO THE SOCK HOP, THE FOLKS AT ARCHIE, AWARE OF THE SOCIAL MSAGE KEV PROJECTS—"RIVERDALE IS ACCEPTG OF EVERYBODY AND WE HOPE THE WORLD IS ACCEPTG OF EVERYBODY," GOLDWATER SAYS—PROMISE THAT HE'LL BE A PERMANENT MEMBER OF THE GANG. "ESPECIALLY THE GAY MUNY, WE'VE REASSURED PEOPLE THAT WE'RE NOT GOG TO DUMP HIM AFTER THIS," SAYS PARENT. "THE KEV CHARACTER IS HERE TO STAY."PL: CHECK OUT MORE OF THE LATT ENTERTAMENT, FASHN, AND CULTURE VERAGE ON SEXY BEAST—PHOTOS, VIOS, FEATUR, AND TWEETS.BARBARA SPL IS A WRER AND EDOR WHO VERS BOOKS AND CULTURE. SHE HAS NTRIBUTED TO TIME OUT NEW YORK, DETAILS, SP, THE BARN & NOBLE REVIEW, , AND OTHER PUBLITNS. SHE HAS A PH.D. AMERIN STUDI AND LIV BROOKLYN. BARBARA SPL

]Brett Berk wr gaily about culture, polics, and rs for, and is the thor of The Gay Uncle’s Gui to Parentg.