Historical look at gay stereotypes in comic books and cartoon strips
”What could be more wholesome than Mickey Mouse, the big-eared emblem of the Disney empire? Yet a Mickey Mouse comic strip from January 22, 1931 shows the little rodent meeting a big cat who displays all the markers stereotypically given to gay characters during that period: a lisp, a limp handshake, and a general effeminacy of manner (in this case, batting eyelashes). Revealing himself to be not just homophobic but a violent gay-basher, Mickey attacks the big cat. In the early decades of the 20th century, many cartoonists featured characters that were gay stereotypes: swishy men and butch women….”
Jeet Heer at SansEverything taking a look at negative gay stereotypes that appeared in comics, which only fairly recently have begun to be replaced by more heroic and even-handed representations. Heer points out that conservative political “moralists” only complain about the latter positive gay portrayals. (SansEverything)
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