Superman is gay, and I'm a Vampire. So what?

Superman is gay? Now, let's get serious.

Really. What is all this about? Why is one of the week's hot topics on Headline News about Superman being gay? My husband and I actually talked about this a little because I really wanted to know, "What?" and "Who cares?"

When I asked, my husband told me that part of this idea comes from the possibility that the gay community identifies with Superman. The principle he described is one that he read about in Superheroes and Philosophy. Superman was the first true superhero. All others were "based" around him, or at least the basic ideas he represented. However, Superman has always been different from other superheroes in one important aspect. Clark Kent is the "alter ego," who he becomes. Superman, the hero, is his who he was born as. That isn't true for others. Spiderman was born as Peter Parker. Batman was born as Bruce Wayne. Superman can only be truly himself under the right conditions. That, for so long, has been the way of life for the homosexual community.

Okay, that makes sense. That still doesn't mean that Superman is gay. And, what if he was?

All people identify with at least one hero. Heroes are necessary for personal and societal survival. People need to be able to identify with someone that others (often publically) look up to. We look for aspects it these people that we also see, or want to see, in ourselves. These idols can range anywhere from Superman (superhero), the Punisher (anti-hero/vigilante), or the 9-11 rescuers (real-life heroes). That is why we each like certain movies, books, television shows, or even musicians. We identify with characters or characteristics. That may also be why we dislike some of those same types of things.

Take me for example. I have always been one of more eclectic tastes. I am also quite liberally minded. I was always, as my husband tells me, more gothic than those around me. (And, by gothic I don't mean stapling my face, spiking my hair, and wearing flour-white makeup.) I never quite fit in anywhere, but I tried. In high school, my brother told me that one of his friends said to him, and I quote, "You know your sister is pretty nice, but she's a little too weird."

From the time I was a small child, I read all the time. I still do. I found intersting some things that my family and friends found morbid. So, to keep everyone from worrying and trying to fit me for a straight jacket, I only indulged in those interests when I was alone. I would watch the 1:00 am showings of Friday the 13th: The Series, Poltergeist: The Legacy, etc. Just a few months ago, my mother asked me, while laughing, if I remembered that I read about vampires and that kind of stuff when I was a kid. .... You can tell my mom hasn't really looked at my shelves in a long time. I have an entire shelf of books focused on vampires, faeries, werewolves, etc.

When I got to college, however, I met people that held interests the same as my own. I was even introduced to more things in the same genre that I still enjoy to this day.

So, what did I do? I became a teacher and moved to the Bible belt. In public, I have to hide many of my interests, at least the "unusual" ones. I even have to be careful about disclosing my religious and political views. After all, I don't want parents or community members to think I would be a poor influence on their children because I think differently than they do.

So, I still identify with the vampires. I have tastes that some consider morbid. (I have always been intrigued by abnormal psychology. I even minored in psych in college. So, now I find serial killers fascinating.) I feel that I have to hide my true colors (fangs) from so many people. And, the people that I can be myself around are few and far between. If there are more around here, I don't know about them becuase they are keeping quiet too.

So .... Superman is gay, and I'm a Vampire. So what?