Another popular comic book superhero comes out of the closet Wednesday when the X-Men’s Iceman reveals that he’s gay.
The revelation is a storyline of "All New X-Men" #40, available in stores and online Wednesday.
"There are thousands if not millions of stories of people who, for many different reasons, felt the need to hide their sexuality," "All-New X-Men" writer Brian Michael Bendis said in a statement. "The X-Men, with the conceit of time travel, gives us a fascinating platform in which to examine such personal journeys. This is just the first little chapter of a much larger story that will be told."
In the comic book, the mutant X-Men are sent back in time as teens. In one scene, Iceman (aka Bobby Drake) comments about how attractive his teacher is. Fellow X-Man Jean Grey (Marvel Girl), who has the powers to read minds, let’s Iceman know that she knows that he’s gay
"Bobby…you’re gay," she tells him.
Drake/Iceman eventually says "I know."
Grey adds "It doesn’t matter to me or anyone else."
Iceman, who has the power to turn his body to ice and create ice objects, is one the original X-Men, a popular Marvel comic that first hit newsstands in 1963. The comic book has also become a lucrative film franchise.
Iceman is the latest gay superhero. DC Comics unveiled a gay Green Lantern in 2012. That same year, Marvel Comics presided over comicdom’s first same-sex superhero wedding when Northstar married his male partner in "Astonishing X-Men."
The presence of gay superheroes - along with a growing number of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender characters on television, in movies, and in books, reflects the nation’s shifting attitude toward LGBT issues.
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