# Out of the Closet and Up, Up and Away - Gay men embrace comic book identities **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 18, 2010, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-the-closet-and-up-up-and-away-gay-men-embrace-comic-book-identities/536517 "2010-04-18T06:52:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2010, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-the-closet-and-up-up-and-away-gay-men-embrace-comic-book-identities/536517/1 "2010-04-18T06:52:50Z")
Interesting article [Out of the Closet and Up, Up and Away](http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/fashion/18comics.html) > [@](#): > > DIM lighting. Rendezvous-friendly nooks. Muscled bartenders. Pulsating dance music. At first glance, it could be any Saturday night in any gay bar in New York. > > But then you notice, off to one corner, Superman flirting with Green Lantern. And there, across the room, someone in the form-fitting outfit of Black Adam, Captain Marvel’s foe, determinedly working the floor. In fact, there seems to be an inordinate number of men here tonight who look as if they have all but jumped from the pages of a comic book. And in some way, they have. ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-the-closet-and-up-up-and-away-gay-men-embrace-comic-book-identities/536517/2 "2010-04-20T09:21:55Z")
I went to one of these, but it was part of an annual weekend event for gay comic fans. I hadn’t realized it was a regular thing. Pretty cool. I didn’t go in costume, but I appreciated those who did, both for the excellent costumes, and for what wearing skin tight outfits does for those with decent bodies. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2010, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-the-closet-and-up-up-and-away-gay-men-embrace-comic-book-identities/536517/3 "2010-04-20T23:58:53Z")
It really messes with me that, when I see a woman in a skintight comic-book outfit, I tend to feel sorry for her, but assume she’s getting paid well enough for it. A guy, on the other hand, I think "Wow, he’s getting paid to do something he likes. Way to go, dude! What would be hilarious to me would be if they had gay people as heroes that are often touted as gay, such as 60s Batman and Robin. It would be a great way to take the stereotype and embrace it as your own. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-the-closet-and-up-up-and-away-gay-men-embrace-comic-book-identities/536517/4 "2010-04-21T00:28:51Z")
> [@jackdavinci](#): > > . . . and for what wearing skin tight outfits does for those with decent bodies. And hopefully those with less-than-decent bodies will wear something less revealing. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/out-of-the-closet-and-up-up-and-away-gay-men-embrace-comic-book-identities/536517/5 "2010-04-21T00:31:30Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > It really messes with me that, when I see a woman in a skintight comic-book outfit, I tend to feel sorry for her I tend to feel… uhmmm… something else.