The SPECTRUM

Volume 31

The SPECTRUM

The SPECTRUM

Life Site News petition to remove gay superhero

A Life Site News petition that demands Marvel Studios not put a gay character in its movies has reached over 10,000 signatures.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe (M.C.U.) has recently begun to include more minority groups with popular films like “Black Panther” and “Captain Marvel.” Now, there are rumors that Marvel Studios is planning to include a gay character in its upcoming movie “The Eternals.”

President of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige told Entertainment Tonight (E.T.) that the idea of an LGBT superhero was developing. Marvel Chief of Production Victoria Alonso said to Variety at the “Captain Marvel” premiere that “the world is ready for an LGBT superhero.”

The petition, directed at Feige and Alonso, criticizes Marvel Studios for their supposed attempt to impose political agenda and for promoting a lifestyle the petition says is “unhealthy.”

“Children and teens, and especially their parents, don’t go to superhero movies to be indoctrinated with LGBT propaganda,” the petition says.

The petition also cites research from the U.S. Institute for Medicine showing that members of the LGBT community are more at risk for health problems, saying that “it is extremely unethical and morally wrong that the producers at Marvel Studios should want to promote this lifestyle as ‘super’ in movies seen by many children and teens.”

One reason for the increased health risk, according to another report from the U.S. Institute for Medicine, is that “LGBT youth face a fear of coming out and discrimination because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. It can lead to an increased risk of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use and self-destructive behaviors,” The report also says, “It is noteworthy to mention that the lack of appropriate questions pertaining to gender and sexual identity in most national or state surveys makes it difficult to estimate the number of LGBT individuals and their health care needs,”

The petition also calls for parents to boycott the movie, demanding that Marvel “let children be children without sexualizing them!”

Danielle Copeland ’23, a member of the Harvard-Westlake (HW) Gender and Sexuality Awareness club (GSA), says that she thinks having gay characters portrayed in the media might help people understand the LGBTQ community more.

“I know there’s a lot of opposition to [an LGBT superhero], but I feel like the people who oppose it don’t really understand the LGBTQ community,” Copeland said.

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