On the trail of the Batwoman (again!)

The media are still abuzz over news that the "new" Batwoman is a lesbian, with newspapers and websites of all sizes reporting the story, and registering opinions.

Much of the coverage comes in the form of The Associated Press wire story, with little variation except for the headlines ("New Batwoman is a lesbian" seems to be the standard).

However, a handful outlets are offering their own takes:

Writing in the Cheboygan, Mich., Daily Tribune, Rich Adams wonders about the appropriateness of a lesbian superhero in "a genre of literature geared toward children." "Granted, older teens and young adults are likely the target audience of the Batman comics," he writes. "But a comic is a comic, and younger children associate them with materials more aimed at their age group."

At Men's News Daily, expectant father Akira Ohiso takes a more tempered stance:

Parents who censor their children from a comic book about a lesbian character because they are protecting their children then have to ban their children from a comic book because of over-sexualized woman with large breast and seductive personas. It’s not the censorship that protects children, but the communication with parents that protects children.

... When my future child, God willing, is old enough to show an interest in Batwoman, I will sit down with my child and discuss their feelings about the comic book. When they ask me what a lesbian is, I will tell them and let them know that they can come to me with any questions they have. When they ask if lesbianism is good or bad, I will tell them what I know about lesbianism, politically and culturally, and let them come up with their own ideas, which we would then discuss further.

"Batwoman is Back, and She's Gayer Than Robin!", shouts the headline at The Celebrity Cafe. (It's only a brief rewrite of the AP story, but that's one of the funnier headlines.)

At After Ellen, a website devoted to lesbians and bisexual women in the media, editor Sarah Warn responds to comments by DC's Dan DiDio that he's been surprised by the amount of interest in the story: "He clearly underestimated how starved lesbians are for any decent representation these days."