Today, the DC Universe has more LGTBQ representation than ever, and the list keeps expanding. For example, Jon Kent has come out as bisexual and Connor Hawke was revealed to be asexual. DC wasn't always so good at giving voice to queer characters like this. Their first attempt at an openly gay hero, Extraño, was a manifestation of negative stereotypes about gay men.
Fortunately, in current comics, Extraño, now going by his birth name Gregorio De La Vega, is reimagined as a powerful magician who has left behind the negative tropes of his former "identity". He is much more powerful now than ever and even has a family of his own. So the question stands: How did he improve so much since his first appearance?
When Extraño first debuted in Millennium #2 (by Steve Englehart, Joe Staton, Ian Gibson, Carl Gafford, and Bob Lappan), he was a member of the superhero team the New Guardians. A native of Peru, Extraño's powers were amplified by an experiment revolving around human evolution. As a teammate, he was actually well-liked by his fellow guardians due to his love of life and the wise advice he would give his comrades in an almost parental way.
That being said, Extraño also embodied every stereotype about gay men that existed at the time. He was flamboyant, wore loose and colorful clothing as his costume, and referred to himself as "auntie" from time to time. It didn't help that the word "Extraño" is Spanish for weird. The writers at the time were sending very mixed messages about him, clearly establishing him as a well-liked hero, but also demeaning him with a caricature of an identity.
The way he was finally removed from comics only cemented this negativity. Extraño was attacked by an "AIDS vampire" named Hemo-Goblin and subsequently contracted HIV from the assault. The disease ended up killing him and that appeared to be the end of that.
Then came Midnighter and Apollo #1 (by Steve Orlando, Fernando Blanco, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Josh Reed) which reintroduced Extraño in a more realistic way. Finding his old codename distasteful, Gregorio has now returned to Peru, where he spent time with his husband, Hugh AKA the Tasmanian Devil, and their adoptive daughter, Suri.
Far from being retired, Gregorio is a powerful magician who helped Midnighter find Apollo's lost soul in hell. Since then, he has worked alongside the likes of John Constantine and even assembled the Justice League Queer to fight off Eclipso.
Steve Orlando wanted to bring back Gregorio for a new generation of readers, letting them see a gay character live and love in their own way that wasn't a bad joke. In Gregorio, he found a character who was mishandled but managed to reinvent for a modern audience in a way that not only made him more realistic but a voice for the LGBTQ community. He also became an incredibly engaging and exciting character who deserves to have a new series all his own.