Superman fans expressed their frustration with Wendy Rogers, a United States senator, following her insistence that Clark Kent loves "Louis Lane."
Rogers' comments come in the wake of DC's announcement that Jon Kent, the current Superman, will come out as bisexual in Superman: Son of Kal-El #5. "Superman loves Louis Lane. Period. Hollywood is trying to make Superman gay and he is not. Just rename the new version Thooperman so we can all know the difference and avoid seeing it," tweeted Rogers. Fans of the character were quick to correct Rogers; while some are poking fun at the ironic typo of "Louis Lane," others are criticizing her for what they consider to be homophobic sentiments.
Many pointed out that Roger's tweet is also littered with factually incorrect information. In the current DC continuity, Clark Kent is still married to and in love with Lois Lane, "Hollywood" was in no way involved in the production of Superman: Son of Kal-El #5 and Jon Kent is bisexual, not gay. While the intention behind the use of "Thooperman" is currently unknown, many fans believe it to be a reference to the stereotype that gay men speak with a lisp. Some have cited this description as being overtly homophobic, demanding an apology.
When discussing Jon Kent's sexuality, Superman: Son of Kal-El writer Tom Taylor said, "I've always said everyone needs heroes and everyone deserves to see themselves in their heroes and I’m very grateful DC and Warner Bros. share this idea. Superman's symbol has always stood for hope, for truth and for justice. Today, that symbol represents something more. Today, more people can see themselves in the most powerful superhero in comics."
Jonathan Kent was introduced to the DC Universe in Convergence #2 in 2015. The son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane, Jon initially adopted the mantle of Superboy as he grew into a powerful crimefighter thanks to his father's tutelage. He eventually joined the Legion of Super-Heroes before taking Clark's place as Superman.
Superman: Son of Kal-El #5, by Tom Taylor, John Timms, Gabe Eltaeb and Dave Sharpe, goes on sale Nov. 9 from DC.
Source: Twitter