Now is when Joss Whedon OKs a gay male vampire slayer?!?! NOW? Years later when the show is off the air and all I have are the comic books to keep Buffy alive for me? Activate cliché – “better late than never.”
For those of you who don’t know important things, Buffy The Vampire Slayer was the best show to ever grace the world’s television sets. It ended in 2003, but creator Joss Whedon has kept the story going in comic book form. Dark Horse Comics is currently producing Season 9.
(and it’s pretty weird – spoiler alert, Buffy lives in San Francisco now, thought she was pregnant, was going to get an abortion and then realized her mind had been transferred into the resurrected Buffybot? Ok, maybe it’s time to wind down the mythos…)
An upcoming storyline will introduce gay teen Billy as the newest vampire slayer (there’s multiple slayers now that Buffy shared her power with the world, it was a thing..). But wait, Buffy fans scream! He’s a dude! What does this mean? The Slayer is supposed to be a girl!
Two of Buffy’s former TV writers, Jane Espenson and the openly gay Drew Greenberg, are writing the story and explained to Out that Billy’s more like Batman. He’s a guy emulating the Slayer, and training himself to be one sans any mystical powers. They also wanted to empower young gay men.
“I have no problem telling a story about a boy who’s always felt more comfortable identifying with what society tells him is more of a feminine role. So much crap gets heaped upon us as gay men — crap from straight people and, frankly, crap from other gay people — about how it’s important to be masculine in this world, how your value is determined by your ability to fit into masculine norms prescribed by heterosexual society and, sadly, co-opted by gay society as a way to further disenfranchise and bully those who don’t meet those norms,” Greenberg says. “And those attitudes are a reflection of not just our own internalized homophobia, but of our misogyny, too, and that’s something I’ve never understood. So if this is a story that causes people to examine traditional gender roles and think of them as something more fluid, I’m thrilled.”
Joss Whedon’s stories have always been famously gay-friendly, so Billy should make a kick-ass addition to Buffy’s world. This also seems to make a little more sense than robot Buffy looking for an abortion. *uncomfortable*
– J. Harvey
Anything is better than Andrew, I fucking hate him. And I’m glad they didn’t make Billy a real Slayer.
But really, Buffy of all shows has been super progressive about gay stuff, so whatever that it’s taken so long to have an out-and-proud captial-G Gay. Tara and Willow’s relationship was the most significant and interesting on the show, and Buffy fucked a girl in the comics already! I mean, I hope I love Billy, but the series was hardly starved for queer presence.
Anything is better than Andrew, I fucking hate him. And I’m glad they didn’t make Billy a real Slayer.
But really, Buffy of all shows has been super progressive about gay stuff, so whatever that it’s taken so long to have an out-and-proud captial-G Gay. Tara and Willow’s relationship was the most significant and interesting on the show, and Buffy fucked a girl in the comics already! I mean, I hope I love Billy, but the series was hardly starved for queer presence.
Anything is better than Andrew, I fucking hate him. And I’m glad they didn’t make Billy a real Slayer.
But really, Buffy of all shows has been super progressive about gay stuff, so whatever that it’s taken so long to have an out-and-proud captial-G Gay. Tara and Willow’s relationship was the most significant and interesting on the show, and Buffy fucked a girl in the comics already! I mean, I hope I love Billy, but the series was hardly starved for queer presence.
Anything is better than Andrew, I fucking hate him. And I’m glad they didn’t make Billy a real Slayer.
But really, Buffy of all shows has been super progressive about gay stuff, so whatever that it’s taken so long to have an out-and-proud captial-G Gay. Tara and Willow’s relationship was the most significant and interesting on the show, and Buffy fucked a girl in the comics already! I mean, I hope I love Billy, but the series was hardly starved for queer presence.
Anything is better than Andrew, I fucking hate him. And I’m glad they didn’t make Billy a real Slayer.
But really, Buffy of all shows has been super progressive about gay stuff, so whatever that it’s taken so long to have an out-and-proud captial-G Gay. Tara and Willow’s relationship was the most significant and interesting on the show, and Buffy fucked a girl in the comics already! I mean, I hope I love Billy, but the series was hardly starved for queer presence.
That’s Nice! I’ve always wanted to be a Vamp Slayer to fight aside Buffy!
That’s Nice! I’ve always wanted to be a Vamp Slayer to fight aside Buffy!
That’s Nice! I’ve always wanted to be a Vamp Slayer to fight aside Buffy!
That’s Nice! I’ve always wanted to be a Vamp Slayer to fight aside Buffy!
That’s Nice! I’ve always wanted to be a Vamp Slayer to fight aside Buffy!
“So much crap gets heaped upon us as gay men — crap from straight people and, frankly, crap from other gay people — about how it’s important to be masculine in this world, how your value is determined by your ability to fit into masculine norms prescribed by heterosexual society and, sadly, co-opted by gay society as a way to further disenfranchise and bully those who don’t meet those norms” amen, Greenberg. I hardly see the point of hard and fast gender roles in civilized society.
I have to disagree. Buffy wasn’t “gay” friendly, it was lesbian friendly. Larry was killed, Buffy’s old bf came out off screen & Andrew never came out, it was just implied. Willow had a pretty long relationship with Tara, especially for tv. Hell Buffy even had lesbian tinged moments. But they never had a male couple.
I loved Buffy, don’t get me wrong. But I do have to say it was hardly gay male friendly. I liked it up till that revolting, repugnant, repulsive fuckwad Warren showed up. Though it did give us Wicked Bitch Willow skinning him alive cause she was “Bored Now.” I didn’t watch much after that. Xander was an irritating waste of space. He wanted Buffy, knew he couldn’t have her, but never wanted anyone else to have her either. Bastard then fucked over Anya & left her at the alter. BAH! lol
Sorry for the off topic rant.