" wow, a writer made a character gay so you hate him. that is just sad.   and just for the record, he isn't gay, he is bisexual. "

I'm kinda' on the fence with the whole Rictor/ Shatterstar relationship. On one hand it does add great tension and drama to X-Factor. On the other it always bothers me when a character is just all of a sudden gay. Shatterstar being an alien, it sorta' makes sense. Thats just part of the culture or what have you. However, I was shocked and confused by Rictor.

Doesn't bother me if a character is gay, bi or straight... but I admit I feel a bit wierd when come across an image of two guys kissing, just because i'm not used to it and it isn't something I consider 'cool'. I'm you standard young guy with a girlfriend and growing comic collection, if i see a villain being smacked or a hot girl in a comic, i'm gonna prefer to read that than two guys kissing

"Wait...rector is gay too? :-O!!!! OK I soooo need to brush up on my comics :-/ this is so uncool"

" However, I was shocked and confused by Rictor. "

" @VIZION2010 said:

"Wait...rector is gay too? :-O!!!! OK I soooo need to brush up on my comics :-/ this is so uncool"

No.  Get your facts straight before you make potentially offensive & homophobic comments like that.  Rictor slept with Wolfsbane.  He's in a sexual relationship with Shatterstar.  Therefore Rictor is bi-sexual.  Shatterstar is attracted to any & all human beings no matter their gender, but has dedicated himself to Rictor who he trusts to help him avoid making mistakes.  Therefore, they are both bi-sexual characters in a gay relationship.  "

Ok i didnt men to offend any at all being that im bi myslef and is in a gay relationship I said uncool becuase of my lack in knowledge of somone of my fav characters so please accept my aplogogies I never ment of offend anyone, im at work and was typin too fast so I can see how that would be read the wrong way

LMAO I KNOW RIGHT !!!! HAHAHAHAHA

" @John Valentine: Thats what I gathered. It just seemed to come out of nowhere. I've read X-Factor since the book relaunched and didnt see any indication of Rictor being bisexual. I think Peter David needs to shape they're relationship a bit more to validate it for me. Perhaps a one-shot is in order. "

" wow this thread sounds homophopia too me! who cares if he's gay? "

" @WW-Fan said:

" wow this thread sounds homophopia too me! who cares if he's gay? "

I really hate that word, it's such a cop-out term to discredit someone's opinions. Just because you don't support that lifestyle(and don't like when a favorite character of yours is suddenly made gay) doesn't mean you have a phobia of homosexuals. "

"Ok i didnt men to offend any at all being that im bi myslef and is in a gay relationship I said uncool becuase of my lack in knowledge of somone of my fav characters so please accept my aplogogies I never ment of offend anyone, im at work and was typin too fast so I can see how that would be read the wrong way "

I do agree with  EnSabahNurX, however like ms kitty said its a very touchy subject. I myself beleive that it should not be a factor at all and altho people maynot like the life style and we do not expect people to like it, we all must respect that fact that we all derserve the common respect and kindness everyone is intitled to. But with that saying I dont like it when people call somonne homophobic just becuz they express  uncomfertable feelings or an opinion about the subject. I must admit tho it does feel kinda cool seeing gay superheroe's it make us feel we are not alone and kind of proud, kinda like seein a black super hero, when I first saw blackpanther and storm I was on top of the world lmao.

" @EnSabahNurX said:

" @WW-Fan said:

" wow this thread sounds homophopia too me! who cares if he's gay? "

I really hate that word, it's such a cop-out term to discredit someone's opinions. Just because you don't support that lifestyle(and don't like when a favorite character of yours is suddenly made gay) doesn't mean you have a phobia of homosexuals. "

It is homophobia because your having a negative reaction to a character being in a homosexual relationship thats been hinted upon before. "

" @WW-Fan said:

" wow this thread sounds homophopia too me! who cares if he's gay? "

I really hate that word, it's such a cop-out term to discredit someone's opinions. Just because you don't support that lifestyle(and don't like when a favorite character of yours is suddenly made gay) doesn't mean you have a phobia of homosexuals. "

" i think this thread should be locked really :/ "

Here's something to think about.  Back in the Mojoverse, Shatterstar was married.  He's admitted that he had never met her, and that their was a marriage to combine genetic samples for the next generation of warriors.  When he destroyed the replica of his wife to destroy Arcade's hold over Adam-X (in X-Force #30) he was his typical macho self and showed no signs of attraction towards her...   
 
But, if he's willing to get it on with Rictor & a heavily pregnant Wolfsbane, then I'm betting that Windsong would be in for a good time now :p

" @EnSabahNurX said:

" @WW-Fan said:

" wow this thread sounds homophopia too me! who cares if he's gay? "

I really hate that word, it's such a cop-out term to discredit someone's opinions. Just because you don't support that lifestyle(and don't like when a favorite character of yours is suddenly made gay) doesn't mean you have a phobia of homosexuals. "

Actually that is exactly what it means... "

Homophopia is not just that you fear gay people it is also say its against it actully

" Homophopia is not just that you fear gay people it is also say its against it actully "

" @WW-Fan said:

" Homophopia is not just that you fear gay people it is also say its against it actully "

Phobia = irrational fear.  Stop trying to insult people by labelling them.
 
Even if English is not be your first language, you can at least spell-check what you type before you post it.    
 
@EnSabahNurX: What you're saying reminds me of how some people are reacting negatively to the Wolverine & Domino relationship.  People don't like seeing the shocking sexual personal lives of characters they love.  Personally, I don't like seeing sex in comics unless it's called for in the story or character development.  Often, it feels like it is only used for cheap shock tactics to titillate young teenagers with copious amounts of fan-service.  I really do get the feeling that is what Peter David is trying to do with Shatterstar.  Although it's not filled with copious amounts of T&A for the fan-boys, it's pushing the boundaries of what most readers are comfortable with... and providing fan-service for the yaoi fan-girls.  At the moment it doesn't feel like it's necessary to see them naked or kissing.  I know they're in a gay relationship, but I don't want to see that any more than I want to see Cyclops or Frost cavorting in bed.  I would rather see them tell a story.  However, it is slowly advancing the plot.  Peter David is a character writer.  He doesn't do cheap thrills, so I don't mind having the occasional page of boring relationship stuff to get to the more interesting developments later. "

" @bleedingheart said:

" @EnSabahNurX said:

" @WW-Fan said:

" wow this thread sounds homophopia too me! who cares if he's gay? "

I really hate that word, it's such a cop-out term to discredit someone's opinions. Just because you don't support that lifestyle(and don't like when a favorite character of yours is suddenly made gay) doesn't mean you have a phobia of homosexuals. "

Actually that is exactly what it means... "

Actually no it doesn't because I don't support that lifestyle but still am friends with gay people who I have known for close to a decade(they are aware of my views). Like someone who has no issue with gay people but doesn't support gay marriage is often called homophobic which is really not accurate but the word is used to discredit others opinions. Phobia means a fear of, just because you don't support it doesn't mean you are afraid of homosexuals or your some redneck bashing them. Sometimes you can just be more old fashioned or traditional and while you may not approve of their choices you still live your life and acknowledge their existence. You are homophobic if you can't be around a gay person without feeling incredibly uncomfortable or feel the need to verbally/physically attack them.  Homophobia is used too much as an umbrella term.Now comic character wise say your favorite character that you idolize, think about what its like being them or is someone you look up to is suddenly made gay spur of the moment by the writer, it kind of alters your view of them because it removes your ability to relate to that character like you once could. Not saying there should be no gay characters, but don't suddenly change a character who is already established(much like suddenly changing the race of a character, sometimes it works but mostly it just doesn't serve a purpose), unless its something that can be slowly introduced overtime and makes sense for that specific character.(meaning superman,storm, prof X, nightcrawler, martian manhunter...................................it's not gonna work)  A lot of the time changes like this(race, orientation, constantly killing..........) comes off like bad writing because it really doesn't make a character more interesting to read about. "

" @EnSabahNurX said:

" @bleedingheart said:

" @EnSabahNurX said:

" @WW-Fan said:

" wow this thread sounds homophopia too me! who cares if he's gay? "

I really hate that word, it's such a cop-out term to discredit someone's opinions. Just because you don't support that lifestyle(and don't like when a favorite character of yours is suddenly made gay) doesn't mean you have a phobia of homosexuals. "

Actually that is exactly what it means... "

Actually no it doesn't because I don't support that lifestyle but still am friends with gay people who I have known for close to a decade(they are aware of my views). Like someone who has no issue with gay people but doesn't support gay marriage is often called homophobic which is really not accurate but the word is used to discredit others opinions. Phobia means a fear of, just because you don't support it doesn't mean you are afraid of homosexuals or your some redneck bashing them. Sometimes you can just be more old fashioned or traditional and while you may not approve of their choices you still live your life and acknowledge their existence. You are homophobic if you can't be around a gay person without feeling incredibly uncomfortable or feel the need to verbally/physically attack them.  Homophobia is used too much as an umbrella term.Now comic character wise say your favorite character that you idolize, think about what its like being them or is someone you look up to is suddenly made gay spur of the moment by the writer, it kind of alters your view of them because it removes your ability to relate to that character like you once could. Not saying there should be no gay characters, but don't suddenly change a character who is already established(much like suddenly changing the race of a character, sometimes it works but mostly it just doesn't serve a purpose), unless its something that can be slowly introduced overtime and makes sense for that specific character.(meaning superman,storm, prof X, nightcrawler, martian manhunter...................................it's not gonna work)  A lot of the time changes like this(race, orientation, constantly killing..........) comes off like bad writing because it really doesn't make a character more interesting to read about. "

Your "tolerance of gay people" is almost as big an insult as out right gay bashing. No gay person needs you to "acknowledge their existence", if anything they want to be left alone. Assimilated into the normal society without separation. How good a friend can you be to someone without "supporting" them and their "lifestyle". Not a very good one in my book.  If you don't feel threaten or frightened by it, why else would you make a point to not "support" the LGBT? Dissecting the prefix, suffix, root, and whatever else of a word is purely semantics. As xerox-kitty already pointed out, this is NOT a sudden change from a chest-beating straight male...to a pansy homosexual. There has been rumors and hints from the get go. And why is it hard to believe that a person can become sexually enlightened as an adult? Orientation and race cannot be compared to one another because orientation is not set in stone as ethnicity is. "

But that is the last thing I have to say on the matter.
 
Can't change the world through a comic book forum....

"  then what do you call people you are agains gay people?" 
 
homophobia is the right term. The word phobia originally meant irrational fear, but whenm used in homophobia it´s more akin to racism. A dictionary definition is   Homophobia is a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards homosexuality and people who are identified as or perceived as being homosexual´´ 
So, in fact, claiming someone is 'wrong' to live in that lifestyle is indeed a form of homophobia. 
 
As for suddenly being unable to relate to a character because they're gay is an idea i can't get my head around. Surely what they do in their own time, or who they choose to love, is irrelevant to the rest of their personality. If i suddenly found out that spider-man was vegan, i could still relate to him even though i personally hate tofu. He'd still be a funny guy who fights for what's right, right?

" @xerox-kitty said:

" @WW-Fan said:

" Homophopia is not just that you fear gay people it is also say its against it actully "

Phobia = irrational fear.  Stop trying to insult people by labelling them.
 
Even if English is not be your first language, you can at least spell-check what you type before you post it."

then what do you call people you are agains gay people? "

" @Son_of_Magnus: i don't believe that shatterstar was ever pronounced straight before. and lots of people in real life are thought to be straight and later are found to be gay. there is nothing dumb or wrong about it. and i don't really see how making a character gay would boost sales that much. man, young avengers must have sold through the roof. l  

Rictor going bi....didn't bother me a bit.  It seemed in character and was built up for a while.  Shatterstar going bi or having any attraction to humans bothers me.  The way Liefeld (yea I know everyone hates him but I loved his original X Force) wrote Shatterstar he was kind of asexual and that made him seem all the more dangerous.  I liked him better when he was consistently in culture shock but seemed to not like human culture.  I don't like how he's been written the past few years as someone who is in culture shock but happy to learn human ways.  It seems like two different characters to me.  Shatterstar now seems like a horn dog whether he's hooking up with men or women and when I read my old X Force books it just doesn't seem like a natural progression.  I understand it was the writers choice to make Shatterstar want to assimilate better into society but I liked him better before.  Also I feel Shatterstar's badassness has taken a back seat to his sexuality.  I understand the tone of X Factor is a lot different than the original X Force but so is the 80's Uncanny X men and X Factor but I still think Longshot is the same character he was.  I'm still hoping this shatterstar is a skrull from Secret Invasion.  I liked the old costume better too lol
 
 
P.S.  I wish I didn't HAVE to say this but I feel I do after reading some earlier posts.  Don't call me homophobic because I like asexual Shatterstar better.  In my profession 80% of the male community is gay so spare me the baseless accusations

" @charlieboy said:

" @Son_of_Magnus: i don't believe that shatterstar was ever pronounced straight before. and lots of people in real life are thought to be straight and later are found to be gay. there is nothing dumb or wrong about it. and i don't really see how making a character gay would boost sales that much. man, young avengers must have sold through the roof. l  

lol yeah, I don't care what the character's sexual orientation is, as long as its part of some great story telling. And if its not, then why talk about it in the first place (straight characters included).  "

Just as a reminder that Jeph Loeb didn't "make Shatterstar gay", but Peter David did... Jeph Loeb was still restricted by the limitations of the Comics Code Authority. 

this thread is sad and pathetic 
go ahead and hate whoever you want for "making" someone gay 
you're obviously an ignorant bigot, so your opinion really doesn't matter all that much 
so.....thanks for sharing?

"

this thread is sad and pathetic 
go ahead and hate whoever you want for "making" someone gay 
you're obviously an ignorant bigot, so your opinion really doesn't matter all that much 
so.....thanks for sharing?

"

" @WW-Fan said:

" @xerox-kitty said:

" @WW-Fan said:

" Homophopia is not just that you fear gay people it is also say its against it actully "

Phobia = irrational fear.  Stop trying to insult people by labelling them.
 
Even if English is not be your first language, you can at least spell-check what you type before you post it."

then what do you call people you are agains gay people? "

If you take the time to read what people have posted, then you will see that no-one has said 'I hate gay people'.  People are allowed to feel uncomfortable; it doesn't mean they hate a comic book character for being gay.  People are allowed to say they don't like the change in direction a character has taken; it doesn't mean they hate the character because of their sexuality.  So far, everyone has given a rational & satisfactory explanation of why they like or dislike the changes to Shatterstar's character.   You are labelling people as homophobes for no reason and it is insulting.  This is a mature discussion, not a chance to randomly label everybody a homophobe without considering the consequences. "

" @Son_of_Magnus said:

" @jordama said:

" wow, a writer made a character gay so you hate him. that is just sad.   and just for the record, he isn't gay, he is bisexual. "

Not really I don't know anything about Shatterstar. But turning a staright character gay or gay character straight is just dumb wrong and is to boost numbers. Like if they made Superman gay I riot the streets and I would be equally upset if Midnighter started doing chicks  "

Exactly. "

" So what is it, exactly, about this development that upsets you? Are you against homo/bisexuality in general, are you upset that Shatterstar, specifically, is being developed as possibly such, or is it the way this development is being handled that irks you?   I notice that you use a Shatterstar image as your avatar. Are you worried that people will make assumptions about you, based on that? Do you identify with the character, and worry that this would make you question your own sexuality? Are you Mel Gibson?  Shatterstar is a fictional character, and not even a terribly mainstream one, at that. Why does this aspect of his persona upset you? "