QUEER BATMAN IN CONTEXT
I am recreating the characters of Batman and Robin in small watercolors and oil paintings, in which I explore blunt sexuality, suppressed romance, whimsy, camp and various forms of male bonding. In the process I play on the homoerotic element that has always veiled the characters, and to some extent the more culturally conservative social context of the 1950s from which the characters emerged.
In 1954 Dr. Frederick Wertham, psychiatric consultant to the Chief Censor of the United States Treasury Department, published Seduction of the Innocent, a 400-page rant against the comic book industry. In it, he claimed that comic books caused violence, delinquency and deviant behavior in children, and was to be blamed for the rise of homosexuality in society. Batman was held to be particularly subversive. He writes:
At home [Batman and Robin] lead an idyllic life. They are Bruce Wayne and "Dick" Grayson. Bruce is described as a "socialite" and the official relationship is that Dick is Bruce's ward. They live in sumptuous quarters, with beautiful flowers in large vases and have a butler, Alfred. Batman is sometimes shown in a dressing gown...the young boy sometimes worries about his partner. It is like a wish dream of two homosexuals living together. Sometimes they are shown on a couch, Bruce reclining and Dick sitting next to him, jacket off, collar open, and his hand on his friend's arm. Like girls in other stories, Robin is sometimes held captive by the villains...
Robin is a handsome athletic boy, usually showing his uniform with bare legs. He is buoyant with energy and devoted to nothing on earth or interplanetary space as much as to Bruce Wayne. He often stands with legs spread, the genital region discreetly evident.
The U.S. Senate promptly held hearings, the Comic Books Code Authority was established and rigid self-censorship practices were begun within the industry.
I think gay men understand instinctively that Batman and Robin stories can be read as a queer narrative. We relate to the secrecy, fraternity, removal and fetish wear, especially in adolescence. When I was five years old and would watch Batman on TV, I thought that the idea of these two men running around in a cave wearing masks and tights was so hot I was mesmerized. In this body of work, I am taking a homoerotic subtext of Batman and bringing it into full relief, while giving form to a few personal fantasies in the process.
