Bat or Bust

Oh my god, Batwoman is a lesbian!

Okay, it's not that much of a shocker. There are a few lesbians littered around the DC Universe. To see just why Batdyke is so interesting, you have to look at her early origins. When she was first introduced, back in the 1950s, she had just one purpose.

She was there to make Batman straight.

A couple of years before, Dr Fredric Wertham had published his ground-breaking Seduction of the Innocent, in which he identified what he believed were hidden sexual themes. Most memorably, he conjectured that Batman and Robin were lovers.

With the possibility of their core market being pulled away, comics publishers had to do something to show just how heterosexual their characters were. Cue Bat-Woman, Kathy Kane, and her niece Bat-Girl, Betty Kane. Armed with utility purses and high heels, they arguably focused more attention on getting their guys than on fighting crime but they were there.

So what's changed that means Batwoman can now have a purpose other than proving just how darn manly and heterosexual Batman is?

Well, Wertham is now seen as being well-meaning but decidedly unprofessional in his methods and conclusions. He's not somebody who holds the industry in his grip, who needs to be mollified and disproved.

And Batman now interacts with women. Maybe not regularly, maybe not as often as we'd like, and maybe the women are background characters but they're there. Because there are more women around, there's no need for a specific token girl.

Women are allowed personalities. They're allowed roles other than Love Interest.

We've made progress since the 1950s!

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