Death & Taxes Magazine written by Andrew Belonsky:
Aside from Ryan White, one of the first people to teach me about AIDS wasn’t even a person — not a real one, at least. It was DC Comics hero the Green Lantern.
In one of the company’s ’90s-era AIDS-related PSAs, the Green Lantern swoops in to save two gay men who are being attacked because an unruly mob thinks all gay people — and only gay people — get the disease.
“Not all gay people have AIDS,” says Green Lantern Hal Jordan. “Yes, gay communities were hit early and hard by the AIDS epidemic. But now AIDS is spreading fastest among people you wouldn’t expect.” While he didn’t elaborate on who was contracting the disease, at least Jordan was countering widely held stereotypes.
The Green Lantern wasn’t the only DC hero to tackle stereotypes. Booster Gold and the Blue Beetle got schooled by teammate Fire after Booster couldn’t get HIV because “I only sleep with nice women,” and other characters, including the Flash and Batman sidekick Robin, faced similarly illuminating scenarios.
two more panels after the jump!
How cool. Never saw these! 🙂
me neither…very, very cool!
This may clinch my DC versus Marvel vote.
The Flash is a sexy fucker! 😛