(un)frozen

Is Bobby gay?

Some segments of the fan community assert that Bobby is gay and doesn't realize it, and his problems with dating and with social interactions in general stem from this.

Posted by Alestar on the Comicslash mailing list:

< Has anyone ever written down why s/he thinks Bobby is gay?

Sure. I write it down all the time. And I'll be glad to do so again here.

Ahem.

Bobby Drake is a class clown. Why? Why does any child feel the need to act out? Because that person is insecure; they feel separate, and the only way they know to feel acceptance, to connect, is to entertain. Bobby is this way. He makes light because that way, he doesn't have to make his sincere side, his emotional side, vulnerable to mockery or rejection. And he's very particular about the attention he recieves. Only passing, flippant attention, the kind caused by a prank or a snide remark; never serious attention, which is why he has underplayed his own powers so much.

Okay, so, why is Bobby like this? Imagine a homosexual boy growing up in the environment in which Bobby grew. You guys know I've taken liberties with Bobby's childhood, but it is established canon that his father is a bigot, and that he spent a lot of Bobby's life encouraging him to "take it like a man". He's an asshole. A redeemable asshole, as it's been shown, but a youth-scarring asshole nonetheless.

So, we know that Bobby's was raised in that environment, and we know how he turned out. Do we know that homosexuality was the catalyst? Well, no, but . . .

Bobby has never been able to make a relationship with a woman work. Not because he's not a nice guy, or a smart guy or a handsome guy. So why? You've seen Bob in relationships. It's like he's reading from a script. He's doing what he thinks he's supposed to do. He plays his part, and he doesn't understand why she isn't playing hers, why it doesn't work out in the long run. Of course, relationships like that never work out; they demand a sincerity and honesty of emotion that Bobby simply isn't capable of with a woman.

That's even when he's inspired to try. Only when he's in depth of lonliness will he give it a shot. Not to say that he isn't always flirting (classic over-compensation), he just rarely acts on it. And neither did he always flirt. That was an adaptation he learned. Remember, way back when, in Uncanny X-Men #1? When Jean showed up, Bobby was the only one of the students that showed no physical interest in Jean.

And, the most important reason of all for believing Bobby Drake to be gay . . .

If there's one thing a writer of alternative fiction enjoys, it's feeling victimized; and being mad at Marvel for not allowing poor Bobby to be gay is as good an excuse as any. ;)

Ahem. And that's all from me. Be proud of me, Poi.

Alestar, in spades


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