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Indonesian Muslim party urges government to boycott DC Comics over bisexual Superman
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Members of the United Development Party (PPP) at the House of Representatives have urged the Indonesian government to boycott DC Comics over an upcoming issue that will depict a bisexual Superman. (AFP/Robyn Beck)
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embers of the United Development Party (PPP) at the House of Representatives have urged the Indonesian government to boycott DC Comics over an upcoming issue that will depict a bisexual Superman.
Achmad Bidowi, PPP secretary at the House, said the comic may have a bad influence on Indonesian children and corrupt the minds of the future generation.
“We are concerned that if the show or the comics are consumed by Indonesian children, our [young] generation can be corrupted,” Baidowi said as quoted by tempo.co on Tuesday night. Baidowi also urged the government to censor all shows that depict any LGBT presentation to protect Indonesian children from moral corruption.
He said the PPP as a political party with conservative Islam ideology as its basis also wanted DC Comics to stop the production of the upcoming Superman comic. The PPP sees bisexuality and any other sexual orientation within the queer spectrum as fahisyah (indecent).
American iconic publication DC Comics recently announced that the newest Superman figure, Jon Kent, would come out as bisexual in the upcoming issue. Jon Kent, the son of the original Superman Clark Kent and his romantic interest Lois Lane, will be romantically involved with a man named Jay Nakamura.
A panel depicting Superman kissing reporter Jay Nakamura will appear in issue five of the comic book "Superman: Son of Kal-El", which will be released on Nov. 9. The panel has circulated widely on social media with mostly positive comments.
Jon Kent’s coming out as bisexual was announced on Monday in conjunction with the American National Coming Out Day, which is observed annually as a supportive gesture for LGBT rights and visibility.
DC Comics is not the first superhero franchise to embrace sexual and racial diversity. Marvel Comics announced its first gay Captain America in March and a black gay Aquaman earlier this summer. The latest Robin in the Batman comics also came out as bisexual in August. However, as one of the earliest superhero figures in the popular American comic books, Superman is still considered the most recognizable superhero to date.
