Greg Rucka isn’t afraid to talk about Wonder Woman’s sexuality. The acclaimed writer hasn’t hedged away from the topic in his Rebirth: Wonder Woman series, and Rucka has doggedly confirmed the iconic character is queer in every canonical sense. The writer recently talked about the heroine’s fluid sexuality and queer upbringing in an interview with Comicosity where Rucka got real about representation.
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The discussion was forward as the site started their interview with a point-blank question: Is Wonder Woman queer? Once the term ‘queer’ was defined as a lifestyle “involving, although not necessarily exclusively, romantic and/or sexual interests towards persons of the same gender,” Rucka confirmed Wonder Woman was so.
However, Rucka did admit the label was a restrictive one as Wonder Woman’s sexuality is a complicated one. “This is inherently the problem with Diana: we’ve had a long history of people — for a variety of reasons, including sometimes pure titillation, which I think is the worst reason — say, ‘Ooo. Look. It’s the Amazons. They’re gay!’” he said.
“And when you start to think about giving the concept of Themyscira its due, the answer is, ‘How can they not all be in same sex relationships?’ Right? It makes no logical sense otherwise.”
Of course, comic book fans understand Wonder Woman’s homeland as a paradise. The locale houses an all-female population of warriors who live in an all-out utopia, and many have questioned whether those women sought out one another for relationships.
Rucka spoke about Themyscira, saying, “It’s supposed to be paradise. You’re supposed to be able to live happily. You’re supposed to be able — in a context where one can live happily, and part of what an individual needs for that happiness is to have a partner — to have a fulfilling, romantic and sexual relationship. And the only options are women.”
“Now, are we saying Diana has been in love and had relationships with other women? As Nicola and I approach it, the answer is obviously yes.”
If you’ve been read Rucka’s Rebirth run, then you have likely noticed the not-so-vague innuendos regarding Wonder Woman’s queer relationships. Her notably intimate relationship with Kasia nods to the heroine’s affection, but there are other references which allude to polyamorous and possibly asexual relationships on Themyscira as well.
However, those Amazons don’t necessarily label their sexuality as queer or view it as other. In their homeland, these warriors have no need of heteronormative customs. “An Amazon doesn’t look at another Amazon and say, ‘You’re gay.’ They don’t. The concept doesn’t exist,” Rucka said.
“By our standards where I am standing of 2016, Themyscira is a queer culture. I’m not hedging that. And anyone who wants to prevaricate on that is being silly….For the Amazons, it’s just not a word that’s active in their vocabulary. It’s the same way that Diana has to search for the word ‘brother’ to describe Steve’s relationship with his fellow sailors.”
If you’ve not caught up on Rucka’s run of Wonder Woman, then you still have time to do so. Issue #7 hit stores yesterday.
[H/T] Comicosity
