The National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals hosted the conference to explore how a changing nation affected the representation of minorities in the comic book industry.
The three speakers – Devin Grayson, a bisexual and female free-lance writer; Joseph Illidge, an African-American writer; and Phil Jimenez, a gay comic book writer and artist – headed the discussion.
“I speak about sex and gender discrimination because of major marriage events in D.C. and Marvel Comics,” Jimenez said. “Prominent male characters were quickly married off to other male characters, resulting in neutered male characters. The white male leads were the superheros who married minorities. This cemented my views of homophobia being an offshoot of misogyny.”
The speakers viewed the comic book industry to be fueled by creative writers and artists, regardless of race, age, sex or gender. Illidge said this has not always been the case.
“The longevity of the characters we love come from caring and imaginative writers,” Illidge said. “Once you choke the creativity, there is an absence of heart.”
Writers discuss diversity issues in comic book conference by Emily Thomas, February 5, 2013