X-Factor Comic Gets First Gay Kiss

By Layla Dhere

X-Factor, one of Marvel's Comics' most critically acclaimed series, includes a same-sex kiss between characters Rictor and Shatterstar in the latest issue. This is one of the first same-sex kisses featured in a mainstream comic.

Previous issues of X-Factor hinted at a relationship between the two, but their sexuality remained ambiguous until now. Rictor's bisexuality has not been confirmed or denied, and writer Peter David has said that he doesn't believe it's something that needs to be explicitly addressed.

"I have much more fun tweaking the fans than actually spelling anything out," David said in an interview with LiveWireWorld.net . "I certainly don't think we could say at this point that Rictor is definitively gay. I think we could make the argument that he's bi, but I don't see the point at this juncture in spelling it out -- not because of any sense of homophobia or anything like that but out of a sense that I think it's more entertaining and more thought-provoking if we keep it ambiguous."

While the first openly gay characters in mainstream comics were featured in 1986's miniseries Watchmen, Marvel refrained from writing openly gay characters until the 21st century, hesitant to promote agendas from either end of the political spectrum.

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Reader Comments

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Name: Daniel
Date posted: 7/13/2009 9:07:00 PM
Hometown: Honolulu

Comment:
Sorry - it's just the nerd in me but... Yes - Rictor's bisexuality was hinted in X-factor before; however a pre-existing romantic relationship between Rictor and Shatter star was NOT. That was actually touched upon in the original X-Force series.
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Name: Matthew D. Skinta
Date posted: 7/5/2009 6:23:00 PM
Hometown: San Francisco, CA

Comment:
"Marvel refrained from writing openly gay characters until the 21st century, hesitant to promote agendas from either end of the political spectrum." Ack - what's with the lame pre-fab apology? Gay inclusion is a reflection of reality - our invisibility is a political call, mere inclusion is not. Come on, people, this isn't 1970. Until Rictor starts taking out neo-con politicians or something, this is merely a shift away from the right-wing politics of queer invisibility. Let's credit Marvel for what they truly managed - to move from subtle bias to becoming inclusive moderates. NOW they're not promoting "agendas from either end of the political spectrum."
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Name: Ray
Date posted: 7/3/2009 6:24:00 AM
Hometown: NY

Comment:
" Marvel refrained from writing openly gay characters until the 21st century, hesitant to promote agendas from either end of the political spectrum." Correction Needed: Marvel's French Canadian character Northstar was openly gay in the series Alpha Flight. A series about Canadian Super Heros.
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Name: Scott
Date posted: 7/3/2009 4:11:00 AM
Hometown: San Jose

Comment:
Have you people ever read "The Authority" or "Midnighter" this is not the first openly gay superhero in a main stream comic. Glad to see some others in the comments have pointed out a few others, try not to trip over yourselves everytime marvel runs out of plot on a series when there are more respectable older titles that have been open with there characters for much longer.
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Name: sam
Date posted: 7/3/2009 3:01:00 AM
Hometown: la puente

Comment:
Hazaa!!! i always knew there was a reason i liked X-Factor and not just because Jamie is hot and a threesome with him and a dupe is a fantasy... no j/k but really this is great maybe now Anole will get a boyfriend and Hulkling and Wiccan, a steady couple, will get some action too!
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Name: Marie Janowski
Date posted: 7/3/2009 1:54:00 AM
Hometown: Orange

Comment:
Please check out xslashproject at livejournal communities! This comm was created exactly to promote m/m relationships like this!
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Name: Justin
Date posted: 7/2/2009 11:10:00 PM
Hometown: San Antonio

Comment:
DC introduced Batwoman in Detective Comics the same week, putting her out as a lesbian. I'm sure there'll be a kiss coming up soon there too!
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Name: b. allen
Date posted: 7/2/2009 7:44:00 PM
Hometown: Richmond

Comment:
If anyone can find the series, I believe the company is Milestone (a DC published independent), the Blood Syndicate had a gay male( Fade, closeted gay), a bisexual (Tech-9 team leader), Masquerade (Transgender shape shifter who was a woman by birth but lived life as a man), and a regularly occurring transvestite. The first issue was April 1993m but only had 35 total issues. It was a very progressive in your face comic but due to a decrease in sale, DC had to pull funding for this company.
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Name: RyGuy
Date posted: 7/2/2009 7:31:00 PM
Hometown: Orlando

Comment:
Wiccan and Hulkling have been dating in Young Avengers forever. They're a really cute gay couple. Even Buffy had a lesbian love scene.
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Name: Oliver Ross
Date posted: 7/2/2009 3:44:00 PM
Hometown: London

Comment:
Why has nobody mentioned 'Miracleman' or 'The Rawhide Kid'?

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