Pride is never short of corporate exploitation, and every year companies compete to see who can put their foot in it the hardest.
This year, Warner Bros. offered players the chance to beat up Poison Ivy for prizes in Injustice 2. The problem with this is that Ivy is one of the very few canonically queer characters in mainstream comics.
If you don’t SEE what the problem is, you might be in line for a job at WB!
I mean how difficult would it be to just say, “Yay pride month, wins with Ivy, Harley and other queer characters unlocks cool rainbow stuff” but no. Beat up that Bi
I’m pretty sure Alex Hirsch is going to grind the axe for the rest of time regarding how many times they were forced to cut gay couples out of Gravity Falls
Warner Bros really missed out on beating up Cyborg for an event during black history month.
And of course, it’s worth remembering if/when Warner Bros use the cartoons that have queer rep in them they’re involved with as a shield how they actively tried to stop people like Rebecca Sugar putting and acknowledging LGBTQ rep in their shows. Basically, corporations don’t give a shit about pride until creators and the public force them to (and props to Alex Hirsch for calling them on it).
They could’ve just flipped it to where the player plays as Ivy and does a gauntlet style survival and it would’ve been perfect.
Okay adding to Alex Hirsch’s comment he is currently involved in the Owl house. A show with an Bi main character and a Lesbian love interest for her. Along with a major character with two dads.
*Screams wildly and sets her house on fire* I’M GAY AND CAN DO ANYTHING, THIS IS FINE
3:19 God, I hope not. “Disney’s first openly gay character is an animal abuser.”
Ok, I think one thing should be clear: WB knew this could happen. They spend millions on risk assessment and sensitivity, so someone told them. Heck, you don’t have to be queer or have extensive coursework in order to see that maybe “beating up the bi woman for pride month” maybe sends the wrong message.
It tells me more about WB that despite all this they charged forward anyway. That despite being warned anyone who had any say in this just plowed on. Honestly I think too much cover is given to them by just acting like they’re ignorant and should hire more queer staff.
Again, they knew.
Normally one of my first thoughts when I wake up on a Monday is “Jimquisition?” but my schedule for the last few days has been weird so I didn’t realize it was Monday, and seeing this at the top of my YouTube feed was very exciting.
Disney, this is the 5th “first gay character but not really” you’ve shown this month.
Sometimes I am dumb enough to question why beating up someone in a fighting game is a problem, but then that basic stupidity is quickly repressed when I remember “wait there’s two sides to a fight. Why not have the highlighted character be the one giving the beatdowns?”
“This pride, Warner Brothers encourages all of our customers to play the fun game of ‘beat this fictonal lesbian until she stops fighting back’!” #ally
I feel like the “there’s room for everyone under the rainbow” message is less about Disney saying “we’re pro-queer! see!?” and more about pushing their laundry list of cishet characters into queer spaces.
But y’know, feelings, what are they good for? Mindless consumerism is the true path to the future!
Pride Month: when the corporations loudly declare that they’re your friends, but still won’t actually spend any time with you; then next month they’re back to insisting in private that they’re your friend, they just don’t want anyone else to know.
Nothing says “I’m an ally” like enthusiastically endorsing the brutal beating of a queer woman.
This is the “I choke slam people now” journalism that I crave.
“I choke slam people.”
I found this funnier than it should have been.
“We are committed to doing the thing that we have consistently and historically never done and will literally not even consider doing.”