In an effort to build a space for queer people like myself, every Tuesday I’ll be posting opinion pieces, listicals, reviews, and more focused on the LGBT community (and occasionally about the Latinx/WOC community since I am Latinx.) Welcome to Queerly Not Straight! Enjoy and leave a comment below if you have a suggestion for what I should cover next.
Harley Quinn is bisexual. It is known and the reason why it matters needs to be discussed, dissected, and treasured for the goodness that it is. Firstly, it’s all about the lead. Yes, this movie is called “Birds of Prey” but Harley Quinn is the leading star and that leading star is bisexual. Sure, Harley isn’t a superhero. She’s an anti-hero if anything. But that badass anti-hero is a bisexual badass who isn’t afraid of liking/loving who she wants to, no matter the sex.
Having a bisexual lead normalizes bisexual people. It shows that we’re like everyone else; badasses who are just as messy as the next person and who really love egg sandwiches to the moon and back. We’re real, we’re here, and we’re not going anywhere. If anything, we’re front and center in the stories being told, being celebrated, and being consumed by those that bought tickets to go and see Birds of Prey in the first place. And that matters.
It also opens the gates for more queer stories with queer people as the leads and battles the evil scourge that is bisexual erasure. Because that bad boy is real and still causing a mess in the LGBTQ+ community. Plenty of people want us to pick a side and stay there because that’ll make it easier for them to understand the world. But that isn’t how things work. Bisexual means more than picking one side. It’s openness, it’s love, it’s just who we are.
But what about Wonder Woman, you say? She’s a bisexual woman and part of the DC verse, right? Absolutely. But in her movie, she hasn’t been identified as a bisexual woman. As much as I love Steve Trevor, she is shown as only loving a man without acknowledging the BIG ASS SIGN pointing out the fact that there are only women in Themyscira and what do you think they’re doing if not falling in love, starting relationships, and becoming families together?
In Birds of Prey, Harley Quinn is identified as being in a relationship with a woman. It’s clear, concise, and can’t be misinterpreted. She’s bisexual and had her heart broken by a woman that looks suspiciously like versions of Poison Ivy we’ve seen before. Which leads us to our next point, the introduction of Poison Ivy. With this acknowledgement that Harley is bisexual, the possibility of bringing on Poison Ivy for Gotham City Sirens is clear and there.
Imagine how amazing that would be.
Imagine how groundbreaking it would be to see two women kicking ass, saving the day, causing trouble, and also being together.
Imagine what that means for bisexual representation as a whole and how it will make people like me feel seen.
Just imagine and hope that Gotham City Sirens makes it a reality. Our reality.
Queerly Not Straight posts every Tuesday with opinion pieces, listicals, reviews, and more focused on the LGBT community (and occasionally about the Latinx community since I am Latinx.)
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