In our celebration of Wonder Woman today, there are many avenues through which Diana Prince, the Amazons, and the legacy of that mythology can be covered. I have chosen the impact of Diana as a bisexual and generally queer icon because it is one of the aspects of the legendary warrior that has not made it onto the screen the way it should have.
Back in 2016, comic book artist Greg Rucka confirmed in an interview that Wonder Woman was queer.
“It’s supposed to be paradise,” Rucka explained. “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. But an Amazon doesn’t look at another Amazon and say, ‘You’re gay.’ They don’t. The concept doesn’t exist. Now, are we saying Diana has been in love and had relationships with other women? As Nicola [Scott, Rucka’s artist and collaborator on the “Wonder Woman: Year One” storyline currently running in the series] and I approach it, the answer is obviously yes.”
Rucka continued:
“Nobody at DC has ever said, ‘She’s gotta be straight.’ Nobody. Ever. They’ve never blinked at this,” he said. “I think every publisher can be lit up for moments of negligence and mistakes they made, but it matters a great deal to me that DC be given their due here. They would, I think, like any business, prefer this not be an issue to anybody. But most of us human beings would also really rather this not be an issue for anybody anymore. It is what it is.”
Wonder Woman’s sexuality came up again when the film with Gal Gadot came out, and there were questions being asked if her queerness would be included in the final product. Gadot said at the time that while it was “not something we’ve explored [in the film],” that “it never came to the table.”
“In this movie she does not experience any bisexual relationships. But it’s not about that,” Gadot continued. “She’s a woman who loves people for who they are. She can be bisexual. She loves people for their hearts.”
All of this sounds great, but while Diana kissing girls is something that can be put in an SNL skit, we are still very much lacking the chance to see that explored in film.
Diana’s great romance has been Steve Trevor and when that is put to the side, she is often paired up with (ugh) Superman or Batman. Power Girl is right there, y’all!
I don’t think Diana’s queerness needs to be labeled any one way, but I think there is a strange heteronormativity that surrounds her that is exhausting. Outside of her Amazon sisters and sometimes Etta Candy, she doesn’t tend to get as many female functional friendships to play with outside of children’s media. Even in the upcoming 1984, though she may remain in mourning for Steve—who died more than seventy years ago—we could still see her date women. Queerness isn’t defined by your current partner, but if we are going to say that Diana, an ageless demi-goddess loves people for their hearts … let’s see that.
Diana is a gay icon, so let the media reflect that.
(image: DC Comics)
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