The X-Men and mutants are representative of the LGBT community.
In this post, I am only going to address the X-Men films, and not the comics, because it is safe to say that way more people are viewers of X-Men movies, rather than the original comics.
If you've ever wondered why the X-Men films get so caught up in the politics of mutant rights, that is because the issues facing these characters and how people treat them are meant to mirror the actual experiences of marginalized groups, particularly, the LGBT community. The director of the series, Bryan Singer, is openly bi-sexual, and has stated that many of his films reflect issues that are close to him.
I just watched X-Men: First Class yesterday, and a major plot line in the story was Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) and Beast's (Nicholas Hoult) acceptance of their powers. These two mutants are both self-conscious about their abilities, and they try to hide them. Mystique has the ability to transform her appearance, so she hides her natural blue form with a light-skinned Jennifer Lawrence. Beast, in the beginning of the story, has big feet, and tries to hide it. He doesn't even tell his colleague that he has known for years. Near the end of the movie, Beast tried to attack his mutant cells so that he could look normal, but it hurt him more than he thought. This situation of holding back one's natural feelings and abilities in order to fit into society is faced by the LGBT community. If you accept your true self, then you will happy, just like Mystique, who embraced her natural form, and no longer had to hide. But if you hold it in, then you will be like Beast, who ended up less satisfied than he originally was.
In the X-Men universe, mutants are marginalized, so if a family member turns out to be mutant, then they will most likely be be ignored, feared, hated, or abandoned. In X2, Bobby Drake, or Iceman, reveals to his parent that he is a mutant. This meeting is very similar to someone from the LGBT community coming out of the closet.
The parallels between mutants the LGBT community and continue. I could go on. And I will.
Mutants tend to get their powers and natural abilities around puberty, similar to how LGBT member discover their feeling around this time.
Mutants can be born from regular humans, even the parents that hate mutants to the core. This is seen with Iceman (above) and Jason Stryker, the villain of X2, hates villains, but his son is a mutant, so he exiles him. This is similar to how often, straight couples have gay, lesbian, or bi children.
Magneto, a mutant, fights for worldwide mutant pride, and encourages mutants everywhere to embrace their powers, just how recent movements encourage people of the LGBT community to embrace their own feelings.
If you still don't believe me, here are some quotes from X-Men: First Class that I found interesting.
"I always knew I couldn't be the only one in the world. The only one who was different."
"They'll fear us. And that fear will turn to hatred."
"I can't stop thinking about the others out there, all those minds that I touched. i could feel them, their isolation, their hopes, their ambitions. I tell you we can start something incredible, Erik. We can help them."
"Can we? Identification, that's how it starts. And ends with being rounded up, experimented on, and eliminated."
*Raven transforms* CIA Agent - "Out. i want them out of my office. Now"
That's an interesting comparison between mutants and members of the LGBTQ+ community. A lot of qualities of the X-Men seem like they could apply to more minority groups as well. The social stigma against mutants and the "mutant pride" movement that comes with it is reminiscent of the US Civil Rights Movement. The way mutants are denied rights seems similar to Jews in Nazi Europe. If I remember correctly, one X-Men movie opened with a scene in Nazi Germany - and Magneto was a young Jewish boy. I like the idea you raise of X-Men representing oppressed social groups; definitely seems like there's something there.
ReplyDeleteI love this post! It should be super popular. I think that seeing representation like this is important. Too often, LGBTQ characters fall into stereotypes, and their struggle gets lost from the story. It becomes too predictable. By framing the struggle in the context of a superhero story, the creators show LGBTQ people that their struggle is valid and doesn't have to follow the stereotype. Having not seen the movies, is this struggle obvious? Will it reach audiences who may be pro-mutant but anti-LGBTQ? I would love to see Xmen change people's minds about the LGBTQ community.
ReplyDeleteAlso, to make your post more popular by adding a comment, bisexual does not need a hyphen. Just letting you know. Otherwise, great post!
ReplyDeleteWow, I had never noticed those parallels before but they do make quite a lot of sense. Do you think that this could be applied to ethnicity as well? I mean in the sense that people must accept themselves for who they are and maybe that could apply to people who are shameful and hiding of a certain race or group?
ReplyDeleteIf you recall, at the beginning of Days of Future Past, it is revealed that young Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) is taking some sort of medicine that subdues his mutant powers but allows him to walk. He hides his natural abilities and his natural gift because in society and in his life, it is more difficult to be who he truly his. Could this possibly be seen as a more extreme version of a situation where a member of the LGBTQ+ community hasn't come out yet, for fear that their life will be harder if they are not seen as "normal"?
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