Captain America And Queer History

Captain America and Queer History

CW: mentions of sexual themes (nothing on screen)

Ok. So, whoever did the research for Captain America either didn’t do it or knew exactly what they were doing. 

Steve Rogers grew up in Brooklyn. No one denies that. Most comics/movies put him in the DUMBO or Brooklyn Heights neighborhoods. Those and the surrounding neighborhoods were notoriously queer in the 20s-40s. 

His neighborhood would have been awash with gay bars, drag balls, automats and cafeterias (which were usually lgbtq friendly back in the day), both male and female prostitutes, and the likes. He was probably cruised or propositioned regularly.   

The neighborhood next to the DUMBO was the Brooklyn Navy Yard which was covered in both brothels (some female but mostly male). You could see men (mostly sailors from the Navy) making out or getting blown in in most ally ways.  

The Ed Brubaker 2004 comic run put Steve’s apartment just a few minutes away from St. George Hotel, one of the biggest gay hang outs of the time. 

Remember that scene from CATFA where Steve and Bucky talk about going to Coney Island? Well Coney Island of the time was covered in gay bathhouses.    

So, Even if you don’t think Steve Rogers was queer or he came out only after being in the future there is no universe in which he is not comfortable around lgbtq people. They probably even remind him of home.

-Phoenix  

Sources: 

https://www.out.com/2013/10/07/queer-waterfront-brooklyn-history

https://www.boweryboyshistory.com/2019/03/when-brooklyn-was-queer-the-forgotten-history-of-gay-existence-on-the-periphery-of-urban-life.html

https://theattic.jezebel.com/a-journey-through-the-queer-history-of-brooklyn-full-o-1833613031

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/in-the-early-20th-century-america-was-awash-in-incredible-queer-nightlife

https://www.history.com/news/gay-culture-roaring-twenties-prohibition

https://marvelatlasproject.net

Autistic Matt Murdock

Ok look. This may just be my autistic ass projecting but Mr. Matthew Michael Murdock is 100% autistic and you can fight me on that. 

He is literally like /always/ stimming. You can see it in the show he fidgets with his hands or cane all the time, also that little hop jump thing he did in the college flashback. 

Also, I know he has super senses but they read to me a lot like autism/sensory processing disorder. I mean think, he’s not the only character with enhanced senses. Steve, Bucky, T’Challa and Peter all have them too (I’m sure there are other but these are the ones I can think of off the top of my head) and other than Peter (who is also autistic and you can fight me on that) none of them have the same problems that Matt does. We see Matt having multiple sensory overloads throughout the show and honestly they are kind of similar to mine. Everything is too much and I get overwhelmed. Steve/Bucky/T’Challa don’t have that problem. Also “cotton feels like sandpaper on my skin” I mean come on.

*Season 2 spoilers for the next paragraph* When he looses his hearing after Frank shoots him in the head and he’s sitting on the floor screaming and smacking his hand on the wall? That is a meltdown. While I don’t scream during mine I do curl up in a ball and sometimes hurt myself. It’s a meltdown. 

His sense of Justice. Ok, so not every autistic person has a strong sense of right and wrong but a lot do. We can also see it in the fact that he would rather help people than make lots of money. I heard of a study done (Ok so this study is not without faults, it uses functioning labels and try to patholigize autism despite the results) where there were a group of autistic people and a group of neurotypical people. They were both given a choice, they could donate money to a good cause that would help people but would loose them money, or they could donate money to a not so good cause that would make them money in the long run. There were two tests run, one that was observed one that was not. The autistic group where much more likely to pick that good cause in both. Neurotypicals, on the other hand, were more likely to pick the good cause when they were being observed but the bad cause that would make them money when they were not. Matt literally chooses helping people over money every single time. Hell, he chooses to help people over his own safety every time.

His special interests! He has two big ones: law/justice and protecting Hell’s Kitchen. I mean he basically spends all of his time either working a case or on patrol. He maybe also has a smaller one on catholicism.

Scripting. I think he does a lot of that in the show. He describes his senses as a “world on fire” multiple times and uses “I’m blind” as an excuse for his injuries even when that excuse doesn't really fit said injury. He is also extremely eloquent in court when he can rehearse and know what he is going to say but often trips on his words in regular conversation.    

So ya, Autistic Matt Murdock y’all!

-Phoenix

Edit: OMG How could I have forgotten Matts giant special interest on Thurgood Marshall??? 

Black Widow

Ok. I watched Black Widow about a week ago and I loved it! But she needed a trilogy.

Story Time! My dad has always been a fan of the Iron Man movies but would not let me and my sister watch them because of the way he treated women. Understandable. But one evening he called us out and let us watch the bit in Iron Man 2 where Natasha beats up all the Hammer Tech Goons. Mind you this was way before I even knew what the word trans meant let alone knew it described me so I still though I was a girl at this point. 

That scene blew my mind. My sister and I thought it was so cool! She was competent woman who didn’t need the mans help and was actually better than him in the context of the scene! I had never seen something like that on TV before! I was so excited! We made my dad rewind the movie so we could watch that scene over and over again. 

Looking back I can’t even describe how powerful a trilogy with a strong, badass woman lead would have been for me. Because that two minute scene made me feel unstoppable.

I am so excited for all the little girls who get to see Black Widow and Captain Marvel and Scarlet Witch and The Wasp and all the other badass Marvel Women!    

Aaron Fisher

CW: Spoilers for the first issue of The United States of Captain America

I just read the first comic in the mini series The United States of Captain America and I can not quantify how happy it made me. The story features 19 year old (the same age as me!) Aaron Fisher aka the Captain America of the Railways. He protects queer youth and the unhoused. 

I have known that this comic was going to come out for a while now but actually reading it made me happier than I imagined it would. Captain America is one of my favorite OG MCU Avengers (I mean I like all of them but he’s up there) so seeing a queer kid like me take up the mantle to protect our community is really powerful to me. Before I even finished the first page he was on I knew I need to make a cosplay of him. 

I also love the message of the issue. It starts off with Steve talking about the American dream and how it really is a lie. He talks about how our society brands people we see as different as bad but we are really at our strongest when we work together. Seeing the man who is America personified say that is just... wow. 

Huge kudos to Josh Trujillo (writer) and Jan Bazaldua (artist). Ya’ll did an amazing job and made this queer kid feel seen. 

-Phoenix

Love is Love My Dear

Sarah Rogers walked Bucky to the door. He had ditched school for the umpteenth time to care for a sick Steve so she could go to work. She stopped him in the entry way before he could leave. The boy turned to look at her. She smiled.

“James. I just want you to know, that if Stevie had to love anyone I’m so glad its you.” 

Bucky went pale “No, Ms. Rogers, its. We’re.. It’s not...” he stammered. Sarah put a comforting hand to his cheek. 

“No. None of that. James if you remember one thing I want it to be this. Love is Love. People may say what you and Steve have is evil and sinful. I want you to know that it is anything but. I’m so happy you are in Steve’s life and I would be proud to call you my son in law.”

The boy was crying now. She pulled him into a hug. “Thank you” he whispered. 

“Of course”   

Yes! All of this! I hate when people paint Steve as Americas golden boy cuz he’s not. 

Also I have to add that (at least in some comics and the MCU) he lives on the Brooklyn waterfront which was extraordinarily queer especially between 1920-1945. So not only did he grow up around anti-fascists, left wing politics, trade unions, socialists and more he also grew up around a lot of queer and gender non conforming people. 

Steve Rogers Isn't Just Any Hero

so over on tv tropes one of the articles talks about how modern approaches to writing steve rogers are politically correct revisionist history bc people write steve now as being super accepting of all races and sexualities and genders etc.

which

is not an argument i particularly understand bc it assumes all people in the past by default held the prejudices associated with their time period

and anyway like you do know the whole point to steve rogers becoming captain america is that he’s an exceptionally decent human being which is what makes him a great super soldier