Overwatch Characters that are gayer than Soldier:76
In the current Overwatch lore, 2 of the 32 characters are confirmed to be LGBTQ+. While this is a huge step forward in representation from a popular video game, I think it fell short for one of the characters.
Tracer, the poster girl for Overwatch, is a lesbian. She has a girlfriend, she looks like a stereotypical “butch lesbian”, which leads me to believe she was planned that way from the beginning, and is a really good and accurate example of queer representation.
The second LGBTQ character, Soldier:76, is subpar. With his gay reveal, it seemed less like a natural part of his character and more of an add on for more representation. More representation is good, but only for the right reasons and only if you’re going to put effort into making it good. Tracer is bursting with personality and spunk, while Soldier’s in game lines only indicate him being a strict, uptight soldier. There’s nothing wrong with this, it just doesn’t really give much personality and gives me no gay vibes at all. It is good to have masculine gay men represented in media, but it just feels like an add on.
So who should have been gay?
There are many characters who could have been revealed gay instead of Soldier, but here are just 3 examples.
Mercy
I think Mercy could have been an LGBTQ character not because of her vibes, but because of the concept and how it relates to queer history.
Have you ever wondered why “L” goes before “G” in LGBT? The acronym had been GLBT until the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 80s. This epidemic had a huge effect on the queer community, and by 1995 “one gay man in nine had been diagnosed with AIDS and one in fifteen had died”. This left a devastating blow to the number of baby-boomer gay men in the queer community. Since early cases had affected gay men primarily, the disease was coined the “gay cancer” and “gay-related immune deficiency”. People didn’t know how it was contracted and no one wanted to help these dying men.
So when gay men were all alone, lesbians came to their aid. Groups like the Blood Sisters volunteered at hospitals, gave blood. “Suddenly, the hospitals were full of lesbians who were volunteering. Volunteering to go into those rooms and help my friends who were dying. I remember being so moved by them because gay men hadn’t been too kind to lesbians. We’d call them ‘fish’ and make fun of the butch dykes in the bars — and yet, there they were,” Jon, a gay man who had lived through the outbreak, said. And as a thank you, the “L” was moved to the front of the LGBT acronym.
What does this have to do with Mercy? In game, Mercy is a support healer, a frontline field medic and nanobiologist. I think having her be a lesbian would have been a really cool homage to the women who had helped gay men in the 80s.
McCree
Like Soldier:76, he is a hypermasculine character but he has another facet. Style. McCree is a man living in the 2070s and he chooses to dress like this:
As someone who is both gay and vaguely aware knowledgeable in queer fashion history, this outfit is simply gay. He lives in the future with cyborg technology and futurism, and he chooses to dress like a cowboy. Only someone who was a homosexual would be so bold, so controversial.
MrCree defending his fruity clothing choice:
Doomfist: You know, McCree, the winning side would pay much better. Maybe buy yourself some real clothes.
McCree: MY clothes?! Have you seen some of the things Talon wears?
D.VA
Everyone’s favorite gamer girl, mountain dew addict, pop idol, and pilot, this one is for personal reasons.
I would love her to be gay because I would be very happy. Every time I see her my soul is just like:
So please, Blizzard, give me bisexual D.VA ❤
In conclusion, Soldier:76 was okay, but give me gay Space Cowboy, femme doctor lesbian, and cute gamer girl bisexual please ❤
Sources:
