BETCH Alert: Billy the Vampire Slayer

Now, I don't think it's a far cry to say that Buffy has a strong following in the queer community. The messages of empowerment, overcoming oppression, and accepting one's full self all resonate deeply with the experience of queer kids. On top of that Buffy was a pioneer in inclusion of openly queer characters with Willow, Tara, Andrew, and Kennedy (and eventually Buffy herself in the comics). Now, with the help of the ever amazing and frequent Whedon-collaborator Jane Esponson (credits include Buffy, Battlestar Galactica, Torchwood, and Husbands), the very first gay male slayer is being introduced to the buffyverse.

Now, being a gay male fan of the series myself, I can say that I've long fantasized about a gay male inclusion to the slayer heritage (I'm also a loud proponent of male inclusion amongst the Star Sapphires, but that's another post). I even ran my a Buffy RPG which resulted in Male slayers (although that storyline revolved around disgruntled former watchers siphoning off Slayer magic, but WHATEVER...). Esponson talks about how the writing staff on Buffy actively considered introducing gay male characters to the show, but many of these ideas never quite made it to fruition.

Check out the full interview with Esponson at Out.com. I've also pasted preview images of the issue, Buffy Season 9 #14 which is scheduled to hit stores on October 10, 2012.