Sorry, Veronica: Riverside High’s New Hunk is Gay

Posted on August 10, 2010

According to The Huffington Post, there will be a new student joining Archie and the gang at Riverdale High this fall. Archie’s new rival for Veronica’s affection is muscular, blond, . . . and gay.

Archie Comics recently announced that in the Sept. 1 issue, the long-running comic will introduce its first “openly gay” character, Kevin Keller. Defying effeminate stereotypes, Kevin will defeat Jughead in a burger eating contest, win the affection of Veronica and wrestle over how to gently rebuff her flirtations.

Jon Goldwater, co-CEO of Archie Comics, says the introduction of Kevin is “about keeping the world of Archie Comics current and inclusive.”

Keller’s arrival in Riverdale makes me wonder how well the stories we tell — to our peers, our children, our employees, ourselves — reflect the diversity of our surroundings. What kinds of characters would make your stories and your organization’s stories richer and more real? How could telling those kinds of stories lead to something new and profitable?

About Andrés

Andrés Tapia is President of Diversity Best Practices, the preemininet diversity and inclusion thinktank and consultancy. Andrés also served as Hewitt’s Chief Diversity Officer and Emerging Workforce Solutions Leader for seven years, where he was responsible for leading the company’s diversity vision and strategies and for consulting with Hewitt's FORTUNE 500 clients. He is the author of The Inclusion Paradox: The Obama Era and the Transformation of Global Diversity. Find his bio here.

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Comments

2 Responses to “Sorry, Veronica: Riverside High’s New Hunk is Gay”

Andrés says:

August 11, 2010 at 2:50 AM

I think the key, as it is with any diversity issue around a marginalized or taboo group, is to normalize it. Which around our kids means to be in relationships where we would end up of course inviting gay neighbors, or Black, Asian, Latino, White co-workers, or friends who have disabilities to our day to day gatherings. It’s people getting together to connect, and have fun, eat food, and celebrate life.
Meta Brown says:

August 10, 2010 at 9:58 PM

The August 2010 issue of Mad magazine included a piece called “Archie Marries Jughead”. It was a response to an earlier Archie Comic that imagined Archie’s life on two alternative paths – married to Veronica or Betty. It was meant to be funny, of course, but included plenty of true to life reactions, including Betty and Veronica looking at one another and asking “How did we not know?”

It is interesting that you ask how well the stories we tell reflect the diversity of our surroundings. The stories we tell will never have as much importance as the stories we live. I’m wondering what we adults can do to make life better for gay kids growing up today than it was in my own generation.