Media has an impact on our society and vice-versa, and this is the reason we find it very important to discuss this.

We've created this petition, to let our voice hopefully be heard by the show creators, with the hope that this will help to make a room for a significant change.

We wish to have the sexual diversity of our society to be represented in media, and not be shut-down because of ignorance, hypocrisy and homophobia.

Gotham (TV Series, 2014 and still running) has recreated a new version of the Batman universe. For 3 seasons now, they had managed to recreate characters, strives towards having diversity in color, strong female leads, and also diversity in sexuality. However, there is still not even one main male couple in the series, nor in Batman's universe.

We want the Riddler and the Penguin to be recreated as a male couple, and we have a list of reasons to refute any objections and support our line of thought.

For all of the people out there who disagree: you and we are both passionate about what we love, Batman universe, and that is a awesome. So we can just agree to disagree - because we disagree with some of you for so many reasons. Nevertheless, we hope you'd listen with your heart.

Firstly, let’s start with why it is possible:

1. There are many of us who love and support the idea of them being together.
2. Batman fandom has influenced the Batman universe in the past and changed the outcome.
   As seen in the case of "A Death in the Family", determining with a vote whether Jason Todd, the second person to assume the mantle of Batman's sidekick Robin, survived a bomb. We may suggest maybe giving us the opportunity to vote on this matter too.
3. The show has been recreating the Batman universe; therefore there is a place to change what already presumably originally existed in one way or another. Proclaiming that both of the characters are originally straight is insignificant. 
   Also, of course originally these characters were not having any interest in males - because it's an heteronormative world we live in; it’s a world that sometimes is racial, sexist, homophobic world, and would/can be keeping it up if we won’t actively strive for a change.
   And, speculatively speaking, the Riddler specifically is a character whose sexuality has been in question to begin with. We can easily see him as a bisexual, or homoflexible (gay male with the exception of Kringle), or a heteroflexible (heterosexual male with the exception of Oswald).
4. We care to disagree with double standard, stating this would be “wrong” and “out of character” for these male characters, but not for the female ones.
   The hypocritical double standard is well known. That is the reason that forming female couples already happens in Batman’s universe, yet not even a single male couple exists. Just because some men enjoy seeing female on female action, but feel demasculinize by seeing it the other way around. This is homophobic, and should be condemned.
5. Likewise, we can change character’s sexuality without changing his/her personality’s traits.
   Sexuality shouldn’t be seen as a personality trait, as if it would “change the characters’ personalities”. Having a male kiss another male won't make him a different person, as have him kiss a female won't change his personality. Sexuality doesn't equals personality, because someone's sexuality does not defines his/her personality traits. Therefore: in that aspect, we can say that having these characters recreated as a male couple should be and would be the same as having them in a relationship with female characters.

This leads us to our second point, to state why having them as a male couple is and would be all the more significant rather than not:

1. The development in media at general and Batman universe in particular represents and empowers the change within our society towards liberality and human equality, as you can see with recreations of well known character:
   -  Green Lantern (John Stewart) was the first black superhero character in the whole DC comic universe.
   -  Harley Quinn sexuality was recreated as bi/pan/poly-sexual woman with her relationship with Poison-Ivy. And above all, she learns from their relationship to love herself. She has also become a feminist empowering strong woman that got herself out of an abusive relationship with the notorious Joker.
   -  In the new 52, the modern Batwoman is written as being of Jewish descent and as a lesbian in an effort by DC editorial staff to diversify its publications and better connect to modern-day readership.
   
   Seeing characters represent and legitimize the sexual diversity in our societies, is empowering, necessary, important, and an historical-social statement, which affects not only the LGBT+ community and the younger generation, but all of us.
2. With this being said, sadly, Batman's universe lacks any male couples / homosexual activity. Hopefully, having the Penguin and Riddler as the first male couple in the Batman’s universe would be a new light for a change towards the representation of our sexual diversity. 

 

Dear Gotham creators,

 

You are professionals, talented and clever. It's obvious you have been playing with the idea of having them as a couple, showing their interaction to have a certain level of romantic-intimacy. Knowing that the audience who grew fond of the idea will support it. Yet, not going all the way, in order to please everybody and not getting bash by those who simply hate the idea of any male character having any homosexual attraction, as if it's the worst thing that could ever happen to human kind.

In some way, wee see this as a privilege, to be able to decide for these characters if they are to continue fit the norm or be something a bit different. Some of us who are in/out of the closet LGBT+ people don't have this kind of privilege. Being well-known personas or not, it always comes along with encounter LGBTphobia, some of us might encounter bashing, abuse, oppression, discrimination, leading to depression, self-loathing or even self-harm in any way you could imagine. 

Nevertheless, we dearly hope that you can use our support to gain strength and empower your courage to create, with righteousness and liberality, and make the first main male couple in the series. As you’ve beautifully striven to recreate the Batman universe with such diversity in color, sex, and now hopefully sexuality too.

Hopefully, our approval of sexual diversity would not be taken for granted, and would be taken into consideration.

 

There is nothing wrong in our eyes with having a male couple in the show, on the contrary – it would be taking a step forward towards all that is love.

 

For all of the reasoning above, we turn you, the show creators:

Please make them a couple.

Or at least, sincerely explain to us – why not?

 

Thank you for your time.

You have our wholehearted support.

 

Long live Gotham!

Love is love!