An Archie Wedding to Remember: Gay Comic Character to Wed!

It’s hard to peg him as the comicbook king of controversy, but we’re about to see the third (third!) Archie wedding to make waves in recent news: the series’ gay character, Kevin, will be getting married after returning home as a war hero.

Interestingly, there hasn’t yet been any huge public outcry against the portrayal of a happy, healthy fictional gay character. Most of the news coverage seems to be hedging on the question of whether there will be controversy:

After a pair of straight weddings — both strangely involving Archie, though in his dreams — drew national attention, the publisher behind the popular stories has confirmed that it’s making room for someone else to walk down the aisle: Kevin Keller, the series’ first openly-gay character.

“Kevin followed in his father’s footsteps and is returning to Riverdale as a war hero, but that’s not all – It’s Kevin’s wedding day!” reads a news release from Archie Comic Publications, promoting an upcoming issue of “Life With Archie.”

In this offshoot series, which runs glimpse-into-the-future storylines based on the lives of Archie, Betty and Veronica, readers soon will be able to discover how Kevin met “Mr. Right.”

(via FoxNews.com)

Archie holds a place of nostalgic Americana for many of us; I’ve seen both my mother and sixteen year-old sister reach for the latest double digest in the check-out line at the supermarket. Keeping in mind the changing attitudes of the country and growing acceptance of gay couples, it only makes sense to include this storyline in the wholesome series.

One could argue the gay character Kevin has a moral leg up on old Archie himself, who just can’t seem to settle down with one girl! Kevin’s will be one Archie wedding without the typical Maryanne/Ginger factious fighting — we can all get behind it. No controversy here, folks: look to every other Archie comic for that.

Take Action: Like this post as a reminder to buy the Archie wedding comic for someone you love! America supports Archie’s gay friend, just like all our other gay friends.

Four tips to make your gay friends feel comfortable at your wedding

A wedding is about the bride and groom (we’ll call them “Romeo and Juliet”) and they should be the center of the attention. But bringing my same sex “Plus One” (we’ll call her “Gorgeous”) to a wedding raises all kinds of self-conscious anxieties about the best way to throw rice, rock the open bar and do the chicken dance the way Romeo and Juliet imagined. Throwing a gay-friendly wedding extravaganza should be simple, but can certainly seem sticky at times.

Weddings are a special day, and I worry that just by being there, my girlfriend and I will be perceived as making a political statement. I don’t want to do that. I just want to go to my friends’ wedding and cheer them on as they stuff cake in each other’s faces like any other couple.

So, without further ado, here are 3 simple sound-bites for the Brides and Grooms who might want to go the extra mile to make their gay friends feel welcome on their big day:

The Invitation

• When possible, it’s great to write your friend’s partner’s name on the envelope. This might not be Emily Post’s standard, but if you’re comfortable with it, embrace it.
• If you do feel more comfortable with an “and guest” on the invite, perhaps casually say “Hey! Romeo and I would be so excited if you and Gorgeous can make it!”

Either way, you’ll reassure your friend that “Yes, you meant THAT guest.”

More tips below the jump!

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