Bisexual Superman comic ruffles feathers in Muslim-majority Indonesia

Jon Kent, son of Clark and Lois Lane, comes out of the closet and kisses his reporter friend Jay Nakamura in the latest issue of Superman: Son of Kal-El

Some LGBT fans have welcomed the plot twist, but religious, political and child welfare groups have reacted angrily, calling for boycotts and arrests in response

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Jon Kent, the new Superman, moves in to kiss reporter Jay Nakamura in the new ‘Superman: Son of Kal-El’ comic book, which has created a stir in Indonesia. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:26pm, 14 Oct 2021Updated: 9:06pm, 14 Oct 2021

New Superman comics that depict the man of steel as bisexual are ruffling feathers in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country.

Jon Kent, son of the original Superman Clark Kent and journalist Lois Lane, comes out of the closet and kisses his male friend, the reporter Jay Nakamura, in the fifth and latest issue of Superman: Son of Kal-El, by DC Comics, which is to be released on November 9.

While the news has been welcomed by LGBT (Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) groups in much of the world, it has also riled up conservative groups in the United States, including commentators on Fox News.

In Indonesia, opposition has come from religious, political and even child welfare groups – despite the comic not being published in the country.

Among the most prominent critics was the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), the country’s top Islamic scholars body, which said it was disappointed that “anyone could produce comics that promote the LGBT lifestyle”.

“LGBT [sexual orientations] are not in accordance with human nature. [LGBT is] even anti-human because if everybody on Earth followed this lifestyle then it could be guaranteed that in 150 years there would be no humans in this world,” Anwar Abbas, vice-chairman of the MUI, told This Week in Asia.