Garfield Love Secrets

I've elicted all sorts of responses in newsgroup flamewars, but the following are my hands-down favorites.

Some context is necessary: In 1993, the For Better or For Worse comic strip revealed that one of its characters was gay. In the strip, the character's father kicked him out of his house. A number of people got bent out of shape about this, including a few of the subscribers to the rec.arts.comics.strips newsgroup.

The paragraphs written by me begin with a "=o=" dingbat.

Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips From: jsm55905©uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Jeff Mierzwa) Date: Sat, 24 Apr 1993 17:08:27 GMT Subject: Re: Garfield Love Secrets (was: for better or worse)

>>> Remember that Jon originally had a MALE housemate who just >>> kinda disappeared, before Jon started trying to date the >>> vet... >> I thought Odie's owner was the next-door neighbor (this is >> who you refer to, right?). > =o= Nope, Odie's owner, Lyman, moved in with Jon. Perhaps > he told his parents he was gay and his father kicked him out? > > =o= It might be hard to believe in this repressive day and age, > but the early days of Garfield mass merchandising included some > items that gave a wink and a nod to gayfolk. > > =o= I remember one in particular: When I went to college, > I lived in the cramped attic of a house, and my bedroom was > literally a closet. My girlfriend got me a poster depicting > Garfield hugging Pooky in a closet, encaptioned "I Keep My > Affections In The Closet." I don't think it was created for > college kids living in closets. :-) > <_Jym_> > P.S.: I always thought the vet looked kinda butch -- perhaps > she's a drag queen? Garfield gay???? You people have WAY to much time on your hands!!! Get real! Sheesh! NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO WWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY!! Garfield is not meant to be socially relevent. In no way shape or form has Garfield, and supporting cast, ever had any gay tendencies! No, I'm not homophobic. It's just that now that I've read this article, I'll never be able to think of my FAVORITE comic they same way ever again. I can't explain it here, but Garfield has been a very important part of my life for a very long time. It always made me laugh when I needed to, cheered me up when I was depressed and I WILL NOT let his name be dragged through a gay/straight argument that is lame in the first place! Get back in the real world people and read it for the fun. Don't analyze it, that takes the charm out of it! GET A LIFE!!!!! Jeff Mierzwa | Life is a joke, because email: Snake-Eyes©uiuc.edu | if you can't laugh at life, or, if that doesn't work... | what can you laugh at? email: jsm55905©uxa.cso.uiuc.edu| --Jeff Mierzwa (Yeah! I thought of it!)

Before receiving this valuable advice about getting a life, I'd already posted another message.

Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.strips From: jsm55905©uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Jeff Mierzwa) Date: Sat, 24 Apr 1993 17:20:32 GMT Subject: Re: AARGH!

>> I just wanted to see the title of my strip in the subject line >> of this newsgroup because it makes me feel kind of special. >> Thank you and sorry for this blatant waste of bandwith. > =o= _AARGH!_ is the name of a British benefit comics anthology. > It means Artists Against Rampant Government Homophobia. > > =o= One would expect Jon Arbuckle and his lover Lyman to be > in there, but they're not British. :-) > <_Jym_> Jon and his lover Lyman? WHERE DO YOU GET THESE LAME, let me repeat, LAME ideas? Christ almighty! Read it for the fun, not for the social implications! I've read every, yes every, Garfield strip because I have all but 2 of the books. In no way or form have I have never seen homosexual connotations or situations anywhere in any of the strips. As I have said before, I am not homophobic and I am not gay. I am a firm believer in ending descrimination(sp?) in all forms. Black, Hispanic, gay, Oriental, or any other. BUT I WILL NOT LET YOU DRAG GARFIELD INTO THIS! If you have read my other post, you will know why. If not, I'll give you a short explanation. Garfield has been very imprtant to me for as long as I can remember. It made me happy when I was sad, made me laugh when I needed to. And it still does. Now that I have ssen your filth, yes filth, I'll never be able to read it the same way again. I know you are wrong, but the thought that someone is actaully SICK enough to get an idea that Garfield, and supporting cast, are in any way related to this whole gay/striaght argument turns my stomach. If you are gay, I don't care. If you are straight, I don't care either. That means nothing to me. You are lame and stupid because you have way to much free time on your hands to get these insane ideas about a 3 box cartoon cat and his owner! Get real! Jeff Mierzwa | Life is a joke, because email: Snake-Eyes©uiuc.edu | if you can't laugh at life, or, if that doesn't work... | what can you laugh at? email: jsm55905©uxa.cso.uiuc.edu| --Jeff Mierzwa (Yeah! I thought of it!)

"I still enjoy the movies where the boy gets the girl in the end."
-- Lyman