Gotham Knights reveals a surprisingly queer Gotham
Gotham Knights reviews have just come out, and it’s already looking pretty divisive among critics. But what interests us about Gotham Knights is the reveal that, strangely enough, Gotham is much more queer inclusive than you’d think.
Gotham, the fictional city where Batman’s heroes and villains reside, is a location I’d describe as ‘the worst place on Earth’ even on a good day. While you’ve got plenty of stuff to worry about in other cities like Metropolis, Gotham is just bad with a heaping of awful added into the mix. Who the hell would want to live in Gotham?
So you can understand why we were surprised to find out (via Stevivor) that Gotham Knights actually includes a lot of nods to queer inclusivity and the LGBTQ+ community as a whole. A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one. One such nod is rainbow crosswalk near a sign that says ‘Welcome to West End – Where Everybody Matters’, which also sports a rainbow emblem.
Another nod can be found via a mural, which Queerty explains is part of the game’s many challenges. This challenge has players track down murals of beautiful art, with one particular mural highlighting the queer community that resides within Gotham. Titled “Born This Way” the mural depicts a splash of colour and highlights the words ‘LOVE’ and ‘TRUTH’. You can see the mural for yourself, below.
The description reads that the mural was “commissioned for Pride Gotham three years back”. A statement that is inherently funny considering the city it was commissioned in, and the fact that it confirms Gotham does actually have Pride.
The mural and the confirmation of Pride does, however, open up a fair bit of questions. For example: does Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy attend these parades? Does Catwoman? Hell, does Batman? So many questions, and so very little answers.
This isn’t the first time a superhero game has included nods towards the LGBTQ+ community. The Spider-Man games have done the same, and even Saints Row. And while this inclusion doesn’t really make up for the lack of LGBTQ+ representation with the game’s characters and story, the acknowledgment of the queer community is at least something.
Now let us play as Harley Quinn and kiss Poison Ivy. We’re not asking for a lot, WB.
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