ABSTRACT
Two widely distributed strips have highlighted gay men. Lynn Johnston’s “For Better or for Worse” spent March 1993 telling of a teenager’s efforts to tell friends and family about his orientation. Reaction was vociferous, and she says Lawrence’s future appearances will not focus on this issue. No stranger to controversy, Gary Trudeau’s “Doonesbury” introduced the first gay comic strip character, Mark Slackmeyer, in 1977, and another, Andy, who later died of AIDS. Liberal Slackmeyer is currently in a relationship with a fierce conservative, and the couple has enjoyed much recent exposure in the strip.
