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In the midst of Disney facing huge backlash from fans and employees for financially backing many politicians who support Florida's controversial "Don't Say Gay" bill, Marvel Comics has released the first images and release information about its second annual Pride Month comic anthology.
Marvel's Voices: Pride is returning for its second year after last year's anthology that featured stories about characters like Mystique and Destiny, Nico Minoru and Karolina Dean, Iceman, Wiccan and Hulkling, and new character Somnus.
Just like the introduction of Somnus in last year's issue, this year will also introduce an all-new queer hero written by award-winning author Charlie Jane Anders. Since his introduction, Somnus has become a regular character in the ongoing X-Men series Marauders, and Marvel hopes this new character will become equally as popular.
The anthology will also feature a story about Guardians of the Galaxy member Moondragon written by Christopher Cantwell, a Hercules story by Andrew Wheeler and Brittney Williams, a Young Avengers story by Alyssa Wong and Stephen Byrne, and a D-Man story by comedy writer Grace Frued and Scott B. Henderson. There's also an interesting tease about "two characters long left in the closet in a tale of love and redemption."
Marvel touts the anthology as a chance to "highlight its commitment to LGBTQI+ representation with stories that spotlight existing stars AND introduce brand-new characters to the Marvel mythology."
Earlier this month, Disney CEO Bob Chapek came under fire for saying that the biggest way the company could fight bills, like the one in Florida that would ban teachers from discussing LGBTQ+ history and issues, was through " the inspiring content we produce."
However, after that statement faced severe backlash, Disney has changed its tune and has paused all political donations in Florida and is working on other actions it can take. "Starting immediately, we are increasing our support for advocacy groups to combat similar legislation in other states," Chapek said in a new memo. "We are hard at work creating a new framework for our political giving that will ensure our advocacy better reflects our values."
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