Ever since I was a little girl I always loved superheroes.
My father filled my childhood with comic books, statues, posters, and movies filled with men and women in bright tights and superpowers, protecting their cities from evil villains. I cheered on the Justice League, jumped off tall buildings with Spiderman, went to school with the X-Men. I was completely devoted to all things super; to me, they were not fictional characters with unbelievable powers. They represented values and ideals that I wanted to embody like truth, justice for everyone, always doing the right thing. Even as a adult I still find myself loving all of the characters from my youth.
So, it wasn't a surprise when I became absolutely obsessed with the t.v. show Supergirl. It was campy and fun and starred an adorable yet tough as nails female lead (Melissa Benoist); who couldn't love a show like that? However, to my complete surprise, it wasn't the perky alien that I found myself fawning over; it was her human sister, Alex.
The storyline of Alex Danvers (Chyler Leigh) is one that not many fans saw coming. At first, she was just Kara's normal sister who worked as a doctor. Then we find out she is actually a secret agent for an organization that protects the city from aliens, which is badass and completely worthy to start fawning over her for. But then we get the biggest shock of all: Alex Danvers is a lesbian.
The writers of Supergirl did an amazing job showing Alex's coming out. From her first interaction with love interest Maggie Sawyer (Floriana Lima) the audience could see a bit of a lightbulb go off in Alex's head. She was feeling something she had never experienced before; not only that, she was dealing with these confusing feelings as an adult, which makes the situation harder. They beautifully told the story of Alex coming to terms with her identity before going after Maggie who, at first, shuts her down because she just came out and she wanted Alex to have experiences in her new life. Alex's coming out may not be the story everyone has but it is one that we can all relate to.
I did not come out when I was a adult; in fact, my coming out wasn't just a one time thing. It took my years to come to terms with my identity. I had always had an inkling that there was something about me that was different when I was younger; I didn't want to gossip about boys with my friends and I found myself looking at other girls in a way that made me want to kiss and hold them, not just be their friend. Like Alex I came from a liberal family who did not care about what my sexuality was. But, coming out was still a painful process, one that I saw reflected in Supergirl.
And, yes, there have been shows who have tackled coming out before (Glee, The L Word, Degrassi to name a few) but there was something so raw and real about Alex's coming out story. We all have had crushes on people who did not like us "like that". We've all put ourselves out there only to have our hearts broken. But, we've picked ourselves up, dusted ourselves off, and kept pushing forward. That is why I love the queer storyline on Supergirl; Alex didn't just come out, get rejected, then crawl back into the closet. She embraced her new life and became comfortable in her own life. And, honestly, that is what coming out is all about: just being happy with who you are.
Who knew the most powerful person on a superhero show would be the "normal" sister?
