Northstar: Marvel's first gay superhero and his journey from 1979 to marriage

Northstar, the first openly gay superhero in mainstream American comics, debuted in Uncanny X-Men #120 in April 1979, created by writer Chris Claremont and artist John Byrne. The character, whose real name is Jean-Paul Beaubier, is a Canadian mutant with super-speed, and his twin sister Aurora (Jeanne-Marie Beaubier) debuted alongside him. Northstar's creation is seen as a precursor to the 'British invasion' of US comics in the late 1980s, which included talents like Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, Dave McKean, and Neil Gaiman. Despite Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter's conservative policies from 1978 to 1987, which included a caveat against gay characters, Claremont and Byrne developed Northstar with unprecedented depth. Jean-Paul's backstory includes being orphaned, mentored by Raimonde Belmonde, becoming a champion skier, joining the Front de Libération du Québec, and eventually being recruited by James MacDonald Hudson into the superhero team Alpha Flight, Canada's equivalent of the X-Men. Northstar's homosexuality was only explicitly confirmed in 1992, in Alpha Flight #106, when he adopted a baby with AIDS named Joanne, who died shortly after, prompting his coming out to promote HIV prevention. He married his partner Kyle Jinadu in Astonishing X-Men #51 in June 2012. The article also notes the first rainbow flag at the San Francisco Gay Pride on June 25, 1978, created by artist Gilbert Baker.