Editing Northstar (character) (section)

===1979–1994===
Northstar debuted in ''[[The Uncanny X-Men]]'' #120 (April 1979) as part of the Canadian government sponsored team [[Alpha Flight]], who sought to take [[Wolverine (character)|Wolverine]] of the X-Men into custody. In 1983, Alpha Flight went on to star in its own comic, with Northstar as a charter member. In addition to the ''Alpha Flight'' comic and associated annuals, Northstar and other members of the team made numerous guest appearances in other titles, particularly ''Uncanny X-Men'' and ''Wolverine''. Northstar was also featured in miniseries including two ''X-Men and Alpha Flight'' series and ''[[Secret Wars II]]''.

Creator [[John Byrne (comics)|John Byrne]] was reluctant to produce an initial run of the 1983 ''[[Alpha Flight (comic book)|Alpha Flight]]'' comic series for lack of developed and compelling characters. They had no back-stories and were created as nothing more than a team to face the X-Men. So in order to make the team less two-dimensional and more developed, Northstar's sexual orientation was subtly introduced into the start of the new ''Alpha Flight'' series.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.byrnerobotics.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=20713 |work=Byrne Robotics |title=Jim Shooter's views on homosexuality in comics }}</ref> Although Byrne had intended the character to be gay, he was restricted to implied hints of this fact,<ref name="Byrne">{{cite web |last=Byrne |first=John |url=http://www.byrnerobotics.com/FAQ/listing.asp?ID=2&T1=Questions+about+Comic+Book+Projects#106 |title=Frequently Asked Questions: Was NorthStar always intended to be a gay character? |publisher=Byrne Robotics |access-date=April 11, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130126025406/http://www.byrnerobotics.com/FAQ/listing.asp?ID=2&T1=Questions+about+Comic+Book+Projects#106 |archive-date=January 26, 2013 }}</ref> due to Marvel editor-in-chief [[Jim Shooter]]'s policy against openly homosexual characters,<ref>{{cite journal |last=Bartilucci |first=Vinnie |title=One Thin Dime an' Two Thick Pennies (Jim Shooter interview) |journal=Thwack! }}</ref> and by the [[Comics Code Authority]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Nyberg |first=Amy Kiste |title=Seal of Approval: The History of the Comics Code |location=[[Jackson, Mississippi]] |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |year=1998 |pages=143, 175–176 |isbn=0-87805-975-X }}</ref> For example, in ''Alpha Flight'' #18, when Northstar's residence is called by Heather Hudson, a half-naked man in swim trunks who had been swimming with Northstar answers the phone, while in ''Alpha Flight'' #41, Northstar's sister Aurora says to her brother, "Since when do you object to having attractively-dressed men about, my brother?" Northstar's apparent lack of interest in women was implied to be due to his obsessive drive to win as a ski champion,<ref name="rzero">{{citation |url=http://www.rzero.com/books/gaysuperfull.html |title=Beek's Books — Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Superheroes |publisher=Rzero.com |access-date=March 21, 2009 |archive-date=April 3, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090403232616/http://rzero.com/books/gaysuperfull.html }}</ref> and writer [[Bill Mantlo]]'s later attempt to reveal that Northstar had [[AIDS]] was squelched.<ref>{{cite web |last=David |first=Peter |url=http://www.peterdavid.net/index.php/2004/11/23/when-you-wish-upon-northstar/ |title=But I Digress...: When You Wish Upon Northstar |publisher=PeterDavid.net |date=February 14, 1992 |access-date=April 11, 2009 }}</ref> In ''Alpha Flight'' #106 (1992), writer [[Scott Lobdell]] was finally given permission to have Northstar state, "I am gay."<ref name='rzero'/><ref name="Furey">{{cite web |last=Furey |first=Emmett |url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=10809 |title=Homosexuality in Comics — Part II |work=[[Comic Book Resources]] |date=July 17, 2007 |access-date=April 11, 2009 }}</ref><ref name="Advocate 1019">{{citation |last=Colón |first=Suzan |date=November 18, 2008 |title=Don't Mask, Do Tell |work=[[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)|The Advocate]] |page=18 |issue=#1019 |url=http://www.advocate.com/issue_story_ektid63952.asp |access-date=November 30, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081025052645/http://www.advocate.com/issue_story_ektid63952.asp |archive-date=October 25, 2008 }}</ref>

As the first major, openly gay character created by Marvel Comics, Northstar generated significant publicity in the mainstream press,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/01/24/opinion/the-comics-break-new-ground-again.html |title=Op-Ed: The Comics Break New Ground, Again |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=January 24, 1992 |access-date=April 11, 2009 }}</ref> and ''Alpha Flight'' #106 sold out in a week, although the series was not a very popular title.<ref name="Furey"/> It is the only comic book issue to have been inducted into the [[Gaylactic Spectrum Awards#Hall of Fame|Gaylactic Hall of Fame]].<ref name=locspec02>{{citation |url=http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Spectrum22002.html |title=2002 Gaylactic Spectrum Awards |access-date=November 13, 2008 |first=Mark R. |last=Kelly |year=2002 |publisher=Locus Publications |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061115135857/http://www.locusmag.com/SFAwards/Db/Spectrum22002.html |archive-date=November 15, 2006 }}</ref> The event was also controversial,<ref>{{cite web |last=Masaki |first=Lyle |url=http://www.afterelton.com/blog/lylemasaki/seven-major-gay-moments-from-marvel-history |title=The Seven Biggest Gay Moments in Marvel Comics History |work=[[AfterElton.com]] |date=November 15, 2007 |access-date=April 11, 2009 }}</ref> and almost no mention was made of his sexual orientation for the remainder of the first ''Alpha Flight'' series, which ended with issue #130 in 1994. One exception was a subplot in which his sister Aurora—experiencing a [[Dissociative identity disorder|split personality]]—accepted his homosexuality in one personality, while rejecting it in the other. After the cancellation of ''Alpha Flight,'' Northstar appeared in his own miniseries, which uses his mutancy as allegory and sexuality as subtext.{{efn|Multiple allusions are made to Northstar's social anxieties throughout the story that - despite using anti-mutant rhetoric common in X-Men comics - avoid the term "mutant" altogether, leaving room for interpretation. This is most evident in the final issue, wherein the antagonist explains his ultimate motive as a deep resentment for Northstar's "kind" & fear of society accepting them}} Interactions between Northstar and other gay characters have been depicted, such as in a ''Marvel Swimsuit Special'', in which he is shown socializing with the gay [[Pantheon (Marvel Comics)|Pantheon]] member [[Hector (Pantheon)|Hector]].<ref>{{citation |last=Masaki |first=Lyle |title="Ultimate X-Men": Troubling turns for gay superheroes Colossus and Northstar |url=http://www.afterelton.com/blog/lylemasaki/utlimate-xmen-gay-colossus-northstar-gay-superheroes |work=[[AfterElton.com]] |access-date=March 29, 2009}}</ref>