Luann by Greg Evans and Karen Evans for March 16, 2012

finally it comes out………when will he come out??

THAT question is settled!

He lacks confidence. A SERIOUS lack of confidence. Yeah, Luann, write him a reference letter.

I am almost sure that Rosa will end up being someone waiting for the “right man” and not one to “take opportunities to gain experience”

Aw Luann, you are really sweet!

What difference does it make if Gunther is an only child, raised by his mother? That doesn’t make him any more or less likely to be gay.

He did say a “part” of me is knowing – so guess what part of him is knowing that.

Man, if the woman I had carried a torch for years and years just up and openly questioned my sexuality like that… Also, I agree with @Nabuquduriuzhur. Just because you aren’t a Casanova with women when you are a teenager doesn’t mean you are gay. Interesting character development plot…but the way that Luann brought something like that up was really…sudden.

@darth geekboy….

We’re reading about characters who are just 16..17 years old. NO teenager that age is planning on settling down with the first ‘love’ of their life. Rosa is attracted to Gunther at this point in time and may simply change her mind about him for any reason at all.

Gunther is NOT gay; he is simply a studious fellow who has spent his time volunteering and taking part in school activities and actually doing his schoolwork. He is a ‘friend’ to all and had not yet found a girl who brought him out of his shell. He is not gay…he’s simply still a v…… who doubts his abilities. He will most likely hook up with a lovely girl who also happens to be nerdy.

you are also forgetting that a month in real time is like a couple days in Luann time.

Everyone knows that guys turn out to be gay by being too close to their mothers and having no strong male role model at home. Thank you, Mr. Evans, for stoking the fires of ignorance.

(In fairness, I should also note that Luann sees nothing wrong with someone being gay.)

A letter of reference! That just might help give Gunther the confidence he needs to be able to approach Rosa on terms that will suit her. Do it, Luann (even if you meant it initially as a joke)!

So a guy being an only child raised by a mother and liking to sew means he’s gay? SERIOUSLY?!

I worry about people that want to analyze a cartoon. lol

I LOVE smart women…

Greg today made fun of the posters who kept saying Gunther is gay because he sews, and indirectly also to those who in the past said same thing about Q because he dances

a letter of reference – ha! I saw yesterday in the news that we men are always going goofy around women that we are attracted to.

I’ve worked with teenagers for over 21 years. Sometimes they can be that open and direct with their questions to each other, so I didn’t find her comment that out of the ordinary. What I didn’t care for was Luann’s suggestion that, b/c Gunther was raised by women and likes sewing, he may be gay. But, then again, I could see my students making those connections too… Overall – I’m glad they “went there” today. Kind of refreshing.

I’m thinking Gunther should at least get to 3rd base before Luann writes that letter of reference.

I get the impression some of you just read this comic to complain about the topics, arcs & pacing.perhaps you would be happier elsewhere.

perhaps not, as you seem happiest while complaining.

@ trekman58I teach freshmen in high school. I’ve taught twenty-five years in one of the most conservative states in the country. Trust me on this one: yes, they are that forward. Not only will they question someone’s orientation, they’ll openly announce their suspicion to the entire class—usually in the middle of an assignment or lecture (and in an attempt to discomfit the teacher and disrupt the class).

Any action or situation they dislike is dismissed with the comment “that’s so gay”.

I enjoy this strip because it’s a pleasant escape from the harsh realities of my work. My “Gunther”, a gifted computer expert 14 year old, turns in no classwork and will be a father next month. The first day of class he showed me a sonogram of the baby.

That’s the reality of high school today.

Maybe he needs a written invitation

No, No, Gunther.

You Don’t Need EXPERIENCE.

You Just NEED PRACTICE..

Lu just said You’re a GREAT Kisser, and indicated that She Enjoyed it.

So you just need keep KISSING Luann Over and Over again until SHE Comes to HER Senses!

START NOW….,

Gunther is not gay. In fact I predict a big kiss between he and Luann tomorrow which will lead to more confusion and teenage angst . . . .

Hmm – Luann and Quill and Rosa and Gunther all together for a lazy afternoon and explore these questions…

Di-dah di-dah. A guy telling us “what women are like”? Hate to break it to you kid, we are just human beings, and as such, just as different as the other half of humanity.

Well, what counts is that he ISN’T gay.

oh brother…

Is it wrong about what I thought when Gunther said Rosa was “well traveled”?

Gay doesn’t fit. All the guys I knew to be gay in high school were totally comfortable around girls. They hung around them like they were best buds…and this was way back in the 70s. Gunther likes girls, but doesn’t know how to act around them. That doesn’t fit the gay storyline.

I teach at an inner city high school. Every couple that is dating, gay or straight, think that their “love” is special and will last forever. And they are that forward, come right out and ask if you are gay. Its very cool though, very diverse school, 20 languages, different cultures, gay kids out and open. Very different than the military Catholic school I attended. If a character is going to come out, I vote for Knute…just saying.

will Rosa reallly read a referencs letter???!!!!!

I’m glad they dealt with the issue and, in my opinion, settled it honestly. I was really afraid they’d go into “Funky Winkerbean” type preachiness.

And the real meaning of “gay” is happy, not homosexual.

When I was in the Air Force a few of the guys over the years treated me like a big sister, so I heard about their doubts and fears. This isn’t as unrealistic as you might think. The Gunther thread reminds me of one in particular who was frustrated that the cute young women his age weren’t interested in him “that way”. I told him to look at the older women. Sure enough, he ended up with a women who had come out of a bad marriage and could appreciate a very nice, responsible, smart nerd.

I can’t believe Luann just popped that out as if she was talking about the weather.

Okay, you’re not gay. You’re intimidated by a smart competent girl.

Darth, my friend, you forget that above being attractive, Rosa is SMART. She’s an intellectual— well versed at least in literature.So what other boys at Pitts High are available to an intellectual girl? Knute?

I don’t believe I ever saw Gunther kiss Luann. I DID see Luann kiss Gunther on the cheek. That was enough to make him weak in the knees. I saw Tiff kiss Gunther on the lips, but she caught him by surprise.

Being an only child raised by his mother doesn’t have anything to do do with sexual orientation.

lessee…she likes his mind, considers his kissing good, and knows what he looks like naked. this had better not turn into another 4-week long lamer thread like it’s been so far….

His closet door’s just jammed.

Luann bases the question off of stereotypes that many people have. The important thing is the fact that Luann asks the question with no negativity and no accusatory feel to it. She is a friend trying to help Gunther find himself whether that means he is straight or gay.

Wow. I love this comic because of days like today. Teens actually thinking through their lives and decisions, trying to find who they are and what they are capable of. This is why Luann is so great.

So help me, if they don’t start a NEW storyline WITHOUT Gunther next week I’ll scream….ENOUGH already…..

It’s good that the subject of the Gay experience is being explored in this comic strip, but why in doing so is it necessary to perpetuate a false stereotype? There is no cause-effect relationship in being gay. The habits of one’s mother, a bad or non-existent relationship with a father, interest in traditionally non-male activities, none of these factors “cause” someone to be Gay, nor are the absence of such factors an indication that one will be “straight”. The important subject can be introduced and explored without any sympathetic character repeating silly stereotypes.

I’m not seeing any indication that Gunther is gay. He’s smart, so he’s aware of his awkwardness around girls. He’s culturally aware, so it’s not surprising he would have asked himself the question. And he’s decided he likes girls, having previously been attracted to Luann, and now to Rosa. As for “experience,” being a geek doesn’t mean you live under a rock. He’s playing mental chess, and thinking 19 moves ahead…

“an only child, raised by your mom, into sewing…” None of these are causes or indicators of homosexuality.

Well, at least Luann isn’t thinking about herself for once!

This story arc would be a lot better if it consisted of Gunther asking for advice on 4chan’s /adv/ section.

Nobody has commented on Rosa’s body language the last time we saw her—folded arms—she may have given up on him already. And she may be just too much woman for him.

The idea that being an only child makes you gay is ridiculously wrong. Actually, men are more likely to be gay the more older brothers they have.

Gunther’s act is getting a little old. He either needs to be gay, or let his hormones go amok. Or maybe establish he’s a Christian who wants to wait until the right one comes along. Nah, that would be controversial…..

HOLY CRAP!! Didn’t see this coming!!!

I guess I must be outgrowing this strip.. there are a couple of story lines on here that I don’t even bother reading….

Gay? That’s a funny comment? Where did that come from? Gunther chasing after Luann all these years and now he’s gay? Gunther is smart and has talents beyond a normal male and undoubtedly been influenced by his Mother, but to put that in terms of being GAY? Heck, the best women’s clothes designers are Men. I learned how to use my Mother’s sewing machine just because I liked the mechanics of the process and the finished work. I also liked to make furniture but That makes me Gay? Get a Life!

Legaleagle: Actually closer to a century. It emerged in the gay community in the 1920s, was in the dictionaries by the 1930s, and had totally wiped out the “frivolously happy” meaning by the 1950s.

Actually I think Luann just said that to force him to admit he likes Rosa. To me it comes off as rather “tongue in cheek”

Gunther KISSED Luann!?!?where can I sign up for That!? ’=]

trekman58 I agree with Kim Roberts teens are that forward..

I’ll be the first to admit that I have no contact with teenagers, therefore I don’t know how they think. But, maybe Gunther realizes that a romantic involvement makes a lot of demands on your time and energy. He can’t be a serious student and a “boyfriend” at the same time. He’d be more comfortable if Rosa decided to “teach” him Spanish and the two of them spent time together working on that. Slowly he’d become more at ease with her and if romance is meant to be, it will just happen naturally.

If, after being clearly told the opposite by the strip’s artist, you still think Gunther is gay, then you may have an agenda. If you didn’t know that, then you might want to explore further within your own status.

I’m surprised on how people want to put others in a slot and say, yup, that’s what he/she is alright..He’s just scared, everything is amplified at that age. If I mess this up just once, I’m doomed for the rest of my life..Gunther needs to take her out on a date and at the end take a deep breath, exhale and move in closer. If she moved closer too then he, then she… when they run out of space, there you go.

Any chance Luann will try boosting Gunther’s confidence with a practice kiss – that Rosa walks in on?

Ok, this tells me a lot about Greg Evans. He seems to believe that being Gay is a product of your environment growing up rather than biological… Born that way. So he’s wrong there. Being an only child raised by his mother, with no males present, may make him a bit on the feminine side, but not gay. And by the age of 16-17 and past puberty, you know. There is no question by then unless you’ve been hammered down by religion making you confused. The only test one needs is to ask yourself: “What sex would you like to see naked?”. Pretty cut and dried if you ask me. I knew in the 5th grade that I wanted to see Gigi Thorton naked! Bad!

Greg just disabused us of the idea that ALL seamsters are Gay!He just demolished that stereotype, why are people complaining?

Re censorship and King Shark: nicely said. The same thing happens when bullies complain about abuse. Not saying Bill the Butcher is a bully, but being abusive does not automatically give anyone the right to express it.

From my own impression, most gay guys are ok & fun to be around, but most lesbians scare the crap out of me.

Oh please – put away the cloak of martyrdom you;re wrapping yourself in. Censorship doesn’t “always target the uncomfortable truth” – it’s often applied to the deliberately annoying, the troll and those who have a one-note axe to grind. .Greg’s made it very plain he doesn’t care who says what here. He’s sure no Brooke McEldowney, as he’s stated before that he feels a free exchange of ideas is a good thing. So to get all paranoid and think your comments represent some sort of significant threat to him is really being more than a bit egotastic. The image of Greg, hovering in fear over the board waiting to delete you is pretty silly – surely by now you’ve realize that the multiple flagging option which leads to deletion is deployed by your fellow posters? .I also think community censorship isn’t a good thing because I think criticism and dissent that’s not part of your earning your troll merit badge is valuable, but if many others think you’re abusing your posting privileges here, that’s how the site parameters are set up.

I’m sorry! You folks commenting on Gunther say “Gay” like that’s a bad thing. Since when. So what if Gunth is? Does it affect any of us personally? My take when a friend came out of the closet to me. So friggin’ what? Does that change a friendship? No it does not. None of us has to engage in sexual activity we do not wish to, in that (and only that) homo- or hetero-suxuality is a “choice.” As for Rosa, maybe she also suspects that Gunth is/might be gay. Ask some of the ladies around you how safe they feel with (if they have any) their Gay Friends. It might supprise you.

Yes. Gunther could possibly realize Luann is hie soul mate later on in life. Teenage years are all about exploring options and taking chances. Gunther may turn out to be the owner of a theatrical costume firm and be married with six kiddoes. I don’t think he has any doubts about his orientation…he just has doubts about how he should approach a girl who seems to be the epimone of perfection. Gunther is extremely shy.

I think it’s great that they’re showing a male character in comics who isn’t gay but has some stereotypically effeminate interests. The “character you already know comes out as gay” storyline has been done to death, and not only is it boring, but if Gunther came out as gay it would reinforce all the stereotypes. It’s better to move on and try to teach boys and men that they can have any hobbies they like, and it has nothing to do with their sexuality.

Um, yeah, you do think about it. When you realise your orientation might be, or is, different, you think a lot about it.

Always with the “gay” thing. Greg has already made it clear in interviews: “Gunther is not gay.” Sorry. Get over it.