Rob Liefeld Hates Gay People

Well, he hates one: Shatterstar, who oh-so-recently came out of the X-closet to plant a big kiss on Rictor. We had a shockingly non-immature discussion on homosexuality in comics when this news broke — and actually, I should have lauded Marvel for have the balls to show the male-male kiss on panel, as opposed to some chickens — so let’s see how we handle this new development: Rob Liefeld does not approve of Shatterstar switching teams. From Robot 6:

“… I have nothing against gays, I have gay family, nuthin’ but love here,” he wrote on his message board (registration required). “Ditto gay characters if that’s what their true origins are.

“As the guy that created, designed and wrote his first dozen
appearances, Shatterstar is not gay. Sorry. Can’t wait to someday undo
this. Seems totally contrived.”

He initially was depicted as asexual, and struggling to understand human behavior. What he wasn’t, Liefeld insists, is gay.

When a forum member pointed out that other writers continued to flesh out the character after Liefeld left Marvel — some even dropped apparent clues
about his sexuality and his relationship with Rictor — Liefeld
responded: “Your opinion doesn’t change the fact that it sucks and it’s
not a positive move in most fans’ eyes. And it’s all well and fine that
you don’t respect a creator’s wishes or intent. I’m different like
that.”

Later he added, “Shatterstar is akin to Maximus in Gladiator. He’s a warrior, a Spartan, and not a gay one.”

Now, my initial reaction was to dismiss Liefeld, because he thinks it “sucks” and it “isn’t a positive move” and hey, it’s Rob Liefeld. After all, I have yet to hear from any other hardcore  Shatterstar fans who are, er… shattered by the news. But on the other hand, Liefeld did help create the character, and I’m sure he didn’t intend him to be gay (but to wear several dozen pouches and carry double swords and have a rat-tail). So maybe he has a right to bitch a little. It’s not like he’s pretending he has some right to the character that supercedes Marvel’s, which would be asinine. And he doesn’t seem to be condemning homosexuality except accidentally; he just thought Shatterstar was super fucking rad and a heterosexual badass, even though no one else on the planet was convinced (including Rictor).

So now I think Liefeld is just doing some harmless bitching. What do you guys think? Is Liefeld part of the problem? Or does he have a point?