Featured Article: Batman Oral Sex Ban
This week’s Featured Article is Batman Oral Sex Ban!
An overnight fandom phenomenon, Batman Oral Sex Ban emerged on June 14, 2021, after Harley Quinn co-creators Justin Halpern and Patrick Schumacker revealed in an interview that DC executives prohibited a scene of Batman performing oral sex on Catwoman, explaining that “heroes don’t do that.”
The Fandom’s response was swift, resulting in rapid discourse across Twitter, Tumblr, TikTok, and Reddit, sparking conversations about censorship, sexual politics, gendered pleasure, and double standards. Writers and fans alike reclaimed the moment through fics, memes, and commentary, turning “Heroes don’t do that” into a now-famous catchphrase. On AO3, the canonical tag Bruce Wayne Gives Oral Sex quickly grew, with the vast majority of works published after the news broke, alongside ironic counter-tags like Bruce Wayne Doesn’t Give Oral Sex.
The moment even spilled beyond fandom spaces, with creators, celebrities, and filmmakers (including Zack Snyder) weighing in, and at least one independently published erotic work was inspired directly by the incident.
Curious how one offhand quote turned into a full-blown fandom event? Head over to Fanlore to read all about it!
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