106: Batgirl Is a Little Gay Boy’s Fantasy

“Enter Batgirl, Exit Penguin” (September 14, 1967)

The final season of the 1966 live-action Batman series saw the debut of Batgirl, a twirling, high-kicking female hero created to get more  girls invested in the series — and more dads to keep paying attention. But Batgirl’s creators didn’t count on the fact that they were creating the exact kind of character that little gay boys would become obsessed with. Thanks in part to Yvonne Craig’s spot-on performance, Barbara Gordon (a.k.a. Batgirl) became one of the most queer-friendly aspects to an already queer series, and joining us discuss her big debut is Glen Weldon, co-host of NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour and author of The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture.

Buy Glen’s book on Batman, nerds and pop culture.

Listen and subscribe to your new favorite classic RPG podcast, Square Roots: Apple Podcasts • Google Podcasts • Spotify • Twitter • Facebook

Listen to Smart Mouth’s episode on the history of garlic bread.

Watch Yvonne Craig, Adam West and Burt Ward re-team for a 1974 PSA about equal pay for female employees.

Watch Lesley Gore rock a taupe turtleneck while performing “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows” in the Yvonne Craig film Ski Party.

Enjoy Burgess Meredith’s performance as Golobulus in G.I. Joe: The Movie.

This episode’s outro track is “Give Me the Night” by Facts and Fiction: Apple Music • Spotify • Amazon