Harley and Peter came home from school and flopped on the couch in the common room. It had become a tradition in avengers tower for the team to converge on the common floor when their youngest members got home. Harley groaned as he flopped on the couch.
“Whats up Harls?” Tony asked. Harley just grumbled again.
“He complimented a cute boy at school today and the guy’s reaction was to laugh and say ‘no homo right?” Peter explained to his dad.
“The homo was intended, damnit!” Harley whined. Tony walked up behind the couch and ruffled Harley's hair.
“Aw don’t worry Little Potato. You’ll find the cute boy of your dreams someday.” Tony comforted. Bucky cleared his throat.
“Uh… Is that, Um” He stammered “Uh… is that accepted? Nowadays…” Tony rounded on him and Steve, ready to defend his sons.
“Yes! And if you have a problem with that...” Bucky’s eyes went wide.
“Oh! No, I'm fine with it! Um.” Bucky assured. Steve saw his (boy)friend floundering and decided to help.
“Um in our day no one really talked about it. It was just surprising to hear it talked about so openly.”
“Ya. So um. When did that happen?” Bucky asked. Peter perked up at this, queer history was one of his special interests.
“Ok so I mean there were always queer communities but the gay rights movement started in June 1969 with the stonewall riots. Sodomy laws were overturned in 2003 during Lawrence v. Texas. Marriage equality still isn’t legal and there's still a lot of work that needs to be done but a lot has happened.” Peter explained.
“They repealed sodomy laws?” Steve asked. Peter nodded. “That's really good. I never thought I’d see that happen.” Bucky gestured to the other heroes in the room.
“So… are you guys ok with it?” Bucky asked. Clint snorted.
“Well I’m certainly not straight!” He said. When he saw the others looking at him he explained further “I’m aromantic asexual and a trans man”
“Really?” Peter screeched “I’m ace and trans too! I’m not aro though, I’m panromantic.”
“Aye!” Clint responded. He leaned over and high fived Peter “Avengers are officially 22% trans! Ace trans bros for the win!”
“Make that 33%” Bruce said quietly. “I’m gay though, not ace” Peter and Clint each gave him a high five. Steve and Bucky looked confused.
“Sorry.” Steve said “Um I’m not sure what most of those words mean.”
“No worries!” Peter said “Ok so asexual is when someone doesn’t feel sexual attraction. It's not a bad thing or anything, It's just absent. Aromantic is when someone feels a lack of romantic attraction, again it's not a bad thing. Panromantic is when you love someone regardless of gender. Transgender is when you are born everyone thinks you’re one gender but you’re really another. Like when I was born I was assigned female so everyone thought I was a girl. But as I grew up I realized that that doesn’t really fit. I realized that I am actually a boy. Don’t worry about remembering all of that right now. There's a lot of terminology in the LGBTQ community. I can send you some stuff to read if you want.”
“That would be great.” Bucky said
“Well since everyone else is coming out. I’m lesbian and demiromantic.” Natasha said. Peter high fived her.
“So all of you are fine with it?” Steve asked.
“Well apparently the only straight ones are you two and maybe Thor so I’d say we’re fine with it.” Tony said. Steve looked at Bucky, the question was clear in his eyes. Bucky took a deep breath and gave a small nod.
“Ya, about that.” Steve said awkwardly “Bucky and I have been dating since 1935 so…”
“I knew it!” Peter screached. He jumped off the couch and dashed out of the room. Steve and Bucky looked very confused.
“Eh he's like that sometimes” Harley explained “So it looks like Thor may be the only straight one. That's pretty cool” Before anyone could say anything else Peter skidded back into the room holding a book. He wildly started flipping through the pages and Steve saw the title was “Captain America and the Second World War.” Peter made a sound of triumph when he apparently found what he was looking for. He shoved the opened book at the super soldiers and pointed to a paragraph. Steve took the book and started reading.
“There has been much speculation in the past about Captain Rogers’ sexuality. Some have theorized that his relationship with sergeant Barnes was more than friendly. Some point to a line from an interview with Howling Commando Timothy “Dum Dum” Dugan as proof of this. When asked about the Captain and Sergent’s relationship he replied “Those boys were inseparable. They loved each other more than life itself. It comes as no surprise to me that when they went down, they went down together. When they said they were with each other till the end of the line, they meant it.” Steve and Bucky smiled softly at each other.
“There’s a bit more. Keep reading” Peter commanded.
“But these claims are easily disproved. There have been many accounts of Sergeant Barnes’ skirt chasing and Captain Rogers' relationship with Agent Margaret “Peggy” Carter has been well documented. So those speculations are just that, speculations.” Both soldiers looked angry now.
“That is the biggest bunch of bullshit I’ve ever heard.” Steve said definitely “I was never quiet about who I loved. The only time I ever hid was to hide my record to get into the army.”
“Record?” Clint asked
“Getting arrested in raids was a pastime of ours. Especially when this asshole” Bucky looked pointedly at Steve “Insisted on punching cops”
“You punched cops, Capsicle?” Tony asked “I must say I’m impressed”
“In my defence they deserved it”
“Holy cow! Captain America and the Winter Soldier are dating and punching cops. I’m pretty sure this is the best day of my life.” Peter said. He was vibrating and flapping his hands in excitement.
“Please don’t vibrate out of your skin, kid” Bucky said, looking slightly worried. He decided to give Peter something to talk about and asked “You said something about Stonewall. What happened there?”
“It was a gay bar in Greenwich village. Police raided it and patrons started throwing like, pennies and pebbles and stuff at them and it escalated till bricks and molotov cocktails we’re being thrown. The police ended up taking hostages and barricading themselves in the bar. The protesters tried to breach the barrier several times before they eventually set the bar on fire. The fire department came and put out the fire and rescued those inside but the riot ended up lasting five days after, all up and down Christopher Street and in Christopher Park. A year later, on the anniversary of the Stonewall Riot there was the “Christopher Street Liberation Day” it was the first ever pride parade. Gay rights really picked up after Stonewall.”
“Damn, always Manhattan getting all the credit!” Bucky grumbled.
“What?” Peter asked.
“In our day Brooklyn was the place to be if you were gay.” Steve explained.
“How did I not know that?” Peter asked, more to himself than anyone else. He looked like he was having an existential crisis. “Queer history is one my biggest special interest, next to science.”
“Oh ya. The DUMBO, that's where we lived, and the surrounding areas were a haven for homosexuals. No one really bat an eye there.” Steve explained.
The team talked for hours after that. Steve told stories about hanging around the queer art collective, 7 Middagh. Bucky talked about taking Steve down to St. George Hotel and The Spectrum for a fun time at night. They both told stories about eating at Childs and Horn & Hardart and all the brothels along Sand Street in the Brooklyn Naval Yard. The rest of the team was mesmerized by their stories. Everyone went to bed that night feeling a little bit lighter and happier than they had that morning.
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It was a month after the Battle of New York and the Avengers (Peter and Harley were both wearing their suits to protect their identities) were at a press conference. They all sat at a long table facing the blood thirsty sharks called reporters. Tony had been taking most of the questions being the one used to dealing with reporters and also the team's unofficial PR guy. Everything was going smoothly until one slimy reporter decided to open his mouth.
“Lucas Myers, Fox News. I have a question for the Captain and Sergeant. What are your thoughts on your teammate Tony’s escapades. I mean everyone knows he sleeps with women and men” he stressed the last two words, obviously hoping to get a reaction from the two super soldiers.
“Tony can sleep with whoever he wants'' Steve snapped immediately “and as for what I think about the advancements of LGBT rights, well…” He looked at Bucky, asking permission, the other man smirked then cupped Steve's face in his hands and drew him in for a kiss. The entire room went silent. The soldiers broke apart and Steve spoke into his microphone again. “Being able to walk down the street holding my boyfriend’s hand without fear of being killed is pretty damn nice.” The entire room erupted. It took a whole five minutes for any sense of control to be regained, but finally it was.
“Patricia Collins, Washington Post. What do the rest of you think about the Captain’s and Sergeant's relationship?”
“Well I’m Pan as Mr. Myers so kindly pointed out so I really have no problem with it.” Tony said. The rest of the avengers looked at each other and they all smirked.
“I’m gay” Iron Lad said
“I’m Panromantic, asexual, and a trans man.” Spider Man chirped.
“I’m lesbian and demiromantic” Natasha smirked
“I am what you midgardians call bisexual!” Thor boomed
“I’m aromantic, asexual and a trans man” Clint revealed
“I’m gay and a trans man” Bruce murmured.
“Well you all know this but I’m very gay” Bucky smiled
“I’m bisexual” Steve said. Needless to say, there was no way order would be regained after that.
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New York Times
“The Avengers come out as queer in latest press conference”
Fox News
“James Barnes has brainwashed Captain America into thinking he's gay!”
Buzzfeed News
“The Avengers are queer, what does this mean for the future?”