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Gay Congressman Robert Garcia Will Swear His Oath On This Super Tome
The story behind his choice is a powerful one.
It’s a bird, it’s a plane... nope, it’s gay congressman Robert Garcia swearing his oath of office.
Garcia, a newly elected congressman for the 42nd district (Riverside County in California, has revealed the items he intends to take his oath of office on and they are incredibly meaningful and unconventional.
He shared the news on Twitter writing, “Will be proudly sworn-in to Congress on the U.S. Constitution,” he wrote. “Underneath the Constitution will be 3 items that mean a lot to me personally. A photo of my parents who I lost to covid, my citizenship certificate & an original Superman #1 from the @librarycongress.”
\u201cWill be proudly sworn-in to Congress on the U.S. Constitution. Underneath the Constitution will be 3 items that mean a lot to me personally. A photo of my parents who I lost to covid, my citizenship certificate & an original Superman #1 from the @librarycongress. \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\ud83d\ude0a\u201d— Robert Garcia (@Robert Garcia) 1672783399
While the first two items are fairly self-explanatory, the comic raised some eyebrows. But as his spokesperson Sara Guerrero explained, the Superman comic is deeply meaningful to Garcia as well.
“Congressman Garcia learned to read and write in English by reading Superman comics so it’s especially exciting he was able to borrow this rare copy from the kind folks at the Library of Congress,” she said.
Speaking with BuzzFeed, Garcia, who moved from Peru to the U.S., explained his history with the comic further. “I learned to read and write English reading comics as a kid. Never stopped reading,” he said.
Garcia added that the lessons he learned while reading the comics have continued to impact him throughout his life. “I grew up mostly reading Superman comics, you know, truth and justice, an immigrant that was different, was raised by good people that welcomed them and always someone that if you look at Superman values, and caucus values, it’s about justice, it’s about honesty, it’s doing the right thing, standing up for people that need support.”
His selection will come as less of a surprise to anyone who has been following the former Long Beach, Calif. Mayor turned congressman on social media. He has previously talked about comics and his election campaign had a decidedly superheroic theme.
Back in November, Garcia had this to say about comics: “Anyone who understands comics knows that comics are an essential part of American fiction. And the lessons learned are invaluable,” he wrote on Twitter.
And he has previously commented on Superman’s sexuality when news broke that the new Superman is bi. “I became a Superman fan as a kid because I related to him. An immigrant, a sense of justice, and a secret identity,” he wrote.
While the matter of what he will be swearing his oath on has been settled, when he will get to do so is very much in the air as the Republican lead House of Representatives is currently in disarray over who will become the new Speaker of the House.
Rachel Shatto, Editor in Chief of PRIDE.com, is an SF Bay Area-based writer, podcaster, and former editor of Curve magazine, where she honed her passion for writing about social justice and sex (and their frequent intersection). Her work has appeared on Dread Central, Elite Daily, Tecca, and Joystiq. She's a GALECA member and she podcasts regularly about horror on the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network. She can’t live without cats, vintage style, video games, drag queens, or the Oxford comma.
Rachel Shatto, Editor in Chief of PRIDE.com, is an SF Bay Area-based writer, podcaster, and former editor of Curve magazine, where she honed her passion for writing about social justice and sex (and their frequent intersection). Her work has appeared on Dread Central, Elite Daily, Tecca, and Joystiq. She's a GALECA member and she podcasts regularly about horror on the Zombie Grrlz Horror Podcast Network. She can’t live without cats, vintage style, video games, drag queens, or the Oxford comma.
