Right-wingers have just found out about a queer Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, and they’re not happy
Jennika from TMNT (IDW Publishing)
Jennika from TMNT (IDW Publishing)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ (TMNT) fifth member has stirred up controversy and, surprise surprise, it’s because she’s LGBTQ+
Jennika was first introduced in the TMNT comics in 2015. She started off life as a human member of the villainous Foot Clan before realising the error of her ways and switching sides.
The character, who is bisexual, was later injured and in order to survive had to be given a blood transfusion from Leonardo, one of the main roster of TMNT. While this did save her life, it also transformed Jennika into a turtle. Thus, she became the ‘fifth’ member of the TMNT squad.
She would then later meet Sheena, the mutant pig lead singer of the band After the Bomb. The two bonded over a love of music and started a relationship. It was a significant moment for the TMNT comic universe as Jennika became the first turtle to openly identify as LGBTQ+.
Last year Jennika took over the moniker of Nightwatcher. This is a vigilante guise previously occupied by Raphael, another of the central TMNT crew. She was revealed to have stepped into the role last year in TMNT: Nightwatcher #1. Jennika has led the series since then into the present.
“She’s a pretty A+ character,” one fan put in a Reddit thread. One fan, who said they were fed up with “this whole woke culture,” went on to praise Jennika. They said, “I actually see her as a beacon and link to the TMNT franchise for both older a new fans. Not only does she represent how Venus de Milo should’ve been done right, but she’s also something new for a new generation of fans from ALL walks and preferences of life.”
Someone else wrote, “jennika isn’t too bad. i really like how her bisexuality was portrayed as a bisexual myself.” And another fan added: “I hope she’s in the next show with all the other new mutants. I think it would be a huge missed opportunity if she was left out. Great examples of [turtle].”
On an Instagram post about the hate Jennika recieves one person said she was fire. “Jennika is dope. People are wild for dismissing her so soon,” added another.
But as is often the way with these things the character has fallen victim to hate simply for being LGBTQ+. People have described the character as an “insert” from artist and writer Sophie Campbell, who is trans, and designed Jennika. As well as some transphobic remarks, one person said Jennika equated to “deviant art fan faction” and the character was “a disgrace to TMNT.”
In a recent Daily Mail article on Jennika and her Nightwatcher run, the comments were also full of hate. One person said Jennika was “pretty disgusting,” while another said they’d had “Enough of the alphabet league.”
It’s an unfortunate example of the times we live in where people feel free to hate on anything that displays and celebrates anything other than themselves. However, it’s in these displays that people can find representation and feel seen, which we know makes a massive difference in LGBTQ+ people’s mental health and self esteem.
TMNT: Nightwatcher is available now.
