Back in the days of penny loafers and sock hops, when the phrase “faster than a speeding bullet” was broadcast weekly on television sets throughout the country, psychiatrist Dr. Fredric Wertham argued to congress--and in his bestselling 1954 book Seduction of the Innocent--that America’s comic book superheroes were actually sexually subversive fodder designed to turn American youth into leading a life of depravity. Batman and Robin, for instance, were "the wish fulfillment of two homosexuals living together," with Batman portrayed as a debonair yet decadent sugar daddy and ‘his young ward’ Robin as “a handsome ephebic boy, usually shown in his uniform with bare legs. He is buoyant with energy and devoted to nothing on earth or in interplanetary space as much as to Bruce Wayne. He often stands with his legs spread, the genital region discreetly evident.”

“There is a certain amount of homo-eroticism in their exaggerated, perfect bodies,” he said in a recent phone interview. “Every superhero, whether he works out or not, seems to be drawn with highly sculpted muscles that can be seen rippling under any material of his costume.”

But Roth doesn’t even stop there in describing the similarity between the GLBT community and the world of superheroes. While he doesn’t agree with Wertham’s paranoid recruitment theories, Roth argues that there are many characteristic aspects to a superhero’s life that are shared by gays and lesbians, which help make superhero movies very popular with the GLBT community.

“Superheroes have something that is different about them, which they often can’t share with anybody else,” said Roth, “or at least they have to be very, very careful about sharing that aspect of their personality. Similarly, as young gays and lesbians start to develop their self-identity, they too are often very cautious about whom they share that aspect of their lives with.”

During the coming-out process, Roth argues that young gays and lesbians often decide to first share their sexuality with other GLBT persons. “And who do Superheroes share their secret identities with?” queries Roth. “Well, the first ones are oftentimes the other superheroes around them. While sitting around the table with their superhero friends, they know about Bruce Wayne, Clark Kent or Dianna Prince. But to the rest of the world, it’s still something superheroes want to keep private.”

Extending the secret identity metaphor a little further, Roth contends that there is a transformation that goes on with superheroes, just like the GLBT community.

“It’s played out in the Spiderman concept,” said Roth. “(Peter Clark is) a shy kid, but when he puts on the costume, he can be freer. Gays and lesbians, when they’re growing up, may feel strange being in the society around them, but when they go into gay clubs and organizations where they can feel freer, they feel like they’re liberated to a certain extent.”

Hollywood producer Kevin Misher said a couple of years ago at the Tribeca Film Festival that “in more difficult and challenging times, people need heroes. The idea of escaping into a fantasy world where someone is going to fly down the street, sweep you off your feet and save you is appealing.”

Therefore, in the midst of ever-increasing assaults on GLBT civil rights, Roth’s gay-themed superhero movie might just be what the gay community needs. The 35mm, cinemascope feature Surge of Power: the Stuff of Heroes is currently making the rounds at film festivals and sci-fi conventions across the country. It was featured at San Francisco’s Frameline Festival in June, and will be shown at Gaylaxicon, the annual GLBT science fiction, fantasy, horror and gaming convention in Boston this month.

“Surge of Power is accomplishing part of why I wanted to bring a gay superhero to the screen,” said Roth. “In the context of the movie, Surge of Power is flying around, shooting beautiful energy blasts and fighting crime. In the real world, it’s entertaining people, lightening their day and helping to reduce prejudice.”

Billing its new character as “the campiest superhero to hit the big screen since the ‘60s,” the film tells the story of an “out and proud” comic book fan and college professor, Gavin Lucas, who is amazingly instilled with super powers when a fellow professor’s science experiment is sabotaged by a former lover. Lucas, taking on the name of Surge, dons a slick-looking blue leather costume and must answer questions of international importance, like whether to accessorize his costume with a cape or not.

But he also battles hate crimes, bank robberies, an evil nemesis, and falls in love with a cute guy, even though their relationship must remain unrequited. After all, Surge is a superhero! “One person commented I wanted Surge to become the Ally McBeal of superheroes,” said Roth, laughing. “It’s true. I wanted to have a fun, goodhearted and ‘don’t take yourself too seriously’ format.”

Roth believes it’s that sense of humor that enabled the film to be equally enjoyed by both gay and straight families. “They’ve seen Will & Grace, and they’ve seen the guys on Queer Eye, and to some extent, even Queer as Folk, which is probably more for a gay audience than straight audience,” said Roth. “Surge of Power offers one more gay character for mainstream America to get comfortable with.”

Accepting the fate that his film’s special effects can’t compete with Hollywood blockbusters like Batman Begins, Roth said there’s a reason why the independent market doesn’t make superhero movies. “Look at Spiderman, with a $100 million budget going into production,” said Roth. “These are extremely big budget films that have raised the bar so high.”

But Roth is happy just approaching that bar and looking it straight in the eye. Quoting Nichelle Nichols’ (Lieutenant Uhura from Star Trek) line in the film, Roth said, “You don’t have to rid the world of all evil. You just make a difference where you can.”

More on the movie at surgeofpower.org