DC Comics has revealed what they claim to be the first transgender character in mainstream comic books.

In Batgirl #19, on sale from now in both print and digital formats, Alysia Yoeh came out to her roommate main character Barbara Gordon (Batgirl) as a bisexual trans woman.

Speaking to Wired, Batgirl writer Gail Simone, said comic books fans inspired her to create the civilian character.

‘I looked out into the audience, saw dozens of faces I knew well – LGBTQ folks, mostly – all avid comics readers and superhero fans and DC supporters,’ said Simone.

‘And it just hit me: Why was this so impossible? Why in the world can we not do a better job of representation for not just humanity, but also our own loyal audience?’

Simone believes diversity is the biggest issue for superhero comics, commenting over a half a century ago all characters were almost without exception white, cis-gendered and straight.

She said comic book readers do not have a problem with increased diversity, but dislike the ‘message’.

Simone said Alysia will be a ‘character, not a public service announcement…being trans is just part of her story.

‘If someone loved her before, and doesn’t love her after, well – that’s a shame, but we can’t let that kind of thinking keep comics in the 1950s forever.’

In recent months, mainstream comics has seen a new dawn of LGB characters, with heroes such as Batwoman, Northstar and Green Lantern Alan Scott openly declaring who they are.

While there have been characters who could be called transgender in mainstream comics before, the ‘change’ has always been through fantastic means such as magic, shape-shifting or brain-swapping.

‘Those characters exist – that’s great. But I wanted to have trans characters who aren’t fantasy-based. And I feel like there’s a lot there yet to do,’ Simone said.

Back in 1991, fantasy writer Neil Gaiman introduced a trans civilian character called Wanda in the acclaimed DC Comics series The Sandman.

A divisive figure, and many readers called her a drag queen or a transvestite. In recent reviews, many applaud her importance as a character but criticize her treatment in the story.

Now Simone thinks the world is ready for the first transgender superhero, and she will write it. The comic or the superhero has yet to be announced.

‘It’s time for a trans hero in a mainstream comic,’ she said. ‘And it’s going to happen … I’m sure it’s controversial on some level to some people, but honest to God, I just could not care less about that.

‘If someone gets upset, so be it; there are a thousand other comics out there for those people.’