Classic Comic Strip Features Gay Teen Story

To celebrate its 40th anniversary in print, comic strip Funky Winkerbean will include a story arc about a gay couple at Tom Batiuk's fictional Westview High School.

Batiuk's comic has featured story lines on other serious topics such as teen pregnancy, suicide, cancer, alcoholism and other issues, according to the Huffington Post. But Batiuk was compelled to write about gay teenagers after sitting in on classes at his old high school.

"...I see how the younger generation's attitude toward gays is more open and accepting than that of their predecessors. It shows promise that this emerging generation will one day bring this cultural war to an end," he said.