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Christian Cooper

Christian Cooper (born 1963) is an American science writer and editor, and also a comics writer and editor. He is based in New York City. In 2023, Random House published Cooper's memoir, Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World. He gained cultural notoriety after a false police report was made by a white woman who went viral for her erratic behavior while calling the police on him in a New York park in 2020, known as the Central Park birdwatching incident.[1]

Career

Cooper is currently a senior biomedical editor at Health Science Communications and has become a frequent substitute co-host for the public access television news series Gay USA.[2][3] On May 16, 2022, National Geographic announced Cooper would host a show on their American TV channel called Extraordinary Birder, exploring the world of birds alongside experts in the field.[4] The show premiered on June 17, 2023.[5]

On June 8, 2024, Cooper won a Daytime Emmy Award in the Outstanding Daytime Personality category for his work on Extraordinary Birder.[6]

Comics

Cooper was one of the first openly gay editors at Marvel; colleague and friend Kelly Corvese was the first.[7] He introduced the first gay male character in Star Trek, Yoshi Mishima, in the Starfleet Academy series,[8] which was nominated for a GLAAD Media Award in 1999.[9] He also introduced the first openly lesbian character for Marvel, Victoria Montesi[8][10] and created and authored Queer Nation: The Online Gay Comic.[11] Cooper was also an associate editor for Alpha Flight #106 in which the character Northstar came out as gay.[8][12]

Cooper has written stories for Marvel Comics Presents, which often feature characters such as Ghost Rider and Vengeance. He has also edited a number of X-Men collections,[13] and the final two issues of the Marvel Swimsuit Special.[14]

Personal life

Born in 1963 to parents who were both teachers, Cooper found his interest in birds while reading a birdwatching book during a roadtrip from his Long Island childhood home to California.[15] In the 1980s, he was president of the Harvard Ornithological Club, and is currently on the board of directors for NYC Bird Alliance.[16] Cooper has a long history of LGBT activism including being the co-chair of the board of directors of GLAAD in the 1980s.[17][18]

On May 25, 2020, Cooper was involved in a confrontation with a dog walker in Central Park, with the woman calling the police over a disagreement on whether her dog should be leashed in the area, characterising Cooper's behavior as "threatening".[19] The incident led to the creation of Black Birders Week,[20] and is the basis for Cooper's online comic book about racism, illustrated by Alitha Martinez and published by DC Comics, called It's a Bird.[21]

Bibliography

  • Marvel Comics Presents:
  • "Return of the Braineaters" (featuring Ghost Rider and Werewolf by Night, with pencils by John Stanisci and inks by Jimmy Palmiotti, in Marvel Comics Presents #107–112, Marvel Comics, 1992)
  • "Siege of Darkness" (featuring Ghost Rider, with pencils by Reggie Jones and inks by Fred Harper, in Marvel Comics Presents #144–146, Marvel Comics, 1993–1994)
  • "Tower of Blood" (featuring Vengeance, with pencils by Reggie Jones and inks by Fred Harper, in Marvel Comics Presents #147–148, Marvel Comics, 1994)
  • "The Price" (featuring Vengeance, with Fred Harper, in Marvel Comics Presents #149, Marvel Comics, 1994)
  • "Dangerous Games" (featuring Vengeance, with pencils by Reggie Jones and inks by Fred Harper, in Marvel Comics Presents #152–153, Marvel Comics, 1994)
  • "Altered Spirits" (featuring Vengeance, with pencils by Reggie Jones and inks by Fred Harper, in Marvel Comics Presents #156–157, Marvel Comics, 1994)
  • "Final Gambit" (featuring Vengeance, with pencils by Reggie Jones and inks by Fred Harper, in Marvel Comics Presents #175, Marvel Comics, 1995)
  • Darkhold #1–16 (with Richard Case, Marvel Comics, 1992–1994)
  • Excalibur #77–81 (Marvel Comics, 1994)
  • Star Trek: Starfleet Academy #1–19 (with pencils by Chris Renaud and inks by Andy Lanning, Marvel Comics, 1996–1998)
  • Songs of the Metamythos (as C. F. Cooper)
  • "It's a Bird" (with Alitha E. Martinez, Mark Morales, Emilio Lopez, and Rob Clark Jr., DC Comics, 2020)

External links

References

  1. Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World Publishers Weekly, March 29, 2023, retrieved 13 June 2023^
  2. Jenni Fink. Amy Cooper, White Woman Who Called Cops on Black Man in Central Park, Fired From Job at Franklin Templeton Newsweek, May 26, 2020, retrieved May 27, 2020^
  3. CHRIS COOPER GAY USA, retrieved 2024-06-14^
  4. Samantha Ibrahim. 'Central Park Karen' birdwatcher Christian Cooper lands new TV series New York Post, May 19, 2022, retrieved May 20, 2022^
  5. Extraordinary Birder with Christian Cooper - Nat Geo Wild Reality Series TV Insider, January 16, 2023, retrieved 2023-04-04^
  6. From racist Central Park encounter with a 'Karen' to Emmy-winning birdwatcher Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder, June 15, 2024, retrieved June 20, 2024^
  7. Chris Cooper on Northstar and the Historic 'Alpha Flight' #106 Issue www.marvel.com, retrieved 2024-08-23^
  8. Josh Weiss. Christian Cooper, Central Park birder with roots at Marvel, looks back on pioneering LGBTQ comics SYFY WIRE, June 6, 2020, retrieved June 8, 2020^
  9. GLAAD June 28, 2001, retrieved May 30, 2020^
  10. Christian Cooper, victim in racist Central Park video, is a trailblazing gay editor Metro Weekly, May 27, 2020, retrieved May 28, 2020^
  11. 'Black Gay Icon': Christian Cooper's Long History Of Activism Before Central Park Incident NewsOne, May 27, 2020, retrieved May 30, 2020^
  12. Astonishing X-Men (2004) #51 Marvel Entertainment, retrieved June 8, 2020^
  13. Emma Powys Maurice. White woman lied to police that an innocent Black man was threatening her. He just so happens to be a queer comic hero PinkNews, May 26, 2020, retrieved May 27, 2020^
  14. Rich Johnson. Warren Ellis Remembers When Marvel Illustrated Swimsuit Went Gay Bleeding Cool, June 7, 2020, retrieved June 7, 2020^
  15. Christian Cooper hopes America can change. Because he's not going to. Washington Post, retrieved 2022-05-20^
  16. NYC Bird Alliance Leadership www.nycbirdalliance.org, retrieved July 11, 2025^
  17. Royce Dunmore. 'Black Gay Icon': Christian Cooper's Long History Of Activism Before Central Park Incident NewsOne, May 27, 2020, retrieved June 8, 2020^
  18. Josh Milton. The gay Black man targeted by a 'Central Park Karen' doesn't know if her 'racist actions' make her a racist person PinkNews, May 27, 2020, retrieved June 8, 2020^
  19. White Woman in Viral Central Park Video Issues Apology NBC New York, retrieved May 26, 2020^
  20. AJ Willingham. These Black nature lovers are busting stereotypes, one cool bird at a time CNN, June 3, 2020, retrieved June 5, 2020^
  21. Sarah Maslin Nir. Central Park Birder Turns Clash Into Graphic Novel About Racism The New York Times, 2020-09-09, retrieved 2020-09-09^