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Beefcake in "The Little Mermaid"
Of all the authors that teachers foisted upon me as a kid to embrace Rock Island's Scandinavian heritage, the absolute worst was Hans Christian Andersen. I hated fairy tales anyway -- who needs fairy...
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Jesus' Kid Brother and the Bare-Chested Centurion
There's no Jesus in Jesus' Kid Brother, by Brian and Mark Karmelich, but there is significant beefcake, and some gay subtexts.Growing up in the Christ family (apparently they weren't aware that Christ...
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Dad STILL Thinks I Like to Look at Girls
People keep asking, and I keep asking myself, how could my parents and relatives and friends have had no clue? How could I have had no clue, until the summer after my high school graduation? I mean,...
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Top 12 Public Penises of the Caribbean
When I lived in Florida, people kept trying me to go on cruises on the Caribbean. But...that would involve getting on a big boat. We've invented airplanes now, that get you there faster."But they have...
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Sean and the World of Gay Leathermen
During the 1960s and 1970s, gay men carved niches for themselves, separate neighborhoods where they could be free from homophobic harassment, separate social institutions to replace those they were...
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Robert Goulet: 1950s Gay Icon
You may not recognize the name Robert Goulet, but he was an icon to the gay generation who survived the pre-Stonewall Dark Ages (1950-1969).During those years, he was a fixture on Broadway, starring in...
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Clarence: Gay Characters on Kids' TV, Sort Of
The Cartoon Network's Clarence (2014-) was on my list of potential gay-subtext programs to watch, but I wasn't hopeful. The premise seemed sort of boring: boy with some friends. Where were the fairy...
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12 Shirtless Halloween Costumes
Many Halloween parties, parades, and festivals require costumes. But what can you do if you don't have the money for a fancy store-bought costume, and can't sew?It's easy to improvise with clothing...
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Is it Racist to Have a Type?
I've met many white guys who say things like "I'm not at all racist, I'm just not into Black men sexually." Or Asians, or Hispanics, or Native Americans...When I look surprised, they continue: "It's a...
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Fall 2002: The Gay Psychic Angel
October 2002, around Halloween: I was teaching Sociology of Religion at Florida Atlantic University, and I invited representatives from various religious groups to speak to the class: Pentecostal,...
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Paul Michael Glaser: From Starsky to AIDS Activist
Paul Michael Glaser was half of the quintessential gay couple of the 1975-1979 tv series, Starsky and Hutch (with David Soul): two cop partners who loved each other, a lot. Although they didn't play up...
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Rocky Horror Show Live: New Brads, Janets, and Rockies in Gold Lame Shorts
What can you do with a movie that encouraged a generation of LGBT people, "Don't dream it -- be it"?That encouraged the audience to participate by talking back, throwing things, and playing along with...
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The Penis Valley of Turkey
One of the lesser-known tourists attractions in Turkey is in Göreme, about five hours south of Ankara, an old Roman town in a dusty volcanic valley. From most places in town, you can see the giant...
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The West Hollywood Halloween Carnival
Life in West Hollywood in the 1980s and 1990s was cyclical. There were no seasons -- it was warm and sunny every day -- but you were always planning on the next event.The social calendar began in...
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The 39 Dumbest Things You See on TV
I've watched a lot of tv, mostly sci-fi and sitcoms. The set was on all the time when I was a kid. In adulthood, it's like comfort food, warm, predictable, mildly amusing. But is it really necessary...
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Fall 2003: Sharing Jim the Baseball Player
I hate sports! Especially playing them: I could never understand the allure of waiting for a hard round projectile to come zooming out of the sky and hit you in the head. But also watching them: why...
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The Ultimate 12 Public Penises of Russia
When I was a kid, they advertised "The Ultimate Adventure": the Trans-Siberian Railway. Even going to Russia was adventurous, and the 5,772 mile network of railroads connecting Moscow to Vladivostok...
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Justin Long: The Biggest Homophobe in Hollywood?
You have to be careful with mainstream Hollywood movies. Reviews don't always warn you that they're homophobic. That's why I usually stick to juveniles and sci-fi, set in worlds where gay people do...
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Spring 2004: The Georgia Boy and the Cute Young Thing
When I was living in Florida in 2004, Gerry was a fixture at Barney's gym. He arrived around 6:00 am, and spent the next five hours lifting weights, on the treadmill, and hanging out in the sauna and...
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How to Pretend You're Straight #1: Football
There are lots of reasons why a gay man might want to masquerade as straight. Maybe you're tired of answering stupid questions like "Are you the boy or the girl in your relationship?"Maybe you're...
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