Category: brokeback mountain

Brokeback Mountain Author Pissed Off; Bubble Butts; Don Lemon Worst Journalist List 2014

Brokeback Mountain Author Pissed Off

The author of Brokeback Mountain, Annie Proulx, is making a few strong statements about how her short story was received and how it’s been interpreted in various ways over the years. The story, which became a huge bestseller and a ground-breaking feature film that many claim spawned the m/m romance genre, has never been without controversy. And that controversy has not always come in the form of traditional homophobia. I remember back when it was released and I was interviewing and reviewing gay male bloggers for bestgayblogs.com many gay men weren’t thrilled with the story or the film.They found fundamental flaws in the storyline, but I’m not getting into that right now. I thought it was a nice story, in a general sense.

In any event, this is what Proulx said, in part:

So many people have completely misunderstood the story. I think it’s important to leave spaces in a story for readers to fill in from their own experience, but unfortunately the audience that Brokeback reached most strongly have powerful fantasy lives. And one of the reasons we keep the gates locked here is that a lot of men have decided that the story should have had a happy ending. They can’t bear the way it ends — they just can’t stand it. So they rewrite the story, including all kinds of boyfriends and new lovers and so forth after Jack is killed. And it just drives me wild.

I really don’t know what she’s talking about when she says “men” are doing this. But I may have missed that. My only comment is that after writing and getting published for many years in the concentrated genre of gay fiction I’ve found more than a few things interesting in the past ten years, since BM became so popular. One of them is that I still can’t get over how many people coming from a place of privilege can’t wait to tell gay writers how to do “it.” Another thing is how little they really know about gay men.

But I really don’t want to get off track here. I’ve done parodies of mainstream classic stories with gay characters, like An Officer and His Gentleman and Pretty Man. But frankly, the one story I always thought was off limits as a parody in this case was Brokeback Mountain. I wouldn’t parody a gay story…unless I were to do it with straight characters.  And I think I know exactly what Proulx is talking about this time. I just wish she’d been more specific in her rant. 

You can read the rest here.  

I highly suggest reading the rest of this in full. I really don’t have any strong comments on this one. I actually find it interesting when readers take my books and stories and reinterpret them in various ways. I don’t mind it in the least.

Bubble Butts

This is all about the sexy photo column at Queerty.com. I’ve been following it all year and I love some of the things they’ve done…especially about breaking body image stereotypes. I follow a pop star on social media and he posts some of the hottest photos online. But most are photo shopped. When he posts a real photo of himself, even though I think it’s hotter than the photo shopped pics, you’d be amazed at how many will criticize him. He’s absolutely adorable, yet they can’t wait to point out his flaws.   

This year, Queerty launched a new photos column, Homo Erotica, that highlighted various sexual styles and looks while celebrating sexy men of all sorts. Over the past 12 months, we’ve covered foot fetishes to armpit fetishes, hairy older hunks to twinks, with a few bubble butts and beer bellies thrown in for good measure. It’s been an interesting year, and we’re looking forward to bringing you even more homo horseplay in 2015.

You can check out the pics here. I think the cute guy with the belly is adorable.

Don Lemon Worst Journalist List 2014

I think most readers know I usually support everything LGBT. But I don’t think it’s wise to blindly support anyone just because he or she is LGBT, especially when an openly gay journalist like Don Lemon makes ridiculous comments about women and rape. Sexual orientation doesn’t give anyone a free pass to be arrogant or obnoxious. Dumb I can overlook. But I find it hard to believe anyone can reach the point of CNN anchor and be stupid. 

The worst journalist list was created by Columbia Journalism Review and those on the list are considered to have made the most “cringe-worthy” remarks during the year. 

David Uberti, the Review’s fellow wrote in a post why Lemon deserves to be ranked along with other missteps in journalism this year. 

‘As one of the most recognizable anchors on CNN, Don Lemon has helped lead the cable network’s coverage of the biggest stories of the year. Live television is exceedingly difficult to produce, of course, but Lemon’s gaffes this year offer a case study in how to choose words wisely — or not.’

 Uberti highlighted several controversial comments made by Lemon including telling an alleged rape victim of Bill Cosby, ‘You know, there are ways not to perform oral sex if you don’t want to do it… Meaning the use of teeth, right?’ 

The anchor also pondered whether Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was swallowed by a black hole.

You can read the rest here. It gives us all hope for the future journalists coming our way. At least they nailed this one. It’s also one reason why I refuse to even watch CNN anymore.

Chase of a Dream PG-Rated Version
 
 


Brokeback Mountain Shirts; St. Patrick’s Parade Boston; 21 Gay Music Icons

Brokeback Mountain Shirts

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Heath_Ledger.jpg

Two shirts worn by Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain recently sold for over fifteen thousand dollars. The name of the buyer hasn’t been disclosed. The shirts were worn during the point in the film where Ennis tells Jack he’s not going to sleep with him anymore.

It was eight years ago this weekend that Heath Ledger lost the best actor Oscar for Brokeback Mountain to Philip Seymour Hoffman of Capote.

Both men played gay characters that year and both actors died tragic deaths – Hoffman just earlier this month.

You can read more here.

From what I’ve read, a good deal of the m/m romance genre was spawned from fanfic of Brokeback Mountain.

21 (Questionable) Gay Music Icons

I think this falls into the category of questionable. But maybe I’m wrong and maybe there is more to it than I “get.” I like some/most of the icons listed, but none are entertainers I would stand in a long line to see…except maybe Frank Ocean.

t’s the end of Britain’s LGBT History Month which has been celebrating musicians and music this year

You can read the full list here.

(Seriously, No Shirley Bassey?)

 

Here’s more inclusive list I tend to find more accurate done at Fordham University. It also compares gay taste in the UK and US. It’s far more interesting than the link above.

Shirley Bassey
Reason for Icon Status: Although she plays, and fills, American halls regularly, Shirley Bassey is not a   major American gay icon. For British gay men, however, she is among the greatest.

Here’s that link.

St. Patrick’s Parade Boston

I posted about gays not being allowed to participate in a Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade, here. And now it seems gays can march in the parade, but with conditions.

But the invitation, brokered by Mayor Martin J. Walsh, includes an important caveat: The group, MassEquality, could not wear T-shirts or hold signs that include the word “gay” or refer to sexual orientation.

Evidently, this is the proverbial olive branch.

I rarely wear anything with the word gay, or even T-shirts with rainbows or signs that state I’m openly gay. But I also like to know that I can if I want to…without anyone telling me what I can and can’t do regarding my sexual orientation.

You can read more here. There’s a link for Boston Globe subscribers, too.