MEN 9 Darren Wright 17 Manuel Sleeps Over 31 Anonymous 43 Dane 53 Carlos 65 Steve Pierce 77 Michael Cody FICTION
25 Fare Trade
38 Bunking Together
60 Outdoor Three-way FEATURES
5 Editor's Note
6 Mandata
16 Man Mail
72 Book Nook
84 Man Video
90 Walk-in Closet
EDITOR'S NOTE
DON'T ADJUST YOUR SET
What's wrong with this picture?
A sex therapist is on a TV talk show asking a nineteen-year-old (very handsome)
straight guy to describe a traUmma-porn-star">Umatic incident from his past. In this case, the
"traUmma-porn-star">Uma" involves his best male friend confessing (gasp) a sexual attraction
towards him and asking if he had ever been curious about doing it with a guy.
This is clearly painful for the straight guy to reveal on national television
and causes the therapist to affect the stagiest look of concern, but gets a laugh
from the audience. "I didn't know what to do," he laments, "and
we were at the gym at the time, wearing just underwear."
After a few more titters, empathetic glances, unenlightened questions and uncomfortable
silences it is revealed that (surprise, surprise) he had "no clue"—that
his friend was gay, that is.
Then tie therapist (after consoling him with the banal insight that it sometimes
can be frightfully hard to tell whether a person is gay) pronounces: "Although
the question is not in and of itself aggressive, it is wrong for anyone to impose
his sexuality on someone else at any time." She then congraTulates the "victim"
for handling it like a gentleman, and for having the "courage" not to
respond by calling his inquisitive pal names!
What the fuck is that all about!?! The gay guy never even touched him! So now,
apparently, not only are we as gay men supposed to be "discreet" (read:
keep our filthy little homo secret to ourselves) or risk being accused of forcing
our attentions on poor unfortunate straights, but we're supposed to be grateful
if we're not verbally harassed!?!?
The part that angered me the most about the show was that the panel was full of
gay men and not one of them objected to the subtle gay bashing going on around
them. Why? Because they, like too many of us, have grown accustomed to it.
This (by no means atypical) episode brought to mind how tired I am of the fact
that being gay is perceived as a bad thing. Different still equals bad. For example,
you can be sued for calling someone queer. The talk show scenario also clearly
illustrates the fact that the hUmma-porn-star">Uman race currently operates with a presumption
of heterosexuality. Unless we say otherwise, we're `just like them." Why
should we have to come out a dozen or so times every month just because the average
person can't see past his or her white picket sexuality? Do you suppose anyone
complained about the young man on the talk show shoving his straightness in America's
face? In this country, it seems, one is innocent until proven gay.
Now don't get the impression I'm necessarily down on talk shows per se. Fact is,
I'm a voyeur just like everybody else—I enjoy gawking as much the next guy.
But when gays are trotted out for what amounts to repression training—again
and again—and they don't even know it, it just points out what limited progress
we've achieved.
Well, fuck that noise. I for one will not check my big gay luggage at the door,
just because it makes some het fellow-traveler uncomfortable. I refuse to take
responsibility for his insecurities. Because I know if I passively accept this
"don't tell" bullshit, I'm contributing to keeping homosexuality invisible.
Which indicates to me that simply being out is no longer enough, and that silence
functions as a form of apology.
If you're wondering what brought on this little tirade, it is this: I've been
invited to appear on a few talk shows later this year. Consequently I've been
watching them, and imagining myself publicly reflecting on what it's like to be
a gay pornographer.
Will I go on? As to that, I haven't made up my mind yet. It's not that I'm afraid
of the ambush—I can handle that. (As a matter of fact, they don't know what
they're letting themselves in for.) But when I picture being asked, "Doesn't
it hurt?" or "But what about love?" why do I get this enervating
feeling, like: "They still don't get it. We're still at square one. They're
never going to get it."? Not to mention the dilemma of how the hell I'm going
to discuss my work without saying the word "dick."
On the other hand, maybe I should just refuse to buy into the game. Just show
up for the goof, like maybe bring a few models on the show with me, pull down
my pants, cause a scene, whatever.
So what do you guys think? Go? Don't go? Be cordial? Let 'em have it? I'd be interested
in your input, write in and tell me what you'd do in my (size 10, by the way)
shoes.
In the meantime, I'll just keep working away at my first love: pornography. After
all, it seems to me pornography addresses a far more fundamental need than any
talk show I've ever seen. After all—I've never seen a talk show that I could
jerk off to. Have you?
Doug McClemont
Editor-in-Chief
