Contents:
- GAY COWBOYS? SURE, PARDNER.
- THE FANTASY OF THE STRAIGHT WBOY: HOW GAY ROOS UPEND PRUMPTNS ABOUT LIFE RAL AMERI
GAY COWBOYS? SURE, PARDNER.
Ask anyone who’s seen Brokeback Mounta (2005) to characterize the film three words, and you’re almost certa to hear some variatn of “gay wboy love-story.” While many have ld the film, directed by Ang Lee, for s nuanced portrayal of two men’s plited love for each other, the film was subject to sthg cricism at the time of s release. Detractors, largely spearhead by right-wg and relig groups, quickly and fervently emed the film’s pictn of a homosexual uple immoral, evince of an attempt to femize men, and even anti-Amerin. In many s, crics honed on the two leads ’ occupatns as wboys, challengg the existence of a “gay wboy” Amerin history.
I n’t thk of a more effective way to alienate most movie-gog Amerins than to show two wboys ltg after each other and even smoochg.” Other crics acced filmmakers of phg an “agenda” onto Amerins, wh one wrg that “Hollywood screenwrers and producers thk that ’s their duty to teach Ameri that homosexual nduct and cross-drsg are normal behavrs that should be affirmed Amerin culture.
The beliefs, though objectively bafflg, beg tertg qutns: Was homosexualy ever accepted Ameri’s past? Supported by sendary sourc, I will argue that this myth is rooted homoerotic relatnships, a reflectn of historil fact.
THE FANTASY OF THE STRAIGHT WBOY: HOW GAY ROOS UPEND PRUMPTNS ABOUT LIFE RAL AMERI
In light of this ntentn, I will explore the reali of homosexualy and homosocialy amongst wboys the Old Wt, argug that they were accepted and monplace. Lawrence scrib , the two characters have a relatnship “eper than the eps of sex .” While Cooper do not tail explic sex between the two, their relatnship is unmistakably homosocial. In this way, Cooper has embedd an acknowledgement of same-sex love the very heart of Amerin myth, directly ntrastg claims that homosexualy is an unnatural and/or morn ventn.