Geni Optns Book on Growg Up Gay and Disabled 1980s London - Variety

Contents:

• 'SPECIAL' CREATOR ON SHOW'S GAY, DISABLED SEX: 'PEOPLE DON'T ACKNOWLEDGE WE'RE SEXUAL BEGS'
• RYAN O'CONNELL IS GAY, DISABLED, AND NOT YOUR 'INSPIRATN PORN'
• NETFLIX SHOW 'SPECIAL' WILL INTRODUCE TV'S FIRST GAY, DISABLED MALE CHARACTER
• I’M 43 – BUT I’M MA TO FEEL LIKE A DOSR BY YOUNGER GAY MEN

'SPECIAL' CREATOR ON SHOW'S GAY, DISABLED SEX: 'PEOPLE DON'T ACKNOWLEDGE WE'RE SEXUAL BEGS'

" Like many people the LGBTQ muny, the "Special" creator/star was disappoted the 2017 Osr-nomated drama, specifilly s pictn of gay sex between El (Timothee Chalamet) and Oliver (Armie Hammer). More: Netflix's 'Special' hop to break new ground for disabily reprentatn on TV"It speaks to how as gay men, we’re ndned to accept the scraps of reprentatn, " says O'Connell, who unflchgly portrays gay sex his new Netflix show, streamg Friday. "I’m not throwg sha at ‘Call Me By Your Name’ bee I thk is an credible movie, but I feel like that pan away to the moon is homophobic – ’s weird.

And ’s directed by a gay man (Lu Guadagno)! "O'Connell, 32, plays a loose versn of himself "Special, " which is based on his 2015 memoir about his experience as a twentysomethg gay man wh d cerebral palsy. Not only do O'Connell hope to stigmatize sex work wh the graphic scene, but also normalize gay sex for mastream dienc who aren't ed to seeg Hollywood movi or popular TV shows.

"It really is a difference of makg gay ntent for straight people like ‘Bohemian Rhapsody, ’ or makg gay ntent for yourself and (other) gay people that's accurate how you experience thgs, " O'Connell says.

RYAN O'CONNELL IS GAY, DISABLED, AND NOT YOUR 'INSPIRATN PORN'

The 34-year-old is the star and creator of Netflix’s Special, which chronicl the gs out of a twentysomethg gay wrer wh cerebral palsy.

NETFLIX SHOW 'SPECIAL' WILL INTRODUCE TV'S FIRST GAY, DISABLED MALE CHARACTER

Like his lead character, he’s also gay and has cerebral palsy. Though he had a storybook experience when g out as gay at 17 (He immediately entered a relatnship), O’Connell hid his disabily as his wrg reer soared. A gay disabled kid om Ventura, California, don't move to New York to go to liberal arts llege.

I’M 43 – BUT I’M MA TO FEEL LIKE A DOSR BY YOUNGER GAY MEN

A gay disabled kid om Ventura don't have the urage to pursue televisn you for beg hont about, transparency around money is so important bee I thk a lot of creativ e om money, and no one lik to talk about . Courty of NetflixWhat I would say is relatively new to TV shows about queer people is that you're lettg gay men be toxic, which we kd of are but have not always been held acuntable, we n be for sure.