Pedro Almodóvar's queer Wtern, Strange Way of Life, stars Pedro Pasl and Ethan Hawke as gay wboys wh a lot of history between them.
Contents:
- SO ABOUT THAT GAY COWBOY MOVIE STARRG PEDRO PASL AND ETHAN HAWKE…
- GAY WBOYS? ‘POWER OF THE DOG’ DO NOT STAND ALONE GOG THERE
- ‘BROKEBACK MOUNTA’ IS A LOVE STORY, NOT A ‘GAY WBOY FILM’
SO ABOUT THAT GAY COWBOY MOVIE STARRG PEDRO PASL AND ETHAN HAWKE…
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. 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.
GAY WBOYS? ‘POWER OF THE DOG’ DO NOT STAND ALONE GOG THERE
” 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.
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. ” 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.
Furthermore, the homosocialy scribed Cooper’s work is not purely imagative, but actually reflective of historil rerds ditg the prence of homoerotic relatnships among wboys the ontier wt, keepg wh Cooper’s assertn that the stori were spired by tal he had been told by actual wboys. “Homoerotic iendships prerve privilege and ensure survival a hostile wilrns” (Packard 15). Homosexualy was an act, not an orientatn.
‘BROKEBACK MOUNTA’ IS A LOVE STORY, NOT A ‘GAY WBOY FILM’
This is also nsistent wh fdgs like those Aled Ksey’s notor 1948 study, Sexual Behavr the Human Male, which reported the hight equenci of homosexual timacy to be among men ral farmg muni; probably, Ksey nclud, much like their pneer forebearers the ontier wt. Ined, Ksey’s ntentn reflects primary source material ditg homosexual relatnships among ontier wboys.
One such source, a limerick that allus to homosexual timacy between wboys, was found by historian Clifford Wtermeier and published his 1976 say “The Cowboy and Sex.
This suggts not only the prence of homosexual timacy the ontier wt, but also a greater culture of sexual ambiguy. Historilly, the wboy was able to engage homosexual sex while matag his masculy and stat. Homosocialy was re to muny wboy culture, allowg men to nnect wh others whout societal retributn (Packard 3, 7).