A Queer Take on Jam Fran's 'Straight Jam / Gay Jam' - Lambda Lerary

Contents:

• A QUEER TAKE ON JAM FRAN’S ‘STRAIGHT JAM / GAY JAM’
• JAM FRAN SAYS HE'S 'A LTLE GAY'
• JAM RANDI: “I’M GAY.”
• JAM FRAN ADDRS HIS SEXUALY: 'I'M GAY IN MY ART & STRAIGHT IN MY LIFE'
• EMEM 'COM OUT' AS GAY IN HILAR 'INTERVIEW' CAMEOMARSHALL MATHERS' SCENE THE HIGHLY NTROVERSIAL JAM FRAN AND SETH ROGEN MOVIE MAY BE THE FILM'S MOST SHOCKG {FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.25 "GRAVY",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#FFFFFF;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}{FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.25 "GRAVY",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#FFFFFF;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}MOVIBY ADAM FLEISCHERDECEMBER 25, 2014/11:09 {HEIGHT:HER;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;POSN:RELATIVE;-WEBK-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-MS-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-WEBK-ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-ALIGN:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-ALIGN:CENTER;ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-WEBK-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;-MS-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;} IMG{HEIGHT:100%;WIDTH:100%;OBJECT-F:VER;}{HEIGHT:574PX;WIDTH:1020PX;}GARY MILLER / GETTY IMAGEMEMBY ADAM FLEISCHERDECEMBER 25, 2014 / 11:09 AM{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"NEWSARTICLE","HEADLE":"EMEM 'COM OUT' AS GAY IN HILAR 'INTERVIEW' CAMEO","THUMBNAILURL":","DATEPUBLISHED":"2014-12-25T16:09:47.000+0000","DATEMODIFIED":"2014-12-25T16:09:47.000+0000","IMAGE":{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","WIDTH":1920,"HEIGHT":1080},"URL":","THOR":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"MTV"},"MAENTYOFPAGE":{"@TYPE":"WEBPAGE","@ID":"},"PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","@ID":","NAME":"MTV","URL":","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","WIDTH":1280,"HEIGHT":720}},"CREATOR":"ADAM FLEISCHER","ARTICLESECTN":"MOVI"}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;} .TWTER-TWEET-RENRED, {M-WIDTH:65%;WIDTH:TO !IMPORTANT;} {WIDTH:100%;} {MARG-LEFT:TO !IMPORTANT;MARG-RIGHT:TO !IMPORTANT;} IMG{MAX-WIDTH:100%;WIDTH:100%;} > IAME{BORR:NONE;MAX-WIDTH:100%;} > *{MAX-WIDTH:NONE !IMPORTANT;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS, THERE'S BEEN PLENTY OF FALLOUT OM RECENT SONY HACKS AND NTROVERSY SURROUNDG "THE INTERVIEW" -- OM SONY PULLG THE MOVIE, TO PRINT OBAMA LLG THAT MOVE A "MISTAKE," TO THE FILM NOW BEG RELEASED ONLE AND SOME {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}MUCH OF WHAT'S BEEN SAID ABOUT THE ACTUAL NTENT OF "THE INTERVIEW" HAS CENTERED ON THE STORY OF CHARACTERS PLAYED BY JAM FRAN AND SETH ROGEN ATTEMPTG TO ASSASSATE KIM JONG-UN. BUT TURNS OUT THERE'S AN EQUALLY, IF NOT MORE, SURPRISG PLOT POT: EMEM IS {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}OF URSE, ANYONE WHO'S FOLLOWED HIS REER AND LISTENED TO HIS MIC DURG HIS 15 YEARS THE MASTREAM KNOWS THAT EM HAS OFTEN TAKEN HEAT FOR E OF WORDS LIKE "F----T" AND OTHER HOMOPHOBIC NTENT. BUT THIS PRETTY HILAR MEO, HE EXPLAS WHERE THAT ALL {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"WHEN I SAY THGS ABOUT GAY PEOPLE, OR PEOPLE THK MY LYRICS ARE HOMOPHOBIC -- 'S BEE I'M GAY," HE SAYS DURG AN TERVIEW WH FRAN'S {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}NATURALLY, HE AND ROGEN'S CHARACTER, WHO'S PRODUCG THE SHOW, EAK OUT. AND THEN SLIM NTU HIS SHOCKG {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"I'M MORE SHOCKED THAT PEOPLE HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT YET; I MEAN, 'S KD OF LIKE I'VE BEEN PLAYG GAY PEEK-A-BOO," HE SAYS. NEXT, THEY READ A LYRIC OM 2009'S "MEDICE BALL," TO WHICH HE REVEALS: "I'VE PRETTY MUCH JT BEEN LEAVG A BREADCMB TRAIL OF GAYNS."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}SAY WHAT YOU WANT ABOUT THE DETRO RAPPER, BUT 'S HARD TO SAY HE'S NOT {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}CHECK OUT THE CLIP ABOVE, AND THEN WATCH EMEM RPOND TO THE NTROVERSY THAT SURROUNDS HIS LYRICS A (REAL) TERVIEW WH MTV NEWS {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;CLEAR:BOTH;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;MARG:0 TO;WIDTH:90%;M-WIDTH:288PX;MAX-WIDTH:1440PX;M-HEIGHT:194PX;}LATT NEWS
• 'I NEVER ME OUT AS STRAIGHT SO I DON'T SEE WHY OTHER PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE TO SAY 'I'M GAY''
• JAM WILLIAMS, GAY ACTIVIST INDIA, DI AT 35

A QUEER TAKE ON JAM FRAN’S ‘STRAIGHT JAM / GAY JAM’

And recent years, two groups of people particular have bee creasgly fed-up wh (and creasgly hostile to) the celebry provotr: poets and gay men.

It should e as no surprise, then, that gay poets n get pecially riled about Fran’s play wh inty and “lerary manspreadg, ” to borrow a phrase om Purvi Shah’s piece for Vida on the Michael Derrick Hudson yellowface ntroversy.

JAM FRAN SAYS HE'S 'A LTLE GAY'

And yet Fran’s “queer public persona, ” as he scrib his latt poetry chapbook, Straight Jam / Gay Jam (Hansen Publishg Group), is meangfully distct om Hudson’s ce, as is om Rachel Dolezal’s, and om the cultural appropriatn of Katy Perry and Iggy Azaela—all of whom I’ve wnsed whe gay poets pare Fran to. Do the succs of this public persona, then, of which his intifitn as a poet is most certaly a part (see: his affy for gay poets Frank Bidart, Allen Gsberg and Hart Crane), pend on the tails of Fran’s private life?

JAM RANDI: “I’M GAY.”

From this poem on, which the speaker intifi himself as a “sister clown, / Wh a se pated / So thick / I looked mad-happy, always, ” Straight Jam / Gay Jam ncerns self primarily wh problems of persona. Fran don’t want to fuck Lana Del Rey so much as to be her—not unlike the relatnship to women he characteriz “Hello Woman, ” and not, as happens, unlike many gay men’s relatnship to Del Rey.

Intertgly, when Del Rey’s mic vio for “Summertime Sadns” told the story of a lbian affair spe the sger’s ostensible heterosexualy, no one acced her of gay-bag. In his tle poem, which tak the form of an terview between Straight Jam (SJ) and Gay Jam (GJ), and is one of the most engagg the llectn, Fran do fally rpond to the accatns he himself fac, settlg once and for all the qutn of whether he’s gay the most leral sense (not really).

JAM FRAN ADDRS HIS SEXUALY: 'I'M GAY IN MY ART & STRAIGHT IN MY LIFE'

Let’s get substantial: are you fuckg gay or what? GJ: Well, I like to thk I’m gay my art and straight my life. Although, I’m also gay my life up to the pot of terurse, and then you uld say I’m straight.

EMEM 'COM OUT' AS GAY IN HILAR 'INTERVIEW' CAMEOMARSHALL MATHERS' SCENE THE HIGHLY NTROVERSIAL JAM FRAN AND SETH ROGEN MOVIE MAY BE THE FILM'S MOST SHOCKG {FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.25 "GRAVY",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#FFFFFF;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}{FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.25 "GRAVY",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NONE;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#FFFFFF;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}MOVIBY ADAM FLEISCHERDECEMBER 25, 2014/11:09 {HEIGHT:HER;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;POSN:RELATIVE;-WEBK-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-MS-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-WEBK-ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-ALIGN:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-ALIGN:CENTER;ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-WEBK-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;-MS-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;} IMG{HEIGHT:100%;WIDTH:100%;OBJECT-F:VER;}{HEIGHT:574PX;WIDTH:1020PX;}GARY MILLER / GETTY IMAGEMEMBY ADAM FLEISCHERDECEMBER 25, 2014 / 11:09 AM{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"NEWSARTICLE","HEADLE":"EMEM 'COM OUT' AS GAY IN HILAR 'INTERVIEW' CAMEO","THUMBNAILURL":","DATEPUBLISHED":"2014-12-25T16:09:47.000+0000","DATEMODIFIED":"2014-12-25T16:09:47.000+0000","IMAGE":{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","WIDTH":1920,"HEIGHT":1080},"URL":","THOR":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"MTV"},"MAENTYOFPAGE":{"@TYPE":"WEBPAGE","@ID":"},"PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","@ID":","NAME":"MTV","URL":","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","WIDTH":1280,"HEIGHT":720}},"CREATOR":"ADAM FLEISCHER","ARTICLESECTN":"MOVI"}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;} .TWTER-TWEET-RENRED, {M-WIDTH:65%;WIDTH:TO !IMPORTANT;} {WIDTH:100%;} {MARG-LEFT:TO !IMPORTANT;MARG-RIGHT:TO !IMPORTANT;} IMG{MAX-WIDTH:100%;WIDTH:100%;} > IAME{BORR:NONE;MAX-WIDTH:100%;} > *{MAX-WIDTH:NONE !IMPORTANT;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS, THERE'S BEEN PLENTY OF FALLOUT OM RECENT SONY HACKS AND NTROVERSY SURROUNDG "THE INTERVIEW" -- OM SONY PULLG THE MOVIE, TO PRINT OBAMA LLG THAT MOVE A "MISTAKE," TO THE FILM NOW BEG RELEASED ONLE AND SOME {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}MUCH OF WHAT'S BEEN SAID ABOUT THE ACTUAL NTENT OF "THE INTERVIEW" HAS CENTERED ON THE STORY OF CHARACTERS PLAYED BY JAM FRAN AND SETH ROGEN ATTEMPTG TO ASSASSATE KIM JONG-UN. BUT TURNS OUT THERE'S AN EQUALLY, IF NOT MORE, SURPRISG PLOT POT: EMEM IS {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}OF URSE, ANYONE WHO'S FOLLOWED HIS REER AND LISTENED TO HIS MIC DURG HIS 15 YEARS THE MASTREAM KNOWS THAT EM HAS OFTEN TAKEN HEAT FOR E OF WORDS LIKE "F----T" AND OTHER HOMOPHOBIC NTENT. BUT THIS PRETTY HILAR MEO, HE EXPLAS WHERE THAT ALL {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"WHEN I SAY THGS ABOUT GAY PEOPLE, OR PEOPLE THK MY LYRICS ARE HOMOPHOBIC -- 'S BEE I'M GAY," HE SAYS DURG AN TERVIEW WH FRAN'S {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}NATURALLY, HE AND ROGEN'S CHARACTER, WHO'S PRODUCG THE SHOW, EAK OUT. AND THEN SLIM NTU HIS SHOCKG {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}"I'M MORE SHOCKED THAT PEOPLE HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT YET; I MEAN, 'S KD OF LIKE I'VE BEEN PLAYG GAY PEEK-A-BOO," HE SAYS. NEXT, THEY READ A LYRIC OM 2009'S "MEDICE BALL," TO WHICH HE REVEALS: "I'VE PRETTY MUCH JT BEEN LEAVG A BREADCMB TRAIL OF GAYNS."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}SAY WHAT YOU WANT ABOUT THE DETRO RAPPER, BUT 'S HARD TO SAY HE'S NOT {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#F3F3F3;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}CHECK OUT THE CLIP ABOVE, AND THEN WATCH EMEM RPOND TO THE NTROVERSY THAT SURROUNDS HIS LYRICS A (REAL) TERVIEW WH MTV NEWS {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;CLEAR:BOTH;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;MARG:0 TO;WIDTH:90%;M-WIDTH:288PX;MAX-WIDTH:1440PX;M-HEIGHT:194PX;}LATT NEWS

So I gus pends on how you fe gay.

'I NEVER ME OUT AS STRAIGHT SO I DON'T SEE WHY OTHER PEOPLE SHOULD HAVE TO SAY 'I'M GAY''

Gay Jam go on to make the valid, if non-revelatory pot about how sex acts were not, historilly, unrstood as the basis of sexual inty, and Straight Jam later adms, “Sh, I’d love to fuck you, ” to his alter-ego, but the takeaway is clear: Fran is terted—scerely— the trappgs of gay inty, and not terted participatg gay sex.

JAM WILLIAMS, GAY ACTIVIST INDIA, DI AT 35

(“I was not the one who pulled my public persona to the gay world; that was the straight gossip prs and the gay prs speculatg about me, ” Fran remds his self-terview.