(CNN) — Somehow, the origal “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” premiered on Bravo two s ago this month, prentg five gay men – each specializg a specific liftyle area – as they scend upon a (ually) heterosexual male subject need of some support, whether was wh clothg choic, groomg, anizatn or perhaps an unrlyg issue around self nfince.
Contents:
- GAY MEN AND STRAIGHT MEN AS FRIENDS
- IS FLIRTG BETWEEN GAY AND STRAIGHT MEN OKAY?
- IS YOUR MAN GAY, STRAIGHT, OR BISEXUAL?
GAY MEN AND STRAIGHT MEN AS FRIENDS
Heterosexual and gay men n heal and grow as a rult of their iendships. * gay straight guy *
The guys are different om men who intify as bisexual, gay, mostly gay, and mostly straight. Of urse, some intify as straight but are realy closeted bisexuals or gays by sexual orientatn—perhaps likely to e out at a later age (if ever).
This all got me thkg about my own iendships and those of my gay male clients. The bonds between gay men and straight women have been wrten about and featured popular media (i.
Sex the Cy, Will and Grace), though a lot ls has been said about how gay and straight men regnize and negotiate the distct challeng, plitns, and rewards of their iendships. Acrdg to Garfield, among the many obstacl to male-male platonic timacy, fear of homosexualy looms large.
IS FLIRTG BETWEEN GAY AND STRAIGHT MEN OKAY?
* gay straight guy *
Straight men et that if they get too close, others will see them as gay; which their mds means feme (horrors! S., before there was such a thg as a gay inty, some straight men would, wh ltle shame, engage sexual ntact wh other men (ually allowg themselv to be fellated) when female partners were otherwise unavailable (see Gee Chncey’s semal book, Gay New York: Genr, Urban Culture, and the Makg of the Gay Male World 1890-1940) and there is good reason to believe this still occurs other untri and cultur.
The mid 20th century this behavr beme associated wh gay inty, new at the time and seen as crimal and then sick. As a rult of this behavr-inty lk, sexual ngrs between gay and straight men creased nsirably, or at least went unrground.
Gay men have suffered physil, social, and psychologil abe at the hands of heterosexually intified mal who, thanks to homophobia and heterosexism, felt fully jtified flictg the terrors. So 's no wonr hetero men would fear homosexualy and gay men particular. This legacy of vlence, both physil and psychologil, flicted by straight men toward those of who are gay naturally fuels our utn and distst at the thought of beiendg them.
IS YOUR MAN GAY, STRAIGHT, OR BISEXUAL?
In his book, Garfield scrib the stiff hugs he would receive om a gay iend. As turns out, the gay iend worried that if he hugged too closely his iend would thk he was g on to him. Few thgs n be a more soothg balm for gay guys than a close iendship wh a heterosexual man.