Once upon a time, you uld get away wh vlence if was brought on by ‘gay panic.’ Now legal mov to ban that fense—and a viral h song about a gay csh that ends amibly—might signal the end of the era of straight retaliatn.
Contents:
- 'GAY AMERI': PHOTOGRAPHS OF GAY MEN FROM ALL 50 STAT
- STEVE GRAND’S ‘ALL-AMERIN BOY’ AND THE END OF THE GAY-PANIC DEFENSE‘ALL-AMERIN BOY’ONCE UPON A TIME, YOU ULD GET AWAY WH VLENCE IF WAS BROUGHT ON BY ‘GAY PANIC.’ NOW LEGAL MOV TO BAN THAT FENSE—AND A VIRAL H SONG ABOUT A GAY CSH THAT ENDS AMIBLY—MIGHT SIGNAL THE END OF THE ERA OF STRAIGHT RETALIATN.HUGH RYANUPDATED JUL. 11, 2017 9:22PM EDT / PUBLISHED JUL. 10, 2013 4:45AM EDT BRENDAN LEAHY/DIGAL SKYLIGHT, VIA APJT TIME FOR JULY FOURTH, STEVE GRAND—A SGER-SONGWRER WHO HOP TO BEE THE FIRST GAY MALE UNTRY IN—RELEASED HIS BUT VIO ON YOUTUBE. “ALL-AMERIN BOY” IS A PAEAN TO EVERYTHG UNTRY: BONFIR, WHISKY, PICKUP TCKS, THE AMERIN FLAG, SKNY-DIPPG, AND TRYG TO MAKE OUT WH YOUR BT IEND AS SOON AS THE GIRLS ARE GONE. IN JT A WEEK ’S ALREADY RACKED UP NEARLY A HALF LN VIEWS ON YOUTUBE. NOT BAD FOR A 23-YEAR-OLD KID OM CHIGO WH NO LABEL, NO AGENT, AND NO MANAGEMENT. GRAND HAS THE VOICE TO MAKE , NOT TO MENTN THE FACE AND THE ABS (PECIALLY THE ABS). BUT IS UNTRY MIC READY FOR HIM? WHO KNOWS? ARTISTS LIKE K.D. LANG AND CHELY WRIGHT HAVE PROVEN THAT THE WORLD IS READY FOR LBIAN UNTRY SGERS, AT LEAST A LIMED PACY; AFTER ALL, NEHER OF THEM IS (OR ASPIR TO BE) MILEY CYS OR CARRIE UNRWOOD. A TE GAY UNTRY STAR HIS PRIME STILL SEEMS AS FAR AWAY AS A GAY LEADG MAN. BUT EVEN IF GRAND IS JT A SEXY FLASH THE PAN, THE VIO FOR “ALL-AMERIN BOY” IS STILL NOTEWORTHY.IN THE VIO, WE WATCH AS GRAND’S PUPPY-DOG EY STARE LONGGLY AT HIS BT IEND ACROSS THE MPFIRE, A PICKUP TCK, AND, FALLY, WHILE SPLASHG THE LOL SWIMMG HOLE. AS THE MIC CLIMAX, HE KISS HIS IEND FULL ON THE MOUTH WHILE THEY BOTH TREAD WATER NAKED. FOR A LONG MOMENT, EVERYTHG IS SPEND AS WE WONR WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT. IS “ALL-AMERIN BOY” THE SPIR OF A “GAY IS GOOD” MID-’90S PENNT FILM, WHERE THE L OF FANTASY DICTATE THAT LOVE N OVERE ALL OBSTACL, EVEN GOOD-OLD-BOY HETEROSEXUALY? OR ARE WE ABOUT TO WATCH THE SORT OF BTAL SMACKDOWN THAT’S ALL TOO MON BOTH FILM AND REAL LIFE?AS TURNS OUT, NEHER. THE BOY PULLS AWAY AND RETURNS TO THE PARTY, AS DO GRAND. THE VIBE BETWEEN THE TWO IS UNCHANGED. SURE, TOMORROW AT THE ROO THERE MIGHT BE A FEW AWKWARD MOMENTS, BUT YOU GET THE SENSE THAT THAT’S . GRAND GETS TO BE DISAPPOTED WHOUT BEG DISPARAGED, DISOWNED, OR DISEMBOWELED. AND SOMEHOW, LIKE NEARLY EVERY LIVG WOMAN ON EARTH, GRAND’S LOVE TERT IS ABLE TO HANDLE A MAN’S UNWANTED ADVANCE WHOUT GOG APE SH AND KILLG HIM. ASTONISHG, RIGHT? THE TRADN OF KILLG A MAN BEE HE HS ON YOU IS SO ENSHRED OUR CULTURE, EVEN HAS A NAME: THE GAY-PANIC FENSE (SEE: MATTHEW SHEPARD, RICHARD BARRETT, STT AMRE, ETC., AD NSM—VERY NSM). “ALL-AMERIN BOY” IS A SIGN THAT PERHAPS, JT PERHAPS, THE AGILE FLOWER OF AMERIN MASCULY HAS FALLY TOUGHENED THE FUCK UP. NOT THAT I DON’T CHERISH MY SUPPOSED ABILY TO DRIVE MEN CRAZY, BUT I’D LIKE THE CRAZY QUTN TO BE A LTLE MORE METAPHORIL AND A LTLE LS MURR-Y.IF THERE IS A SEA CHANGE THE MAKG, ’S GOOD NEWS FOR STRAIGHT GUYS AS WELL AS PREDATORY HOMOSEXUALS. JT THIS JUNE, THE AMERIN BAR ASSOCIATN’S CRIMAL JTICE SECTN ANNOUNCED A PROPOSAL TO URGE THE BANNG OF THE GAY-PANIC FENSE CRIMAL PROCEEDGS, WHICH WILL HOPEFULLY PASS AT S NATNAL MEETG AUGT. THE RELEVANT TEXT OF THE AGENDA FOR THE MEETG READS:THE CRIMAL JTICE SECTN ... URG ... ERNMENTS TO TAKE LEGISLATIVE ACTN TO CURTAIL THE AVAILABILY AND EFFECTIVENS OF THE “GAY PANIC” AND “TRANS PANIC” FENS, WHICH SEEK TO PARTIALLY OR PLETELY EXCE CRIM ON THE GROUNDS THAT THE VICTIM’S SEXUAL ORIENTATN OR GENR INTY IS TO BLAME FOR THE FENDANT’S VLENT REACTN.IN RECENT YEARS, THE GAY-PANIC FENSE HAS RARELY RRIED THE DAY URT, MAKG THIS MOVE SOMEWHAT SYMBOLIC. BUT HOMOPHOB, NSIR THIS A WARNG: VERY SOON, YOU MAY HAVE ONE LS EXCE YOUR ARSENAL. (OR MAYBE NOT VERY SOON, NSIRG THE STATE OF CONGRS AT THE MOMENT.)THIS CHANGE ISN’T HAPPENG A VACUUM. JT A AGO, THE SUPREME COURT’S LGS ON THE DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT AND PROPOSN 8 WOULD HAVE BEEN UNIMAGABLE, LARGE PART DUE TO ARGUMENTS THAT SAME-SEX MARRIAGE WOULD, SOME EFFABLE WAY, DAMAGE STRAIGHT MARRIAG—OR PERHAPS THE VERY STUTN OF MARRIAGE SELF, NOT TO MENTN THE FAY, MASCULY, FEMY, RELIGN, AMERI, PUPPI, AND APPLE PIE. TODAY ONE NEED ONLY GOOGLE AROUND FOR A FEW SENDS TO FD ANY NUMBER OF AMG SAYS ABOUT WHAT A RIDICULO IA THIS IS, MANY OF THEM WRTEN BY STRAIGHT, MARRIED PEOPLE.OF URSE, THE CHANG ARE ALL WELL AND GOOD PAPER AND PIXELS, BUT THE REAL TT WILL E WHEN THE BBER HS THE ROAD, OR THIS SE, WHEN THE BOY HS ON THE BOY. AND SHOULD BE NOTED THAT WHILE THE BAR ASSOCIATN URG BANNG THE “TRANS PANIC FENSE” AS WELL, ACRDG TO THE NATNAL COALN OF ANTI-VLENCE PROGRAM’S 2012 REPORT, TRANSGENR PEOPLE ARE 167 PERCENT MORE LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE ANTI-LGBTQ HATE VLENCE THAN THEIR GENR-NORMATIVE LGB UNTERPARTS. IN FACT, 2012, 54 PERCENT OF ALL ANTI-LGBTQ HOMICI VICTIMS WERE TRANSGENR. IN MANY STAT, ANTI-TRANSGENR DISCRIMATN HOG, EMPLOYMENT, AND OTHER MATTERS IS STILL LEGAL. THOUGH THE ABA’S ROLUTN IS A STEP THE RIGHT DIRECTN, GIVEN THE MAGNU OF THE PROBLEM, IS TANTAMOUNT TO PUTTG A BAND-AID ON A FLH WOUND. THE LACK OF TRANSGENR LEGAL PROTECTNS THIS UNTRY SHOULD BE CRIMAL, AND SEEMS PRSGLY UNLIKELY THAT THE VAST APPARAT OF ANTI-ANTI-MARRIAGE MPAIGNS WILL TRANSFORM ANY TIME SOON TO A BROAR MOVEMENT FOR SOCIAL JTICE FOR ALL LGBTQ DIVIDUALS.BUT STILL, I N’T WATCH “ALL-AMERIN BOY” WHOUT SG, EVEN IF THE BOY DON’T GET THE BOY THE END. UNREQUED LONGG IS THE SENCE OF YOUTH. INED, WHOUT , TAYLOR SWIFT WOULD HAVE NO REER, AND TWILIGHT WOULD HAVE NO DIENCE. “ALL-AMERIN BOY” WEL GAY BOYS TO THE CLUB. HUGH RYAN
'GAY AMERI': PHOTOGRAPHS OF GAY MEN FROM ALL 50 STAT
It is precisely this faceted humany that photographer Stt Pastfield, a gay man himself, sought to pture Gay Ameri, travelg 54, 000 across 50 stat three years to weave a powerful, profoundly human taptry of 140 fathers, brothers, sons, and iends om all walks of life, religns, ethnici, and backgrounds, who happen to be homosexual mal. From lawyers to artists to teachers to farmers, his perceptive, eply personal portras pat a layered picture of ntemporary gay (male) life, the first-ever large-sle photographic survey of gay men always tell you to shoot what you love, and that objective led me to this project.
I cid that I would fd and meet a gay man om every state, listen to their stori, and photograph them the hope that I uld turn that material to a book that would change people's opns and te -- the book that I wish had existed when I was a lad.
STEVE GRAND’S ‘ALL-AMERIN BOY’ AND THE END OF THE GAY-PANIC DEFENSE‘ALL-AMERIN BOY’ONCE UPON A TIME, YOU ULD GET AWAY WH VLENCE IF WAS BROUGHT ON BY ‘GAY PANIC.’ NOW LEGAL MOV TO BAN THAT FENSE—AND A VIRAL H SONG ABOUT A GAY CSH THAT ENDS AMIBLY—MIGHT SIGNAL THE END OF THE ERA OF STRAIGHT RETALIATN.HUGH RYANUPDATED JUL. 11, 2017 9:22PM EDT / PUBLISHED JUL. 10, 2013 4:45AM EDT BRENDAN LEAHY/DIGAL SKYLIGHT, VIA APJT TIME FOR JULY FOURTH, STEVE GRAND—A SGER-SONGWRER WHO HOP TO BEE THE FIRST GAY MALE UNTRY IN—RELEASED HIS BUT VIO ON YOUTUBE. “ALL-AMERIN BOY” IS A PAEAN TO EVERYTHG UNTRY: BONFIR, WHISKY, PICKUP TCKS, THE AMERIN FLAG, SKNY-DIPPG, AND TRYG TO MAKE OUT WH YOUR BT IEND AS SOON AS THE GIRLS ARE GONE. IN JT A WEEK ’S ALREADY RACKED UP NEARLY A HALF LN VIEWS ON YOUTUBE. NOT BAD FOR A 23-YEAR-OLD KID OM CHIGO WH NO LABEL, NO AGENT, AND NO MANAGEMENT. GRAND HAS THE VOICE TO MAKE , NOT TO MENTN THE FACE AND THE ABS (PECIALLY THE ABS). BUT IS UNTRY MIC READY FOR HIM? WHO KNOWS? ARTISTS LIKE K.D. LANG AND CHELY WRIGHT HAVE PROVEN THAT THE WORLD IS READY FOR LBIAN UNTRY SGERS, AT LEAST A LIMED PACY; AFTER ALL, NEHER OF THEM IS (OR ASPIR TO BE) MILEY CYS OR CARRIE UNRWOOD. A TE GAY UNTRY STAR HIS PRIME STILL SEEMS AS FAR AWAY AS A GAY LEADG MAN. BUT EVEN IF GRAND IS JT A SEXY FLASH THE PAN, THE VIO FOR “ALL-AMERIN BOY” IS STILL NOTEWORTHY.IN THE VIO, WE WATCH AS GRAND’S PUPPY-DOG EY STARE LONGGLY AT HIS BT IEND ACROSS THE MPFIRE, A PICKUP TCK, AND, FALLY, WHILE SPLASHG THE LOL SWIMMG HOLE. AS THE MIC CLIMAX, HE KISS HIS IEND FULL ON THE MOUTH WHILE THEY BOTH TREAD WATER NAKED. FOR A LONG MOMENT, EVERYTHG IS SPEND AS WE WONR WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT. IS “ALL-AMERIN BOY” THE SPIR OF A “GAY IS GOOD” MID-’90S PENNT FILM, WHERE THE L OF FANTASY DICTATE THAT LOVE N OVERE ALL OBSTACL, EVEN GOOD-OLD-BOY HETEROSEXUALY? OR ARE WE ABOUT TO WATCH THE SORT OF BTAL SMACKDOWN THAT’S ALL TOO MON BOTH FILM AND REAL LIFE?AS TURNS OUT, NEHER. THE BOY PULLS AWAY AND RETURNS TO THE PARTY, AS DO GRAND. THE VIBE BETWEEN THE TWO IS UNCHANGED. SURE, TOMORROW AT THE ROO THERE MIGHT BE A FEW AWKWARD MOMENTS, BUT YOU GET THE SENSE THAT THAT’S . GRAND GETS TO BE DISAPPOTED WHOUT BEG DISPARAGED, DISOWNED, OR DISEMBOWELED. AND SOMEHOW, LIKE NEARLY EVERY LIVG WOMAN ON EARTH, GRAND’S LOVE TERT IS ABLE TO HANDLE A MAN’S UNWANTED ADVANCE WHOUT GOG APE SH AND KILLG HIM. ASTONISHG, RIGHT? THE TRADN OF KILLG A MAN BEE HE HS ON YOU IS SO ENSHRED OUR CULTURE, EVEN HAS A NAME: THE GAY-PANIC FENSE (SEE: MATTHEW SHEPARD, RICHARD BARRETT, STT AMRE, ETC., AD NSM—VERY NSM). “ALL-AMERIN BOY” IS A SIGN THAT PERHAPS, JT PERHAPS, THE AGILE FLOWER OF AMERIN MASCULY HAS FALLY TOUGHENED THE FUCK UP. NOT THAT I DON’T CHERISH MY SUPPOSED ABILY TO DRIVE MEN CRAZY, BUT I’D LIKE THE CRAZY QUTN TO BE A LTLE MORE METAPHORIL AND A LTLE LS MURR-Y.IF THERE IS A SEA CHANGE THE MAKG, ’S GOOD NEWS FOR STRAIGHT GUYS AS WELL AS PREDATORY HOMOSEXUALS. JT THIS JUNE, THE AMERIN BAR ASSOCIATN’S CRIMAL JTICE SECTN ANNOUNCED A PROPOSAL TO URGE THE BANNG OF THE GAY-PANIC FENSE CRIMAL PROCEEDGS, WHICH WILL HOPEFULLY PASS AT S NATNAL MEETG AUGT. THE RELEVANT TEXT OF THE AGENDA FOR THE MEETG READS:THE CRIMAL JTICE SECTN ... URG ... ERNMENTS TO TAKE LEGISLATIVE ACTN TO CURTAIL THE AVAILABILY AND EFFECTIVENS OF THE “GAY PANIC” AND “TRANS PANIC” FENS, WHICH SEEK TO PARTIALLY OR PLETELY EXCE CRIM ON THE GROUNDS THAT THE VICTIM’S SEXUAL ORIENTATN OR GENR INTY IS TO BLAME FOR THE FENDANT’S VLENT REACTN.IN RECENT YEARS, THE GAY-PANIC FENSE HAS RARELY RRIED THE DAY URT, MAKG THIS MOVE SOMEWHAT SYMBOLIC. BUT HOMOPHOB, NSIR THIS A WARNG: VERY SOON, YOU MAY HAVE ONE LS EXCE YOUR ARSENAL. (OR MAYBE NOT VERY SOON, NSIRG THE STATE OF CONGRS AT THE MOMENT.)THIS CHANGE ISN’T HAPPENG A VACUUM. JT A AGO, THE SUPREME COURT’S LGS ON THE DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT AND PROPOSN 8 WOULD HAVE BEEN UNIMAGABLE, LARGE PART DUE TO ARGUMENTS THAT SAME-SEX MARRIAGE WOULD, SOME EFFABLE WAY, DAMAGE STRAIGHT MARRIAG—OR PERHAPS THE VERY STUTN OF MARRIAGE SELF, NOT TO MENTN THE FAY, MASCULY, FEMY, RELIGN, AMERI, PUPPI, AND APPLE PIE. TODAY ONE NEED ONLY GOOGLE AROUND FOR A FEW SENDS TO FD ANY NUMBER OF AMG SAYS ABOUT WHAT A RIDICULO IA THIS IS, MANY OF THEM WRTEN BY STRAIGHT, MARRIED PEOPLE.OF URSE, THE CHANG ARE ALL WELL AND GOOD PAPER AND PIXELS, BUT THE REAL TT WILL E WHEN THE BBER HS THE ROAD, OR THIS SE, WHEN THE BOY HS ON THE BOY. AND SHOULD BE NOTED THAT WHILE THE BAR ASSOCIATN URG BANNG THE “TRANS PANIC FENSE” AS WELL, ACRDG TO THE NATNAL COALN OF ANTI-VLENCE PROGRAM’S 2012 REPORT, TRANSGENR PEOPLE ARE 167 PERCENT MORE LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE ANTI-LGBTQ HATE VLENCE THAN THEIR GENR-NORMATIVE LGB UNTERPARTS. IN FACT, 2012, 54 PERCENT OF ALL ANTI-LGBTQ HOMICI VICTIMS WERE TRANSGENR. IN MANY STAT, ANTI-TRANSGENR DISCRIMATN HOG, EMPLOYMENT, AND OTHER MATTERS IS STILL LEGAL. THOUGH THE ABA’S ROLUTN IS A STEP THE RIGHT DIRECTN, GIVEN THE MAGNU OF THE PROBLEM, IS TANTAMOUNT TO PUTTG A BAND-AID ON A FLH WOUND. THE LACK OF TRANSGENR LEGAL PROTECTNS THIS UNTRY SHOULD BE CRIMAL, AND SEEMS PRSGLY UNLIKELY THAT THE VAST APPARAT OF ANTI-ANTI-MARRIAGE MPAIGNS WILL TRANSFORM ANY TIME SOON TO A BROAR MOVEMENT FOR SOCIAL JTICE FOR ALL LGBTQ DIVIDUALS.BUT STILL, I N’T WATCH “ALL-AMERIN BOY” WHOUT SG, EVEN IF THE BOY DON’T GET THE BOY THE END. UNREQUED LONGG IS THE SENCE OF YOUTH. INED, WHOUT , TAYLOR SWIFT WOULD HAVE NO REER, AND TWILIGHT WOULD HAVE NO DIENCE. “ALL-AMERIN BOY” WEL GAY BOYS TO THE CLUB. HUGH RYAN
I wanted to produce a profound llectn of ordary, proud, out gay men who would otherwise never fd the spotlight. He wr the preface:A year before my father's ath [om lung ncer], I started gog to a regular group-therapy ssn for gay men New York Cy. This year we celebrate our 13th anniversary Voice has a fantastic terview wh Pastfield, which he reflects on the role the Inter played patg a tly dimensnal portra of gay Inter played a big part how I found people.
I thk most outspoken gay men and all facets of the LGBT muny are those people who fed themselv very much by beg gay and they have that issue that they really want to share wh the world. Ten, maybe 20 years ago, I'm not que sure how I would have found the same men bee they're not gog to gay muny centers, most of them. They're not out at a lot of gay bars or clubs urban areas.
That I was really able to nnect wh a lot of gay men that are for the most part unr the radar and what most see of the gay muny. Thoughtful and perspective-shiftg, Gay Ameri reveals the dimensns of humany well past sexualy, a powerful step toward a culture that no longer nflat sexual orientatn wh human inty and a worthy addn to the bt photography books of Stt post also appears on Bra Pickgs, an Atlantic partner se.