As you may have noticed TheGayUK is celebrating its first birthday this month and we’re very proud of this! Who else will be blowing the candles out on a cake this month?
Lindsay Lohan- former child star, former mean girl, former girlfriend of DJ Samantha Ronson and current tabloid darling thanks to her very public meltdowns.
Julian Assange- the Wikileaks founder and international tourist. Assange is currently living in London at the Ecuadorean Embassy under political asylum, to prevent his deportation back to Sweden and the United States. As such he is unlikely to be tucking into a rainbow coloured cupcake this year.
Tom Hanks- Hollywood’s go to nice guy. Way back in 1993, Tom Hanks starred in the film “Philadelphia” portraying a gay man with AIDS fighting an unfair dismissal case against his former employers. This was considered ground-breaking at the time as it was one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to tackle Aids/HIV and Homophobia. It was for this role that Tom Hanks collected his first Oscar.
Matthew fox- everybody’s favourite “Lost” boy and male grooming promoter. There’s no other reason to why he is include on this list other than for some eye candy.
Jane lynch – Everybody’s favourite Glee Villain, Jane Lynch portrays cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester in the popular musical comedy which has brought her multiple awards. Lynch lives as an openly gay woman and frequently appears on lists of influential out celebrities. Unfortunately, earlier this year she announced her divorce from wife.
The Hoff- the Man the Icon, David Hasselhoff has huge gay appeal, from the camp talking car to the tight red lifeguard shorts and the dodgy pop career. He counts Radio One DJ Scott Mills as a friend and a fan.
Daniel Radcliffe- Free from the days of his bespectacled wand waver, Daniel has embarked on many different dramatic roles. In the upcoming film “Kill Your Darlings” he plays Beat poet Alan Ginsberg. Role. The film is already being discussed in terms of the graphic gay sex scenes featuring Radcliffe and I’m sure that it will be the biggest gay audience since “Magic Mike”
JK Rowling- Author and philanthropist. The only person to have ever bumped themselves from the top of rich list by giving too much to charity. Earlier this month, JK was “outed” as a crime writer Robert Galbraith. This ensured a surge in sales for the novel meaning that Rowling had more money for balloons!
Whether you’re looking for a film about a gay icon or whether it is a gay icon in a starring role, the cinema is the perfect place to track down your favourite idol.
The question of what defines someone as a vintage icon is a difficult one, whether it is their looks, their sexuality, their personal life or their work for equal rights. But taking the definition in its widest sense, here are six of the best films which, for various reasons, are perfect examples.
Evita
Icon status – Madonna is undeniably a gay icon for many reasons. A long and successful career and a devil may care attitude combine with her longstanding dedication to bringing gay rights to the attention of the public. Whether it is by dressing up as a boy scout, in her song lyrics, in the company she keeps or by expressing her sexuality through her creative output, she has been prominently in the public eye when it comes to issues of equality, HIV and AIDs or commenting upon change.
The film – What could be better than Madonna doing what she does best in this film which is, in essence, a two hour music video? But in the expert hands of director, Alan Parker, Madonna gives a career defining performance as Eva Peron, a poor villager who sleeps, manipulates and carefully plots her way to the arms and bed of the Argentinian President, becoming adored by the people and a strong political influence behind the scenes. But all the time, her self-serving ways are never far from her and as the people around her start to realise her motives, a split in the country and the political party starts to appear. Based on the concept album and subsequent stage show by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd-Webber, this is a sumptuously filmed movie with a golden globe winning performance from Madonna, who has never been better in an acting role, excellent support from Antonio Banderas and a soundtrack which you just can’t help singing along to.
Further suggested viewing – In Bed with Madonna; I’m Going to Tell You a Secret; A League of Their Own
The Colour Purple
Icon Status – Whoopi Goldberg has a cult following in America and is a prominent activist for gay rights. In 2010, Whoopi joined Cyndi Lauper for the launch of the Give A Damn campaign, to raise awareness of LGBT discrimination. She frequently defends the LGBT community on her talk show The View and in 1987 spoke at the historic March on Washington for Gay Rights. In 2013, she has been honoured by the Human Rights Campaign as the 2013 recipient of the organization’s Ally For Equality Award, which is “given to allies outside the LGBT community who stand up on behalf of equality for all Americans”. But she is also an Academy Award winning actress, singer, songwriter, and comedienne and, to top that list off, has appeared in the Absolutely Fabulous special “Gay”.
The Film – Adapted from the novel by Alice Walker, the Colour Purple tells the story of a black woman, Celie, growing up in 1930’s Georgia. Forced into marriage and living under the hand of her tyrannical husband, known as Mister, the film follows her transformation from a shy and awkward youth to empowered and a strong and independent woman. She empowers herself by being surrounded by people who love, support and care for her. She also forms a friendship with, and a deep love for, a beautiful and sultry lounge singer, Shug, and the two women form a bond which allows Celie to realise that she does not have to be the person that she has been told she has to be. This simply stunning film was adapted from the Pulitzer Prize winning novel, was directed by Steven Spielberg and was nominated for 11 Academy Awards. This touching and beautiful film is an often forgotten gem.
Further suggested viewing – Ghost; Sister Act; Made In America.
Milk
Icon Status –Harvey Milk was the first openly gay politician to be elected into public office in California. Initially, gay rights were not at the forefront of his agenda, but as his time in politics grew, so did his passion for the subject. During his relatively short 11 months in office, he passed a stringent gay rights ordinance for the city of San Francisco (where he lived), using the increasing political and economic power of the Castro District (San Francisco’s gay village) to push through changes. Tragically assassinated in 1978, he remains an icon and martyr in the San Francisco community and has been described as “the most famous and significantly open LGBT politician ever elected in the United States”.
The Film – Starring Sean Penn, the film tells the story of the political career and the tragic end to the life of Harvey Milk. Addressing his movements into politics, detailing his political battles against the limitation of the rights of gay people and his ideals in life, the film was a critical and commercial success. Securing a total of 8 Academy Awards, Penn won an Oscar for best actor in a lead role and the film also won for best original screenplay. Released in 2008, at the time when California were debating Proposal 8, an anti-gay marriage proposal which in some way mirrored the anti-gay rights legislation in Proposal 6 which is addressed in the film itself, it proves that the themes explored from the 70’s are as relevant today as they were then.
Further suggested viewing – The Times of Harvey Milk (a 1984 documentary).
Rebel Without A Cause
Icon Status – James Dean has long been considered a gay icon. His rugged, chiselled good looks, his masculinity and his status of the epitome of cool set him apart from other actors of his era. There were questions about his ambivalent approach to sexuality and debates about his sexuality have long been circulated. He is alleged to have slept with both men and women, but whether that was true and if so, whether it was for pleasure or to forward his career will forever remain a mystery. When asked if he was a homosexual, he replied “No, I am not a homosexual, but I am also not going to go through life with one hand tied behind my back”. The Gay Times Readers’ Awards have previously cited him as the male gay icon of all time. He is often said to be the epitome of cool and effortlessly projected an image of rebellion, non-conformity and, more importantly, living his life how he wished to live it.
The Film – Dean plays Jim Stark, a 17 year old young man who moves with his family to LA where he runs into difficulties with the local gang, finds love with a beautiful young woman and becomes a father figure to a 15 year old local trouble causer. He is increasingly frustrated by his family who don’t understand him and finds himself drawn into a feud with the local gang leader which results in tragic consequences. The film about confused, middle class adolescents was seen as an antithesis of the films around the time which depicted delinquents in the urban slums. Dean radiates charisma in his role and the film was ground-breaking in its portrayal of the moral decay of American youth.
Further suggested viewing – Giant; East of Eden.
Burlesque
Icon Status – Cher has been a stalwart of the idolisation of gay men for many years, especially in the USA. Her ability to transform her image and her musical style, coupled with her catchy, camp tunes, her high-spirited stage shows and her daring and non-conformist attitude confirm her icon status. But aside from her ability to not take herself too seriously (her appearance in Will & Grace is evidence of this), her music and her acting career, she is also a strong advocate for gay rights (supporting both the community and the parents of GLBT people) and has publically supported her oldest child, Chaz Bono who stated that he was transgender in 2009.
The Film – Ali Rose, (Christina Aguilera), a young country girl with an extraordinary singing voice, leaves her dead end life in small town rural America and heads to LA to make her fortune. She stumbles across a Burlesque club, run by a good natured and motherly woman called Tess (Cher). Within the amber tinged bar, she finds employment, friendship and a very attractive roommate, Jack Miller (played by the ridiculously handsome Cam Gigandet). Amazed at her remarkable talent, Tess makes her the star of the show. But can the novelty of singing live save the cash strapped club from a hostile takeover and will Jack and Ali ever admit their true feelings for each other? This film is corny and cheesy, but has a charm all of its own. It has a paper thin and highly predictable plot. But that is not the reason to watch this film. The skimpy and seductive costumes coupled with the exuberant and energetic burlesque musical numbers (performed with an almost overdose level of camp), mark the tone of the film. There are two icons for one in here, (both Cher and Aguilera have a huge gay following) and you get a naked Gigandet hiding his modesty under nothing but a packet of cereal. Throw in one of Madonna’s backing dancers and add Cher belting out a power ballad and you have a cheesy campfest which should be watched for what it is, which is just damn good, but terribly corny, camp fun.
Further suggested viewing – Moonstruck; Mask; Mermaids.
Icon Status – The outstanding Sir Ian McKellan has appeared in many successful films, been in Coronation Street, played the Dame in pantomime, has performed on stage in the West End, Broadway and worldwide and is an openly gay man who is prominent in his active campaigning for equal rights. He has won numerous awards for his acting career and appeared in blockbusters like the X-Men series and The Lord of the Rings films, but has also done less mainstream films, such as his update of Richard III. Since coming out in 1988, Sir McKellan has often spoken and written about gay issues. He is a co-founder of Stonewall UK. He has had a high level presence at Gay Pride events in London and around the world and states that his most urgent concern is legal and social equality for gay people worldwide. Coupled with that, he is one of the nicest people you could wish to meet and always makes time for people at Pride events. How could this talented and dedicated man fail to make a list of vintage icons?
The Film –Gods and Monsters is the story of James Whale, the gay 1930’s film director, best known for making the Universal Pictures version of Frankenstein. This film follows the latter part of his life, when Whale is a fragile figure, who is physically and emotionally slowly giving up. He reminisces about gay pool parties of his youth and teases a star struck fan that comes to interview him for a magazine. But his new gardener, Clayton Boone, (played by Brendon Frasier) is a young, attractive and muscular straight man and he and Whale strike up an unlikely and, at times, uneasy friendship. Asking his young muse to pose nude for his life drawing, Whale’s obsession with his friend deepens. But to what end? Sir McKellan was nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award for his performance in this film, and rightly so. The film oozes class and explores the nature of the relationship between Whale and Boone in a sensitive manner. The film draws you in with its subtlety and culminates in an emotional gut punch. It is the perfect vehicle for demonstrating what an exceptional actor Sir McKellan is.
Further suggested viewing – Walter; Richard III; X-Men; Apt Pupil; The Lord of The Rings.
Forget those porn movies – Gay characters are becoming more and more prominent in mainstream cinema.
Table of Contents
Films that explore the relationships between same-sex couples are increasingly seen in the multiplexes as opposed to being the preserve of the art-house or independent cinema circuits. There have been a number of pivotal moments in cinema whereby films with wider appeal have either hinted at or graphically displayed on screen gay or lesbian sex. From Personal Best to The Crying Game,The Rocky Horror Show to My Beautiful Laundrette, there is a welcome increase in both serious and light-hearted looks at the gay community. But with it, comes an increase in sex scenes, which can arouse you, make you reflect or fill you with romance. Here are six of the best, which, for a variety of reasons, are ones which are of note.
6. Threesome
Intellectual Eddie (Josh Charles) is in the closet. Heading to college, he finds himself sharing a dorm with Stuart (Stephen Baldwin), a jock and serial womaniser. But due to an administrative error, their other roommate is Alex (Lara Flynn Boyle), a feisty young woman who is down as a male on the college records. But the complications start as they grow closer. Stuart loves Alex and wants sex with her. Alex loves Eddie and wants sex with him. And Eddie loves Stuart, hiding his desires to have sex with him and secretly checking him out at every opportunity. The three of them become firm friends and, of course, sex gets in the way. Until that is, they think that they have found the perfect solution….
But will the three of them end up in a ménage a Trois and will Eddie ever get his desires towards Stuart fulfilled? A mostly shirtless, muscular Baldwin brother plays the all-American depraved teen with lustful desires towards his female roommate, but who gets more of an education at college than he probably imagined when he filled out his application.
Zack is an aspiring artist trapped in a life of supporting his dysfunctional family and caring for his nephew, until his best friend’s gay brother, Shaun (Brad Rowe), comes back from L.A. As the two hang out and surf together their feelings for each other develop among the waves, surfboards and wetsuits. Not only do they hide their relationship for Zack’s benefit, who is struggling with his new found feelings, Shaun encourages Zack to take control of his life and follow his ambitions. But not before the two of them have engaged in plenty of bedroom activities.
If a hunky surfer, a semi-twink and lots of manly dudes in wetsuits is your thing, then this film may be for you. The beautiful boys find time to kiss, cuddle and caress each other in the California sun, the highlight of this film is an early morning romp whereby the boys nearly get caught by their brother and best friend.
In this steamy thriller, two girls accuse a high school counsellor of raping them in a convoluted extortion plot. But as the key players in the plan find themselves increasingly mistrusting of the others, Suzie Marie Toller (played by Neve Cambell) attacks Kelly Lanier Van Ryan (Denise Richards) in a swimming pool, but the attack turns to lust as the two girls kiss passionately and undress each other, whilst all the time being observed and filmed by a police officer hiding in the undergrowth.
The swimming pool scene is one example of how this film strides out where other erotic thrillers (Basic Instinct, Showgirls) feared to tread by showing erotic lesbian sex scenes with partially nude Hollywood starlets. After watching this, it becomes clear why they stayed in the pool to cool off.
Teenage life on a London council estate is difficult for Jamie, who has a crush on his handsome classmate and neighbour, Ste (played by the very beautiful Scott Neal). In Beautiful Thing, Ste has his own problems with his dysfunctional family and alcoholic father. Love slowly blossoms between the two boys as they deal with an interfering neighbour, visit their first gay bar and grow into their sexuality.
The catalyst for all of this is when Ste is beaten by his father and spends the night at Jamie’s. Sleeping “top to toe”, Jamie starts by massaging Ste’s bruised body, but this turns into much more as the two boys end up kissing and subsequently sleeping together. But what makes this scene so special is that it is a beautifully tender moment which takes you back to your first love and maybe even reminds you of those fledgeling fumbles you once had.
In this film noir fuelled movie, Violet (Jennifer Tilley) wishes to escape her violent criminal boyfriend and so engages in a clandestine affair with a sexually charged ex-con, Corky (Gina Gershon) and the two of them plan to rip off $2 million of mob money. Double-crossing, violent criminals and underhand tactics cannot detract from the explicit sexual aspects of this film.
The two women are beautiful and their first encounter is a breathy, whispered and intimate one. Whoever thought that showing someone your tattoo would lead to such an erotic encounter? But their second encounter is why this film makes the list. As the camera pans around the two women, their graphic intimacy is clearly shown and the passion of the two women for each other really shows.
More visually detailed than your usual mainstream Hollywood film, this was a groundbreaking film at the time and settles in a high position in this list.
Ennis Del Mar (Heath Ledger) and Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) are two Cowboys who find themselves with only each other for company whilst working high up on the slopes of Brokeback Mountain. With nothing but a supply of whisky and each other, they find a way to pass the time, leading to some fairly rough initial intimacy and huge feelings of guilt. But as the years go by, they share something more special than either of them ever anticipated and what starts off as a drunken fumble becomes a deep love for each other, although Ennis struggles more with it than Jack, who wants them to be together.
Who could resist Heath ledger and Jake Gyllenhall dressed as cowboys and engaging in some manly fun? Their first encounter in the tent, involving some spit and a few minutes of grunting is perhaps the best-known sex scene in the film, despite a number of other more romantic encounters as the years go by. But the film makes the list not for this scene or for the tantalising prospect of the two leads in various states of undress, but for the most romantic scene whereby, on a fishing trip, Ennis approaches Jack and simply folds his arms around him in an emotional embrace. Who says that romance is dead?
I am happy to put my hands up and admit that I love a good moan. So when asked to write this piece I rubbed my hands in glee and thought it’s a great opportunity to have a right good grumble about the things people ask that really annoy me. This is because it’s something I regularly do in real life anyway, much to my friend’s annoyance. So, here it goes…
1) What you into?
I’m sure you are all aware where this question comes from. When asking the gay people what questions annoy them, this came out on top. When chatting to people on sites such as Grindr, Gaydar and Fitlads, it’s one of the first things people ask. Sometimes I am tempted to be a bitch and respond with “not you”, but usually it’s a blockable offence and I simply ignore them. On the odd occasion, I have replied with things such as knitting, train spotting, pretending I’m Kate Bush whenever I hear “Wuthering Heights” (that one is actually true)…. and the list goes on and on. I never answer in the way they want me to; with something sexual. I don’t rise to that. Usually one can tell what another is into by simply reading their profile. It’s not difficult, yet so many people struggle to do it. My Fitlads profile clearly states that I am in a monogamous relationship so therefore I’m not interested in extra-curricular activities, but I regularly have men propositioning me and refusing to believe that I would be on a website like that without looking for sex. So my advice to people here is read people’s profiles.
2) Can you accom?
Ugh. Again, I’m sure we all know where this one comes from too. It’s one of the frustrating things about using gay websites. It can be useful for meeting new people and is especially good if you have no contact with other gay people in the real world, but goodness me it ain’t half annoying when someone asks if you can accommodate. It’s even more irritating when it clearly states on my profile that I am not looking for a hookup. I’ve been there, done that and could probably have won The Sun newspaper’s ‘Shagger of the Year’ award at one point, but those days are over. All I can say is, again, please read people’s profiles.
3) How big are you?
I’m 5ft 10 and weigh about 17 stone, so pretty big I guess. The 17 stone admission would probably get me blocked by some shallow person and I’d be branded disgusting. In fact, I was once told that I am huge and the only way I will lose weight is if I become bulimic. I’ll talk about that another time though. Of course, they want to know how big your penis is. Does it really matter though? To a size queen maybe, but I couldn’t care less. Come on guys, it’s ridiculous. Nearly as ridiculous as the standard answer of ‘8 inches’.
The gay ruler clearly provides different measurements to a normal one.
4) Do you know him? He’s gay too.
I cannot begin to explain how much that question infuriates me. I’m sure some people think that homosexuals are all in one big pink club and we all know each other. I live in Warwick and was once asked if I knew someone in Middlesbrough just because he is gay too. I thought they were having a laugh but it was a genuine question. I actually said that I did know him and that I know most gay people in the country. The person believed me and I felt the urge to bang my head on a brick wall.
5) Are you gay?
Honey, just because I am standing here dressed as a fairy and sprinkling glitter over myself, what makes you think that I am a homosexual? Oh. Ok so there have been times when it may have been apparent that I am gay, but on the whole, I wouldn’t say that I’m ‘obvious’. Maybe I should start going up to people and asking if they’re straight and when they say yes respond with “oh I’m fine with that, I know loads of straight people”.
6) Are you the man or the woman in your relationship?
What annoys me about this question is that it is quite clear that I am the man in the relationship as I am a man! My boyfriend is also a man. That’s what a gay relationship is; two men together, so asking which one is the woman is possibly the most stupid question somebody could ask. Variations of this question include ‘Are you the Arthur or the Martha?’ and the more direct ‘Are you the top or bottom?’, because let’s face it, by asking if you’re the man or the woman is someone’s way of determining whether you give or take it up the arse.
7) When you get married will you be the bride or the groom?
Following on from the previous question, this is a similar one. Again it is possibly a case of someone trying to find out if you are top or bottom or maybe it’s someone’s idea of humour. There’s nothing funny about it though. If two men are getting married then clearly there’s not going to be a bride.
8) Does ‘it’ hurt?
If someone asks that question I will ask them what they mean by ‘it’, even though I know what they’re asking. There’s something satisfying about watching someone squirm as they try to think of a way of asking ‘does it hurt when you have anal?’, without putting it quite like that. If people want to know whether it hurts or not, they should give it a go themselves. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. The answer is yes though.
9) When did you know you were gay?
This question was suggested by someone. I have to say it doesn’t always annoy me. It depends on who is asking and the way it’s asked. Being serious for a moment, I work with LGBTQ youth and sometimes they have important questions to ask, such as this one. I will always answer honestly and provide any necessary advice. When it comes to straight people asking the question, I find there’s usually a variation on it. ‘When did you choose to be gay?’ has been asked a few times. Now that does bother me. I don’t believe being gay is a choice. We have a choice whether to embrace it and live as gay people, but sexuality is not something we choose. I want to respond with ‘when did you choose to be ignorant?’ This question provides a topic for a whole separate discussion.
10) Do you fancy him?
I have a revelation to make here… Gay men do not fancy every man they see! I know, shocking isn’t it? Even worse is when a straight man asks if I fancy them. It’s like, don’t flatter yourself, mate. Just because I happen to be gay it does not mean that I am attracted to you. I have a type (rugged, stubbly, hairy types) and the guys who usually ask if I fancy them are far too preened and immaculate for my liking. It’s a no from me.
So there we have it; my top 10 questions that gay men hate to be asked. I must admit I’ve rather enjoyed getting that off my chest. What am I into? Having a right good moan by the looks of it.
