Thursday, September 22, 2005
Gay Books
Lately, I've been updating my WishList. There's just so many books I wanna read. Sometimes, I wish the world would just pause, while I relax and read to my heart's content.
This desire kinda reminds me of an old episode of Twilight Zone, "Time Enough At Last". A bookworm reads at any and every opportunity he has. His wife nags him for reading too much. At work, when he takes a lunch break, he goes to the vault and read. One day, he goes to the vault for his break. While he is reading in the closed vault, a nuclear bombs goes off and destroys the human population. He seems to be the only human alive. He realizes that no one can bother him about reading books. So, he goes to a library to read a plethora of books. The show ends with him being frustrated because his coke-bottle glasses fell and broke.
Anyways, I was browsing through the gay books, whether they were gay-themed or written by a gay author. There was something that bothered me about most books. A good number of them are centered around HIV/AIDS. I have nothing against people with HIV or AIDS. It just gives the impression that just about every other gay person has one or the other. Maybe it is rampant in some gay circles. I guess it's just not a frequent reminder in my circles of friends and acquaintances. I prolly could name 5 to 7 people in my circles, with the exception of RAD and other big organizations where I am aware of others having HIV or AIDS. Perhaps, there are more people with HIV or AIDS in my circles but I'm just not aware of it? Perhaps, there's a fear of telling one or two people and it'll spread all over the Deaf-World within seconds?
You often don't read mainstreamed literature where there's almost always a character with cancer, AIDS or other terminal illness. So, why must HIV/AIDS be a frequent "visitor" in gay books? Perhaps, that IS the message...that it is rampant. Or maybe it's just a matter of being open/casual/serious about it.
Another thing that bothered me was the encounters between men and boys, particularly hustlers. I guess it's a reality of life that there are actually young hustlers out there on the streets, trying to survive just like the rest of us are. So, why not in books? However, I'd have to read the book, instead of relying on the description of what exactly is a "boy". A 20 year old is considered a "boy" in the eyes of a 50+ years old.
Perhaps it's a fantasy for some...the daddy/son kind, which doesn't always mean the biological father and son. An example, there is a book about a boarding school in England, where just about all the boys and teachers are gay, except they just don't proclaim themselves to be gay. And, a situation might be like...a boy/teen got busted, by a teacher, for doing something that could be grounds for expulsion. The student is given a choice that he'd better get on his knees and give superb service or else he's outta there. Then, the boy discovers he likes it and seeks more adventures with either the same teacher or other teachers or with his buddies.
I guess lust and sex is the common denominator in some books, regardless if it's mainstreamed or gay. I guess one will eventually read a story of a young girl falling in love with an older guy. I guess gay authors feel why shouldn't a young guy fall for an older guy. Ah well.
However, I do have to applaud some gay books/authors. There are books for gay teens. I think that is wonderful. There were no such thing during my teen years. Perhaps there were some but I wasn't aware of them. By having such literature and other resources available, gay teens are more likely to be empowered in this world and be more comfortable with their sexuality at a younger age.
Then, last night, I came home and found a gay catalog of DVD's in the mail. Pah! There are some American and British gay films with closed captions. It used to be that you had to watch foreign gay films with subtitles. So, I can't wait to check out some of these movies at the local Blockbuster store or via TiVo!
**********
I enjoyed looking up some old tv shows or movies from the 70's and 80's. So, I thought I'd post a couple here.
Remember?
Heathcliff
She-Ra
Danger Mouse (You had to have cable to watch this.)
Well, ta ta...
|
This desire kinda reminds me of an old episode of Twilight Zone, "Time Enough At Last". A bookworm reads at any and every opportunity he has. His wife nags him for reading too much. At work, when he takes a lunch break, he goes to the vault and read. One day, he goes to the vault for his break. While he is reading in the closed vault, a nuclear bombs goes off and destroys the human population. He seems to be the only human alive. He realizes that no one can bother him about reading books. So, he goes to a library to read a plethora of books. The show ends with him being frustrated because his coke-bottle glasses fell and broke.
Anyways, I was browsing through the gay books, whether they were gay-themed or written by a gay author. There was something that bothered me about most books. A good number of them are centered around HIV/AIDS. I have nothing against people with HIV or AIDS. It just gives the impression that just about every other gay person has one or the other. Maybe it is rampant in some gay circles. I guess it's just not a frequent reminder in my circles of friends and acquaintances. I prolly could name 5 to 7 people in my circles, with the exception of RAD and other big organizations where I am aware of others having HIV or AIDS. Perhaps, there are more people with HIV or AIDS in my circles but I'm just not aware of it? Perhaps, there's a fear of telling one or two people and it'll spread all over the Deaf-World within seconds?
You often don't read mainstreamed literature where there's almost always a character with cancer, AIDS or other terminal illness. So, why must HIV/AIDS be a frequent "visitor" in gay books? Perhaps, that IS the message...that it is rampant. Or maybe it's just a matter of being open/casual/serious about it.
Another thing that bothered me was the encounters between men and boys, particularly hustlers. I guess it's a reality of life that there are actually young hustlers out there on the streets, trying to survive just like the rest of us are. So, why not in books? However, I'd have to read the book, instead of relying on the description of what exactly is a "boy". A 20 year old is considered a "boy" in the eyes of a 50+ years old.
Perhaps it's a fantasy for some...the daddy/son kind, which doesn't always mean the biological father and son. An example, there is a book about a boarding school in England, where just about all the boys and teachers are gay, except they just don't proclaim themselves to be gay. And, a situation might be like...a boy/teen got busted, by a teacher, for doing something that could be grounds for expulsion. The student is given a choice that he'd better get on his knees and give superb service or else he's outta there. Then, the boy discovers he likes it and seeks more adventures with either the same teacher or other teachers or with his buddies.
I guess lust and sex is the common denominator in some books, regardless if it's mainstreamed or gay. I guess one will eventually read a story of a young girl falling in love with an older guy. I guess gay authors feel why shouldn't a young guy fall for an older guy. Ah well.
However, I do have to applaud some gay books/authors. There are books for gay teens. I think that is wonderful. There were no such thing during my teen years. Perhaps there were some but I wasn't aware of them. By having such literature and other resources available, gay teens are more likely to be empowered in this world and be more comfortable with their sexuality at a younger age.
Then, last night, I came home and found a gay catalog of DVD's in the mail. Pah! There are some American and British gay films with closed captions. It used to be that you had to watch foreign gay films with subtitles. So, I can't wait to check out some of these movies at the local Blockbuster store or via TiVo!
**********
I enjoyed looking up some old tv shows or movies from the 70's and 80's. So, I thought I'd post a couple here.
Remember?
Heathcliff
She-Ra
Danger Mouse (You had to have cable to watch this.)
Well, ta ta...
|
