I have been waiting for the US release of Brokeback Mountain since I started drooling over some cheesy entertainment magazine last winter at the prospect seeing my movie star crush Jake Gyllenhaal with another boy. And indeed as I was preparing for its summer arrival, it was pushed back to December. But at least I can take pleasure in the fact that it has just won Venice film festival’s top prize.
Now really I just wanted to sing the praises of this film and this boy. And I fully expect most Portlanders to readily admit to the posters of both Gyllenhaals taped above their beds with worn out picture perfect lips. But then I wondered if some of you might be confused at this apparent infatuation I have with a male. It seems an odd introduction to start a short discussion about the multi-gender outlook utopia that is Portland, but so be it.
An old friend, a gay man from Los Angeles, recently stayed with me here for nearly two weeks. Portland astounded him. He considered himself one of the most sexually open queers as he does not have strict body type or race requirements nor specific role rules. What amazed him about Portlanders was the queer communitys embrace of the no gender requirement. After all, isn’t love of the same gender what makes us queer? Well, not exactly…Yes, sexuality is most definitely a huge portion of my queerness. And yes, my partners are primarily female or female bodied. But queerness is also just a willingness to engage with, and question, both sexuality and gender, and perhaps other cultural phenomena such as politics etc. Nowhere is this more apparent than my beloved P-town. I do so like that I can go out to places like Booty, I may meet feminine looking bio boys that are not completely put off having a “lady” buy them a drink. (I mean free drinks, really, who turns that down?) And in fact I even teeter on the edge of claiming either female or maleness. Yes, I can come completely full circle and see my outfits and mannerisms as gay male oriented. Ah, no one is safe from my charms…
Id really like to hear reactions to this discussion, so I hope you all weigh in the on gender distraction questions Ive raised. But to leave this on a light and fun note I shall give you just a few more examples of my actor crushes:
Both boys from Y Tu Mama Tambien, Diego Luna and Gael Garca Bernal.
Leo, of course…
I’ll may add to this list of I think of any more…
