Subject:  An Answer to a Question... |
Author:
Drake
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Date Posted: 19:42:18 12/06/02 Fri
I got an email today from a reader I have never heard from before, but a request was made that I respond publicly to the question on this message board. Here goes...
Question: "I like your stories. Why dont the guys act gay when I read them? Why do you write people like this?"
Answer:
The short answer is that all authors write from thier personal frame of reference. I don't live in an area where there are a lot of gay people, and it is a rather homophobic town. Thus, those few gay individuals I have met tend to be indistinguishable from everyone else.
The long answer is that I know, both from my own personal experience and emails I have received, that it is not uncommon for gay people (males in particular) to simply adopt the lifestyle mannerisms around them. Yes, there are those who are "flamboyant", but I am not well acquainted with anyone who is like that. I can only write what I know and/or am willing to explore. However, there are other reasons why I design my characters as I do.
I believe that there are a lot of gay teenagers and young adults out there who sit back and wonder if they have to be "flaming" (and this is not meant to be demeaning) to be actively gay. I don't think so. Moreover, I think that coming out is a ridiculously hard process when you live in areas that are similar to mine. Hence, there are probably a lot of "closet" cases out there... just like me. Thus, I tend to create characters who are, for lack of a better term, typical of the teenagers and young adults that I grew up with and see around me every day. Moreover, I hate to reinforce stereotypes: e.g. limp wristed, swishing hips, the famous lisp, overtly feminine characteristics, etc. I think it does a disservice to the gay community to present ourselves as these stereotypes. Our world is filled with all sorts of people who are as different from one another as in any other community. There are still a lot of walls to be broken down, and I don't want to provide any ammunition to those who want to point fingers and say, "See, more fags."
Sexuality must be represented in the multitude of forms that it takes. It is as diverse as any other aspect of human nature. In this respect, I am providing one facet of what it is to be gay and young in America. There are few who would look at me and think that I am gay. I am a rabid hockey fan, I have the mouth of a trucker, and a sense of humor that borders on the derranged (ask Dewey about the cans of Off, lighters and duct tape fixation I have). As a kid, I grew thinking that gasoline was the best toy in the world. The only thing that separated me from the other boys in my neighborhood was my sexuality, and I did not display it openly. I am one of those people who jams the fabled "gaydar". I often wonder why people assume a gay person has to act a certain way. Is it a sociological need to be able to immediately label and pigeonhole someone?
I think it is safe to say that I am trying to expose the fact that it is very difficult to look around and identify someone's sexuality on the spot. I also seek to craft stories that put the heterosexual world, especially the homophobic element, on notice that you never know who around you is gay. I want to explore a world in which we get to see what is going on in the life of someone who is hesistant about stepping forward. At the same time, I want to help diminish the myth that all gay people are after is sex. I have received my fair share of complaints that there is not enough sex in my stories. Well, there is enough wanking material out there to satisfy anyone's need. I want to tell stories about people. I want my work to reflect something a bit more real... even when it does tend to drift into strange storylines. I want the gay youth to know that they are not alone in harboring these thoughts about romance, about the deep need for human contact, and that every male (or female) they see does not have to be an object of lust. The sex is only a trivial (okay, maybe minor) part of what it means to be a human being. There are thoughts and feelings that encompass much more than just hormonally driven wants.
These are the primary reasons why I craft the characters that I do. Granted, there are other reasons as well, but I think this answers the heart of the question that was posed to me. To the person who sent me the email, I hope this satisfies what I think is a good question.
Drake
PS: I posted chapter 3 of TLW.
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