Q: Do you know if any of the contestants

on Survivor: Samoa are going to be

GLBT? I just checked out their profiles and at least three of the guys list

things like "womanizer", "never been rejected", and "a

woman's dream." Is CBS trying to overly heteroize the show that has been

strategically won by at least two openly gay men (Todd and Hatch)? – Topher, Toronto, Canada

A: There are no gay male contestants that we know of (although it’s always

possible someone hasn’t yet come out to the network).

Is CBS trying to “heteroize” the show? Although I love your coining of a new

term, I’d strenuously argue that they’re not. In fact, we recently talked with

Jeff Probst, and I’m convinced he doesn’t see the show in those terms at all.

“When you look at the long-term of the show, you hopefully have some diversity,”

he tells AfterElton.com. “But the truth is, the majority of people who apply

are white, number one, and number two, they’re straight. We’ve had this

conversation so many times with our casting team. They say, ‘This is who applies.’

It’s our job to do as much of a cross-section as we can, but you can’t put people

on the show who don’t want to do it.”

Jeff Probst

Speaking of gays on Survivor, does

Jeff think being out is a disadvantage? “Any reason you give to vote people out

is a handicap, and in our world today, being gay is a reason for many people to

vote you out. You saw that with Spencer.”

That said, Jeff says, a gay guy can obviously hold his own. “Todd and

Richard, not only did they win, they dominated their seasons.”

Gay Survivor winners, Todd Herzog (left) and Richard Hatch

Q: Have you seen the new Mika video

for “We are Golden”? I love it because of the slight Billy Elliot feel it has. But really my question is where did he

get those gold shoes? – Ashley, Torrance, CA

A: Great song – and fantastic

video! Mika says those shots of him in his bedroom as a teenager dancing in his

underwear are an homage to all the hours he says he spent doing just that.

But what of his shoes?

Like Amy Winehouse’s beehive, Mika’s tennis shoes are something of a

trademark. He’s actually wearing a number of different shoes in the video – one

pair of green, one pair of silver, one pair of white and gold, one pair of gold,

and a pair of his trademark white ones. It seems to me they’re sort of a jokey

nod to his future success and on-stage flamboyance.

I don’t know the manufacturer, but think your best bet is your own favorite

pair of tennis shoes with a can of sparkly gold spray paint.

But man that’s a great video. I mean, have we not all been there?

Next page! Nick Rodriguez's roots, and Monkey's debt to Streisand.

Q: I’ve been watching One Life to Live and I’m interested in

Nicholas Rodriguez, the actor who plays the guy Kyle is currently dating. I

can’t find anything about his background and heritage – can you? – Angel, Miami, FL

Nicholas Rodriguez

A: By now you hopefully know that we ran a full interview with Nicholas last

week.

As for his background, he tells the Flying Monkey, “My Mother's Family

(Newell) is English-Welsh and Cherokee. My father's Family (Rodriguez) is

Mexican-American.”

But he’s quick to add, “I am Texan through and through.”

Q: What was the first gay movie you

ever saw, and what impact did it have on you? -- Lauren, Vermont

A: Does Funny Girl count? This is

a little embarrassing, and it’s something I’ve never admitted to anyone (not

even my partner). But when I was teenager, long before I had come out to anyone

including myself, I had this weird, multi-year obsession with the film. Every

night after everyone else had gone to bed, I’d watch it on the VCR over and

over again – at least when I wasn’t dancing around my bedroom in my underwear

like Mika.

Of course, I’ve since learned that other gay guys are/were fascinated by Funny Girl too (and La Streisand) – and

I still think it’s a good film. But I have no idea exactly why I was so enamored

by it for so long.

Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl

The other “movie” I remember watching wasn’t a movie at all, but a 1987 CBS Schoolbreak Special (a rip-off of

the ABC Afterschool Specials, those afterschool

dramas in the 1970s and 80s about various timely social issues).

The one I remember was “What If I’m Gay?” and it was actually pretty good.

In it, a dorky, artsy guy (played by future Sex

and the City star Evan Handler) is teased by his jock friends for being

gay. In a nice twist, it turns out he’s not gay at all, but one of his

jock-friends is.

Next page! Design Star's Dan Vickery and Michael Ontkean gets a backrub.

Finally, I watched Making Love one

night in the 80s on late-night TV. It absolutely slayed me. I remember relating

to the Michael Ontkean character in a way I’d never related to any on-screen

character before (I also thought he was beyond-hot, but that’s a separate

issue).

Even all these years later, I distinctly remember thinking, “Wow, is this how heterosexuals feel about the

heterosexual love stories they see? Well, damn, no wonder people like love stories so much!”

What’s weird is that Making Love

isn’t really a love story. I’d just literally never seen two men be romantic

before.

Harry Hamlin gives Michael Ontkean a backrub in Making Love

Q: Is Design Star’s Dan Vickery gay? – Alex, Austin, TX

A: He obviously set off a lot of people’s gaydar, but the network said he

wasn’t.

Design Star's Dan Vickery

Next page! Indiana Jones' sexual ambiguity.

Q: I recently was watching Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and

came up with a theory on why the character is, to me, the Sexiest Movie

Character Ever. Part of it is that the film keeps his sexuality ambiguous and

his female relationships forgettable. I know he ends up with Marion in the end

of the most recent film, but if you watch the series again, you’ll find he

tends to find the women a hassle. Add in he's more obsessed with finding

antiques then scoring with the college co-eds who write love notes on their eye

lids. I think if Indiana was around today, he would be at the least a bisexual

adventurer (though there is that fear of “snakes”!). What are your thoughts?

Even if you disagree, can you pretend to agree? -- Topher, Toronto, Canada

A: I completely agree!

Actually, I really do agree. It’s

particularly true in Temple of Doom,

because – let’s face it – the phenomenally annoying Willie Scott (played by Kate

Capshaw) would drive any man gay.

Kate Capshaw and Harrison Ford in Temple of Doom

(My partner Michael – the editor of this site – hates it whenever I joke

that someone could “turn” someone gay. But come on! Have you seen this movie?! Editor’s note: Willie Scott

would make George Clooney gay. Even I see that.)

Anyway, I can definitely see the character’s omnisexual appeal, and I think

it comes from two sources: the great, universally attractive nature of the character,

and Harrison Ford’s incredible on-screen charisma.

(It also doesn’t hurt that George Lucas has a complete inability to write a

convincing female character, although I do love Karen Allen in Raiders of the Lost Ark, a part she

reportedly re-wrote to make much more active and interesting.)

But this got me thinking of other actors who share Ford’s overwhelming on-screen

sexiness: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, James Dean, Johnny Depp, Marlon Brando,

and Paul Newman.

What makes them sexy? It definitely has something to do with their comfort

with themselves – their willingness to look less than “masculine” which is,

ironically, very masculine and very sexy.

Contrast that with actors like Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, and Tom

Cruise who are, to me, the opposite of sexy. But in their defense, it’s hard to

be sexy when you’ve got an enormous stick up your butt.

Next page! The gay Kennedy "brother."

Q: With the passing of Ted Kennedy,

it made me wonder if any of the Kennedy offspring were out. -- Rob, Myrtle Beach, SC

A: Not that I know of, but John F. Kennedy’s life-long best friend, Lem

Billings, was gay. John and Lem met in boarding school, and spent so much time

at the family home that Ted has said he was three years old before he realized

that Lem wasn’t another Kennedy brother.

Jack and Lem later lived together, attended Princeton together, traveled Europe

together, and even adopted a dog together (which they had to give up because

Jack was allergic). Later still, Lem had a room at the White House.

John F. Kennedy with lifelong friend Lem Billings

There’s no indication that the two were ever involved – Jack was a famously promiscuous

heterosexual from a young age. And it’s not clear exactly when Jack learned Lem

was gay, but he did know, and accepted him, even in the notoriously homophobic

50s and 60s.

Q: Where does the term

"beard" come from? I know what it means, but I'm curious about where

it originated and first came into use and why. -- Madeleine

A: “Beard” has long been used by heterosexuals to refer to the person

another person uses to disguise an infidelity. In other words, Shane is

secretly dating Wanda, but tells his wife Linda that he’s actually spending

time with his acknowledged platonic friend, Emma. Emma is, therefore, the

“beard” – or disguise – that hides the true infidelity.

Some people still use the word this way, but in the mid-1960s, it became

much more popular as a way to describe the (in most cases) woman who knowingly

or unknowingly dates a gay man so that he can hide his gayness to the world at

large.

Still, as usual, it was popular with gays long before heterosexuals caught

on. There’s evidence that us gay folks were using the term among ourselves as

far back as the 1920s.

Apropos of nothing... Eva Gabor on the arm of Merv Griffin

Q: I'm having horrible Shameless withdrawal. Will Sundance ever

bring it back, or will I be left with their continuous repeats of the first

four seasons forever? -- Nick, Nebraska

A: You’re in luck. The fifth season begins this November, and future seasons

will (supposedly) follow.

Ian (left) and Mickey from Shameless

Next page! The start of a gay fantasy baseball league.

Q: A friend and I caught a rerun of Warehouse 13 a while ago and we noticed

one of the characters spoke of “Rheticus” having written a poem for his lover,

“Tom.” It was such a small mention, but I'm hoping that this is a (very) small

sign that whatever rebranding SyFy has done includes more gay-inclusive shows.

Is it? – Terry, Washington DC

The cast of Warehouse 13

A: Let’s hope so. When a GLAAD report

recently gave SyFy one of only two “Fs,” the network’s executive vice president

of original content, Mark Stern, said, “We are disappointed, obviously. The 'F'

is hard because we are trying, it is something that is in our vocabulary.

But we need to work harder."

(This comment, in turn, prompted fantasy writer John C. Wright to write a

furious, stunningly homophobic blog response comparing gay people to those who

have sex with children, animals, and corpses.)

Stern’s statement is a far cry from 2008 when current SyFy President Dave

Howe told AfterElton.com this about the lack of gay characters in sci-fi: “I

don’t think it’s a problem at all.”

Better still, two of the network’s upcoming shows will contain regular GLBT

characters: Stargate: Universe (a

lesbian) and Caprica (a

gay guy).

Q: I’m a big Blue Jays fan (through

thick & thin!), and wondered if there are any out baseball players ---

current or retired? I know it's not easy for professional athletes to come out,

but never hear anything about ball players. Have you ever watched the Red

Sox? Half bear and half twink!! -- Cathy

in Canada

A: Ha! “Half bear and half twink!” Something tells me if they adopted that

slogan, they’d have lines out the door. But would it be fair to the wife of

fantasy writer John C. Wright, since she’d have to clean the bits of bloody

brain off the walls of her house after her husband’s head exploded?

As far as I know, only two major league players have come out, both after retiring:

Glenn Burke, who played for the Dodgers and Oakland A’s from 1976 to 1979, came

out publicly in 1982, and Billy Bean, who played for the Tigers, Dodgers, and

Padres from 1987 to 1995, came out in 1999 (and was featured on an episode of My Life on the D-List earlier this year as

a big-bucks Florida real estate agent).

Professional baseball players Glenn Burke and Billy Bean

And I wouldn’t be holding my breath for any current U.S. players to be

coming out any time soon – not in an era of Glenn Beck, Neanderthal talk radio,

and “Christian” boycotts.

But you know how I think it could

happen? If a player came out in some magical land where bigoted, far-right

simpletons don’t dominate the public

airwaves – a magical land like, say, Canada. Are there any closeted gay teammates

on the Blue Jays, Cathy, or maybe the Montreal Expos? If so, have a word with

them, would you?

Next page! Shemar Moore's nude beach romp, and Disney's very sad Shaggy Dog story.

Q: I

know you don't respond to rumors but I was wondering if you have heard anything

about Shemar Moore being gay? The talk on a

reality show was that he is, and he frequents a gay beach. – Diane, Baltimore,

A: The National

Enquirer recently published nude photos of the Criminal Minds actor taken at a gay beach on Maui, but in my mind,

that doesn’t mean a thing.

Shemar Moore

However, his subsequent denial …

"I went on vacation with two girlfriends

of mine who, interestingly enough, got cut out of the pictures. We found a nude

beach that, as far as I know, was a unisex beach … I had two hot chicks with me

who wanted to go skinny dipping."

Two hot chicks? Please. What is this, a movie

starring Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone, or Tom Cruise? Talk about trying too hard.

Anyway, the actor also said, “I’m not gay. I

love women. Women are God’s greatest creation." So that proves that, doesn’t it?

Q: I am a huge fan of Disney's old The Shaggy Dog with Tommy Kirk and

Annette Funicello. Over the years, I have caught little snippets online

about Tommy Kirk being gay and references to a mysterious scandal involving

Kirk and a younger boy, a relationship which Disney himself found out about and

subsequently fired Tommy Kirk from Disney. I'm not sure if this is real

or just a Hollywood urban legend. What is the true story? – Chad, Portland, Oregon

Tommy Kirk in Old Yeller and with Annette Funicello

A: It’s absolutely true. Kirk had been hand-picked by Walt Disney to star as

a clean-cut teenager in TV projects like The

Hardy Boys and movies like The Shaggy

Dog, Swiss Family Robinson, Old Yeller, and The Absent-Minded Professor.

“I consider my teenage years as being desperately unhappy,” he recently told

GayToday. “I knew I

was gay, but I had no outlet for my feelings. It was very hard to meet people

and, at that time, there was no place to go to socialize. It wasn't until the early

'60s that I began to hear of places where gays congregated. The lifestyle was

not recognized and I was very, very lonely."

Then when Kirk was 23, Walt discovered that the actor was in a relationship

with a teenage male actor. Disney fired him – though, ever the businessman, he

later hired Kirk back for 1965’s The

Monkey’s Uncle, a sequel to an earlier hit.

It’s definitely part of Walt Disney’s “darker” side that you won’t see

celebrated in his theme parks. Disney was also reportedly racist, quoted as

saying that African American employees would have “spoiled the illusion of

Disneyland,” was a member of an extremely anti-Semitic organization, and was

openly hostile and slanderous toward unions and union organizers. Walt also named

names in front of the infamous Un-American Activities Committee.

As for Kirk, he went on to have a brief movie career in some of the “beach”

movies, again with Annette Funicello, but then, after a problem with drugs and

a career slow-down, mostly retired from acting.

At last sighting, he was long off drugs and running his own successful

carpet-cleaning business.

Q: I just watched 365gay News on Logo. At the end of

the episode, the anchor said this was the final episode. Has the gay news

program actually been canceled and we will no longer have a gay themed weekly

news show? -- Erik

A: Sadly, the Logo show is no more. But there is still a monthly gay news

program: PBS’s In the Life.