This Photographer Does Some Very, Very Naughty Things With Ken Dolls
If homoerotic photos of Ken dolls taken by a straight Canadian photographer in the name of activism seem weird to you, then you just haven't met Bruce Dean.
"I often use homoerotica to put 'gay' in the face of as many people as possible, to normalize and gain acceptance, to be part of the movement that makes two men holding hands just part of the street scene and nothing more," says Dean.
But what turned this self-proclaimed "Alberta-bred, red-neck, bigot" into an advocate of gay rights?
It turns out much of Dean's work is inspired by his friend Sam Evans, who he lost to AIDS back in 1988.
Dean's photos are a way to honor Evans, who he credits for introducing "this straight homophobic jerk" to the world of queer culture, breaking down the stigma and bigotry he felt up until that point.
"After studying the use of homoerotica in art and film, I eventually came to the conclusion that gay rights not only benefit the homosexual community, they also liberate the straight male who is so often oppressed into being a strong unfeeling machismo machine," Dean told The Huffington Post.
"Society’s acceptance of the gay male, in whatever form it manifests, creates acceptance for a male that diverges from the typical narrow stereotype, whether gay or straight."
