Today: The Flying Monkey answers all questions, including:

when will we finally get some bisexual visibility?!

Have a question about gay male entertainment? Contact

me here (and be

sure and include your city and state and/or country!)

for the AE Hot 100 is still underway. If the comments are an indication, I am

expecting a large number of sci-fi stars on the Hot 100 List. Why are we

attracted to these men in particular? I have heard theories, such as gay men

relating to the stories of the X-Men

mutants. Do you think that is what is happening here? Or is it something much

simpler, such as the sci-fi genre is where the parts for hot guys are? – CCWayne, Alexandria, VA

A: I think it’s a little from column A (we GLBT folks relate)

and a little from column B (that’s where the parts are) – but mostly column B.

The fact is, sci-fi (and fantasy) has simply exploded in popularity over the

last few decades, especially the superhero genre, and the vast majority of the leading

parts are (still) written for men.

Case in point: of the top 20 grossing movies from last year,

15 were sci-fi/fantasy (including the entire top 10). Of the 20 top grossing

movies so far this year, 13 are sci-fi/fantasy.

The picture is a little more complicated on television,

where reality shows and crime procedural shows dominate on both broadcast and

cable TV. But as entertaining as these shows are (allegedly – I watch almost

none of them), I think their appeal lies, in part, in the lack of commitment

required by the viewer: you can tune it at almost any point and they still make

sense. Meanwhile, in the case of reality TV, the faces change too quickly for

anyone to make much of a truly lasting impression.

about the emotional connection between the viewer and the men in question. Which

may be why the participants tend to not rate very highly on the Hot 100.

So what’s left? Dramas like Brothers & Sisters and

90210

(which, if they include gay characters, usually also rate highly on our Hot

100) and … sci-fi and fantasy shows like True Blood, Spartacus, Smallville, The

Vampire Diaries, and Supernatural.

Admittedly, these shows do deal with classic themes like

secret identities and outsider-angst, and I’m sure that doesn’t hurt in terms

of their gay appeal. But mostly I think it’s just really, really hot men in

engaging storylines – and great, scripted-TV lighting, which also probably

doesn’t hurt.

half-baked show (what was it...Vera Vodka? Gina Gin? Amanda Absinthe?), but are

bi guys ever going to be represented on TV or film? The only one I know is

Captain Jack from Torchwood, who is

more universally-sexual than anything. And where bisexual women are

represented (which is much more than men), it's like it was written by frat guys.

I'm glad that gays can be out and proud and are so well represented now.

But how is it that we got so skipped over that even transexuals are more

often depicted? I think there is a greater social stigma against the B in LGBT

than any of the other letters, and as a proud Kinsey-3, I hope someday it

changes. And just for the record, your team stole Brokeback Mountain

from us. -- Josh, NYC

A: In most recent surveys, about twice as many American men identify as

“bisexual” as opposed to “gay.” So that means there are twice as many bisexual

characters in movies and on TV as they are gay ones, right?

Ha.

If we ever needed more proof that straight men have most of the power in

Hollywood (and in society in general), it’s the way the industry has presented

male and female bisexuality: male bisexuals are ignored (or reviled, often appearing

as scary subversive “others,” usually vampires, at least until recently) while

female bisexuals are overly sexualized to appeal to straight men (and also

reviled, appearing as scary subversive “others,” usually vampires).

That said, Hollywood

is probably just reflecting the general sentiment in a society that still strongly

resents and distrusts bisexuals (and vampires) – and sadly, that resentment and

distrust even includes many in the gay male community.

But mark my words: this is changing, and it’s changing fast. I’ve

predicted before

that it’s only a matter of time before “bisexual chic” hits male celebrities

the way it has hit female ones in the last decade or so.

That said, the term “bisexual chic” trivializes the whole existence of

bisexuality. What I’m seeing, and fully expecting within five years, is the

mainstreaming of the whole concept of bisexuality. This is what comes after bisexual chic.

Why am I so certain of this? Because I hear the way younger folks talk

about bisexuality – and how much more open even younger male bisexuals are about their identities. I’m not blaming the

victim here, but there is a

connection between the lack of bisexual male visibility and the unwillingness

of a lot of bisexual men to come out (recognizing, of course, that this is a

total vicious circle).

But Josh, bisexuals like you are out and proud and angry about the way

you’ve been treated (and ignored). Just as we gay folks have done, you’re going

to change the world, even if the world (including the gay world) doesn’t quite

realize it yet.

Count on it: it’s happening. And five years from now, it will have

happened. And I suspect TV and movies will be accurately representing that.

how it makes my heart sing that you can’t remember her name.

P.P.S. I strongly object to the idea that we gay folks “stole” Brokeback

Mountain from you bi folk. As I’ve written before, I see

Jack and Ennis as not bisexuals, but rather, gay men trapped in an extremely

homophobic world that basically forces them into opposite sex gender roles. I

see bisexuality as far more than just the ability to function sexually with the

opposite sex – and I think the evidence for these characters’ gayness, and

against their bisexuality, is strong.

But as always, we’ll probably have to agree to disagree about Jack and

Ennis.

Have a question about gay male

entertainment? Contact me here (and be sure and include

your city and state and/or country!