In real life, there are no gay cowboys

Dear Mr. Bageant,

I just finished your essay, "Contemplations from the Cheap Beer Zone" and enjoyed it immensely. Virgil reminds me of some of the codgers I knew from my small hometown in Iowa, that I left behind for more liberal pastures. However, I have a bone to pick with you about the joke you made about "Brokeback Mountain", or as you called it "Buttfuck Mountain". Granted that it falls into the category of Pop Culture, it has also become a cultural touchstone and a major milestone for the gay community.

Have you actually talked about the movie with gay friends from the city? (Most gays in Winchester, Virginia probably have to leave town as soon as they can scrape up enough gas money to leave the hostile rednecks behind.) Looking back at your earlier essays, I think you do a good job of recognizing the ignorant hatred that breeds homophobia. Still, I must ask, do you think being gay is a choice? If so, how does one make a choice in being attracted to the members of one gender over another? If it's not a choice, shouldn't society attempt to allow them to live lives of dignity?

The religious right-wingers have blathered on about the Gay Agenda. The only agenda that matters to most Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or Transgender people is that they want to live free lives and not suffer discrimination. I hope that you can endorse that as well, because straight allies can accomplish a lot and have a great time pissing off narrow-minded fundamentalists. That's hard to beat.

Sincerely,

John
Iowa City, Iowa

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Dear John:

My apologies if I offended you. And I do appreciate your position. My dislike for the movie Brokeback Mountain, well-made as it is, is that it is nevertheless an exploitive Hollywood sop for the liberal masses, gays, etc. It has all the elements to guarantee a big box office, gay cowboys, etc.

What I object to is that this sort of popular culture never creates real change, but allows the public to feel as if our society is somehow acknowledging and advancing the cause of the oppressed, be they gays, urban blacks, poor whites, Asians, or whatever, just because it is up there on a screen, just because it moved them emotionally. American consciousness is now entirely dictated by media illusions and cheap emotion.

Yes it is a well done, sensitive film, however unlikely its premise. But let's face it, you and I both have known cowboys in our lives (guessing from where you grew up) and we know the cowboy lifestyle does not attract gay men for the same reason there are no gay black rap stars. In ten years among cowboys in Colorado and Idaho I never once met a gay one. Some things are incompatible.

There have been some damned great gay films made, but none of them out of Hollywood, as far as I can tell. Maybe my socialist realism is too demanding to be practical. But I'd much rather see a film about gays like, say, my friend Robert who works at the Dollar Store here. Or the 70-year old shoe clerk in downtown Winchester who has been out all his life in a small town. And even this redneck town came to accept him, and indeed respect him in the end. The beauty and courage of everyday gay life in America is far more impressive, to me at least, than cowboy hats and big skies.

But then, I am not gay. What do I know? After all, Robert calls it the greatest gay film ever made. And he's a serious film enthusiast.

In brotherhood,

Joe

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Dear Joe,

Thanks for the quick reply. My gay friends have also said that it is perhaps the greatest film they have ever seen. I'm a straight ally who is involved in PFLAG, so I'm still trying to do the work of confronting the homophobic propaganda that I've been fed over a lifetime. I've never met a gay cowboy either, but I believe they exist. They're just too deep in the closet to come out or to admit their homosexuality to themselves. There are mostly farmers in Iowa (the ranches start out west in Nebraska) and I do know there are gay farmers. Heck there's even a former NFL lineman, Esera Tuaolo who has come out. There may not be a gay black rap stars, but there are some gay black rap artists out there. I just Googled a website of gay hiphop links:

http://www.io.com/~larrybob/hiphop.html

I suspect there's a disconnect at work in small towns, where it is possible for folks to love and respect a gay or lesbian person, and yet they are members of churches that are condemning homosexuality as a sin. The big problem in Iowa is that the public schools still tolerate bullying and the fundamentalist churches say that we can't single out gays, lesbians, bisexuals or transgender folks for protection.

I agree wholeheartedly that the real story is that of the everyday struggle of ordinary folks in the middle of America, an America that wants their tax dollars, but won't give them equality.

On another note, we have a great bookstore in Iowa City, known as Prairie Lights. They have a program on public radio, "Live from Prairie Lights" where writers can read from their works and the audience is given an opportunity to ask questions. If you are doing a book tour and are coming thru the Midwest, you or your agent might consider contacting them.

Thanks again for writing. Keep up the great work. I check your blog at least once a week.

Yours truly,

John

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John,

I'll tell ya what I've noticed around here. Most of the congregation never even thinks about homosexuality. They could give a shit, they have more than enough problems to think about of their own. It's the preachers and the slimy church leadership locally and nationally who make all the noise. The congregation just nods, but inside their heads they are really thinking about how to make the next truck payment. At least that's the way they are here.

As to the kids, they are a cruel little breed, aren't they?

Later tater,

Joe

PS: The next thing I'm gonna do is check out that hip hop link.