Why the Gay Fascination with Supernatural and Sci-Fi?

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!)

Q: At this time I’m writing, voting 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.

So while these shows may be watchable, they’re not really 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.

Q: I know MTV flirted with female bisexuality on that 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.

P.S. You’re thinking of course of MTV’s God-awful Tila Tequila, but you don’t know 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!