Ask the Flying Monkey! (June 24, 2009)

Q: What is your favorite candy? – Marcy, Toronto, Canada

A: There are two kinds of candy-eaters in the world: people who go nuts for chocolate, and people who go nuts for sugar. My partner Michael is one of the former, but I’m one of the latter. I like chocolate okay, but mostly just because it has sugar in it.

What sugary confections do I like best? Swedish fish (the original yummy kind, with that white, powdery coating, not the cheap supermarket corn syrup-y knock-offs), plus, raspberries and blackberries, Spree, Nerds, and marshmallow peanuts. There’s also a great candy called Parma Violets that I can only ever get where you are, Marcy – in Canada.

Gifts of appreciation can be sent to the Flying Monkey c/o this site.

[Editor’s note: Um, Monkey. No solicitation of gifts from the readers by writers! Highly unethical! However, chocolate confectioners interested in possible coverage of their product on AfterElton.com can send samples of dark chocolate c/o Editor to this site.]

Q: With all the turmoil in and around North Korea, there seems to be the threat of war. If a draft is instigated by Washington, what do you think would be the reaction from the gay community and, given “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” would most gay men and women be willing to serve?  -- Concerned - New Hampshire

A: The irony is that, should our country ever actually be threatened, I don’t think most of the GLBT community would hesitate for a minute to defend it. Sure, we’d bitch about the hypocrisy of it all, but I know we’d do it.

How do I know? Because I can’t tell you all the times I’ve heard the story of the gay child who, after being rejected by his or her parents and/or siblings, eventually returns to take care of those same parents in their old age (while the straight siblings are often preoccupied elsewhere). In fact, I lived that story, with my partner and me moving home to help take care of my mother with Alzheimer’s, despite the fact that she couldn’t have been less supportive of us before she got sick.

And for the record, I’m not expecting any special commendation for this. Frankly, this is what kids – what people – are supposed to do: we look out for each other. I mention this only because of how much it really rankled me at the time to hear again and again regarding same-sex marriage that we GLBT folks are “destroying the family” – when my partner and I were pretty much single-handedly keeping my family together.

Q: Can you recommend any good airport novels with gay content? By airport novel, I mean something light and easy to read. -- David, Austin, TX

Q: HELP! I need some good sci-fi books to read what can you recommend in gay sci fi/horror/fantasy? -- Jeremy

A: Can I make a confession? I used to read voraciously – at least a dozen books a month. But lately I’ve been overwhelmed by moving to a new house, a new website I edit, and lots of flashy new technology (including an iPhone, which I’m kinda obsessed with).

Still, here are the “airport” books that have recently landed on my desk that look great and that I really, really want to read: Drama Queers! by Frank Anthony Polito, the sequel to the terrific teen novel Band Fags! (Kensington Books, $15); What We Remember, Michael Thomas Ford’s latest, supposedly a little less “gay” than the others (Kensington Books, $24); Mental, gay comedian Eddie Sarfaty’s caustic take on life that my partner liked a lot (Kensington Books, $15); and, In the Hunt: Unauthorized Essays on Supernatural, a collection of essays about television’s Hottest Male Duo Ever (BenBella Books, $14,95).

Some titles on the Monkey's reading list

Regarding gay sci-fi, fantasy, or horror, the best books I’ve read recently – and I did read these! -- were: Shadows Return by Lynn Flewelling, the fourth in the Nightrunner series about a couple of adventuring gay teens (Bantam Books); Turnskin by Nicole Kimberling, a terrifically enjoyable novel about a gay teen shapeshifter (Blind Eye Books, $14.95); and a collection of short stories called Unspeakable Horror: From the Shadows of the Closet, edited by Vince A. Liaguno & Chad Helder (Dark Scribe Press, $15).

Next page! The Castro in film. Plus, the last word on that "gay" Progressive Insurance ad.