"Drawing the line between physical, external characteristics and internal traits may not be so easy. Was Heath Ledger kissing Jake Gyllenhaal not physical? Is a man in sequins and a boa internalized?
Sean Penn and Emile Hirsch in "Milk" (2008).Over the past two decades, characters have been coming out of the closet and on the outside, the entertainment industry seems comfortable with the queer movement.
James Franco kissing Sean Penn in "Milk"."Milk" (2008) was nominated for best picture. Shows like "Queer as Folk" and "Will and Grace" lasted multiple seasons. Queer characters pop up in shows from "The Office" to "24." However, think for a second.
James Franco with her girlfriend actress Ahna O’Reilly.
James Franco with actress Michelle Trachtenberg.The entire main cast of "Milk" was played by heterosexuals, as were the two gay males on "Will and Grace." "Queer as Folk" had three gay recurring actors, but the main two characters were played by straights.
Think about "Milk." Penn did a great job as Harvey Milk, but I'm sure that certain white thespians could play an amazing Martin Luther King, Jr. Yes, I winced a little as I wrote that sentence. Penn has the talent, but does that make his decision right? Surely, there must be enough gifted gay actors out there who could have done justice to any of the main characters in "Milk."And there are gifted gay actors out there, even gay closeted actors. You may have your Lances and Ellens, but we live in a world where even David Hyde Pierce (whose success is by no means based on sex appeal) didn't even come out until a year ago. That should say something about the social environment. For every Neil Patrick Harris that comes out, I'm sure there are a dozen who are staying in the closet. Is "gayface" just a way to make the closet more inviting? If the only socially acceptable performer for a gay role was a gay actor, would things change?
Source: www.tuftsdaily.com
“Gyllenhaal's not gay… and the gays all want him. They're done with Cruise, they've had it, he's too crazy…You know the gays are moody. You gotta keep up...”--Comedian Kathy Griffin on Larry King Live, July 11, 2006.
But primarily we dish because we're selfish. The gay community is part of the human race and, just like everyone else, we're programmed to survive. But since we can't procreate in the sense that we can reproduce our own kind at whim or after a few pitchers of margaritas, we promulgate--we endure through declaration. 
We can find hundreds of pictures of Jake in spandex on the Internet, but all that makes him, I believe, is a straight man in "gay" clothing". Source: www.afterelton.comvia tinygems.org
Hi Kendra. Beautiful post, as ever. :)
ReplyDeleteI'll make the record straight: I don't believe Jake is gay. Never believed.
But it's somewhat incredible (from my POV, of course) how many intelligent, witty and well-read people truly believe that he is.
The thing that most of all really amazes me is that they believe Jake is making up this huge setting (involving a lot of other people, even his family, his dearest friends, in it) to keep a secret when apparently even the naivest (is there such a word?) fan already knows the truth. Simply crazy.
But, you know, this a mad world, right? So what do we know? ;)
I'm back from a tiresome Easter vacation with my family.
Hope you're doing well.:)
Hi Kendra, good morning ...
ReplyDeletepersonalmente non potrei dire se JGy sia gay, perchè non " usciamo " insieme, ma la sensazione che ho ogni volta che lo guardo, attreverso un video o una foto, è che dentro di lui ci sia " qualcosa " di gay.-
Ogni volta che rivedo il film B.mountain, questa sensazione mi è sempre più chiara.-
Da cosa ?
Non saprei ben definire, forse dal suo modo di camminare, dai suoi occhi, dalle sue mani...
E' una sensazione perchè è come un odore che lui emana...anche se questo odore chiaramente in Italia non lo posso certo sentire ma solo guardare....
Non vorrei apparire troppo scontata, ma in genere sui gay non mi sbaglio...
xoxo
Good morning, my dear italian girls!
ReplyDeleteOn one hand, I think you, Xenia, are very articulated expressing your opinion on the neverending debate about Jake's sexuality. Particularly it seems to me a bit vulgar throwing speculation about a movie star in such rude manners in blogs, gossip sites, forums, etc.
I mean, if you have a formed by yourself opinion and you are convinced Jake is gay, it's okay with me you express in a free way. I don't think that is going to damage Jake's image, but it comes across a little strange such strong obsession and on top of it, without any proof at all, I mean no kiss, no holding hands, no conversations, etc. I know in Hollywood is still not easy decision for lead actors to come out, but my mind boggles at the idea Jake was a liar (or in denial with himself). In any case, bisexuality is much larger than homosexuality in Hollywood.
Said this, many scientific researchs point that a whole "hetero" sexuality isn't maybe the norm most of us believe. The Kinsey scale (although pro-gay biased) reported only 10% male population as entirely heterosexual.
So we maybe shouldn't be so judgmental towards categorizing sexuality of an unknown. Anyway, weighing of evidences I've always thought Jake is not gay. He has stated he's not even bi-curious, although when he joked saying he's a metrosexual it makes me doubt slightly.
On the other hand, Rosa, I understand you perfectly, in some way if we discovered in the future Jake was a closeted gay that would be off-putting for so many heterosexual girls. xoxo
Hi kendra,
ReplyDeletenon volevo offendere nessuno nel blog e tanto meno JGy, dicendo che la sensazione che percepisco guardando JGy è quella di un gay.-
Essere gay non deve offendere nessuno, ognuno è ciò che vuole essere e per ciò deve essere rispettato.-
Il pensiero che ho esposto è " soltanto una mia sensazione di pelle " e forse anche se ci sono persone che negano ciò che dentro possono sentire, o aver paura di sentire, non vuol dire che altri che hanno preso coscienza di se, non siano in grado a livello di sensibilità, di sentire questa diversità negli altri, che io chiamo delicatamente odore.
Una prova è ad esempio R. Martin ed altri che non nomino.-
Credo che nonostante la Reese, dentro JGy, ci sia qualcosa di bisex e ciò non deve essere di dispiacere per i fans nel caso che un domani ciò " possa " essere esplicitamente dichiarato, perchè un personaggio come JGy lo si ama per la sua bravura come attore, per la sua umanità e per ciò che esso riesce a trasmetterci, e non perchè è necessariamente bello ed avere una determinata appartenenza sessuale.-
Spero di aver chiarito la mia posizione e che il traduttore riesca a far comprendere bene il senso delle mie parole.-
Buona giornata :-)
We're not easily offended here in Weirdland, Rosa, if the opinions are free, rational, and not based on sensationalism or personal agendas. Unless there are clearly malicious I like to consider all opinions valuable.
ReplyDeleteThe family Gyllenhaal is very liberal, i.e., Maggie isn't married, the parents are divorces. How can we imagine Jake not being supported by his clan, and part of showbusiness. And Reese, she seems to me downright heterosexual to me!
It's 2009, and although fame continues having a prize, I think most of actors would prefer not lie to themselves and setting up fauxmances in the media circus although that meant less wealth in their accounts.