[Gay Characters in Young Adult Fiction]

Correct me if I'm wrong, (Mathematicians and Englishmen), but isn't English Pi Day coming up? 20/7, as opposed to American Pie day which is 3 14? By the way, how did we get from Gay Characters to Cole's Pies? And, would Mathematicians and Englishmen be anything similar to Mad Dogs and Englishmen?

[Gay Characters in Young Adult Fiction]

And what am I doing wrong when starting a new paragraph? I hit enter at the end of the paragraph and its skips a line, but when it posts the space between the paragraphs is missing. I'm blond, so what am I doing wrong?

[Gay Characters in Young Adult Fiction]

There was a thread somewhere here I read the other day regarding the reluctance of publishers to promote books with gay themes or gay characters. Related to this issue, I have been corresponding with a gay writer in Britain who attended a dinner the other night with, among others, a record producer who told him that one of the reasons Ronan Parke, the delightful young singer, has had difficulty gaining acceptance is because of his obvious gay orientation. Even in the 21st Century and in a more progressive society such as the UK, this is a problem. How sad.

I have noticed, however, that despite the lack of acceptance of gay orientation in young people, in those books that do have gay characters, they tend to be stereotyped. A perfect example is the book Absolute Brightness, a delightful, yet irritating (to me) book about the flamboyantly gay fourteen year-old Leonard Pelkey, who leaves a broken and dysfunctional home in Arizona to live with his female cousins in New Jersey. Leonard disappears (no spoilers), but his disappearance shows what a positive effect his energy and happiness (which mask his inner pain) have on the community. In line with the other discussion, the narrator is the female cousin and regarding my point, Leonard is quite frankly typical of the stereotypes most have of gay people, flamboyant, effeminate, over the top. Publishers seem reluctant to show gay characters, but when they do, they are stereotyped.

I admit that I'm pretty conservative in my demeanor and appearance, though I wish I could have been more flamboyant when I was younger. I envy Ronan Parke for his attitude. I wish I could have avoided hiding behind my facade in my teenage years. However, I get tired of constantly seeing the media portray us all as flamboyant queens.

My ex and I marched in the 1989 Pride Parade in Oklahoma City (yes, I know- the terms "gay pride" and "Oklahoma" do seem to involve some cognitive dissonance). My ex was a hairdresser who portrayed Frank N Furter in a community theater production of Rocky Horror and was quite festively attired. I wore khakis, a blue Polo oxford, and Bass Weejuns. Guess which one of us made the news. Of course, I also marched with ACT-UP in DC twice and in Austin once, so even though I used to look like an Aryan Blond College Republican nightmare dressed in everything from the Lands End catalog, I was pretty liberal on the issue of gay rights. I support the right of gay people to dress and act any damn way they choose. HOWEVER, I get tired of the media thinking that THAT is the only way we look and act.

There is progress being made. There are gay people on TV now who are no longer the gay versions of Steppin' Fetchit. The media doesn't automatically go to Harvey Fierstein as a gay role model anymore. (Don't get me wrong- I love Harvey and I watch Torch Song Trilogy over and over). But Jack on Will and Grace is not representative of us. Neil Patrick Harris is available now. Matt Bomer. Many others. There is a gradual movement away from the stereotype. I just wish it could be faster and we could see it in literature more. How about some of the characters we see here on AD? Publishers should read some of the brilliant writers here to see what diversity means. The gay community is pretty diverse. The media needs to show that more. Especially the publishing industry. Sometimes boring people are gay, too.

A quick aside, I do want to praise the author of Absolute Brightness, though. James Lecesne is one of the founders of the Trevor Project, so he's a good guy.

By the way, as I write this, I'm wearing a purple shirt. I'm finally pushing the envelope.

[The Power of Introverts in a World that Won't Stop Talking]

I so wish someone had been saying these things forty years ago. I have always been an introvert, preferring books to parties, reading-thinking-writing to group interaction. As a child, I was made to feel guilty for not fitting in, not conforming, not being like everyone else. We have an ambivalent attitude in America to the introvert/extrovert dichotomy. We respect and revere the individual and individualism, until he starts thinking differently than the rest of us. We (Americans, not necessarily me) like nonconformists as long as they conform. The introvert is a thinker and creative. I go for long walks and that's when I create my stories and blog entries.People say I'm lonely, and in some ways I am, but I'm also quite happy sitting in the library (yes there are still libraries with physical books that one can hold in one's hands) or in a quiet corner of Barnes and Noble (I used to go to Borders, but...oh well). I think I'm a bit Aspergerish in some ways because I don't understand people very well and often say inappropriate things when forced to be extroverted. I like quiet contemplation. But our culture doesn't encourage this. Americans may like individualism, but when someone actually is an individual... well...

Thank you, EleCivil, for posting this video!

[The Angel of Pie Jesu by John Teller]

I was very surprised and hurt when I read these comments and those on my other recommendation. I was embarrassed and mortified to the point that I became physically ill and threw up. After my apology, which I now wish I hadn't given, I stayed out of the discussion and I don't want to stir up any more trouble, but I just can't let this go without saying something.

1. I understand the ban on stories of intergenerational sex on AD and I have no problem with that, although a couple of the stories I've written that appear here do have incidents like that. However, I find it ironic that on a board made up mostly of ADULT MEN reading and writing stories about UNDERAGE GAYS, that there should be such a virulent reaction to a mere recommendation of a well-written story by two men whom I know to be decent and responsible about ADULT MEN who like UNDERAGE GAYS. Irony?

2. There is a difference between describing something and advocating it.There is a difference between fantasy and reality. Do I find young gays appealing. Yes, and, I would assume, so do the majority of the members of this board, else why would they be here? Because they have an intellectual curiosity about young gays? That said, though, would I act on those feelings? Of course not! I was molested as a child and as a teenager, I sought love and approval from other men through sex. I KNOW what adult/youth sex can do to a child. I know it from personal experience. I know how it saps any shred of self-respect away and leaves the victim searching for something for decades for something to fill the void it leaves. I know how a boy can grow up to be an alcoholic and not live up to his potential. That is why, despite the feelings I have and which I assume others on this board share, I do not act on my feelings. So, lets climb off this particular high horse and remember that smugly self-righteous indignation is not the same as literary criticism and lets realize that most of us here share a common interest.

3. I would never recommend a story, nor do I choose to read stories, about abusive relationships. I do not read stories just for their sexual content. Yes, I discovered Nifty, just as everyone else did, back in the 90's looking for sexual stories. I don't criticize that and I think a strong sex drive is nice. But, I don't care for stories about cruelty and seductions and abuse and the stories I recommended are far from that. In fact, both are about men who are conflicted about their desires and both protagonists agonize over their actions. They are the kind of men I would think most AD members are, good and caring men who would never harm a child.

4. To lump A/Y stories together with incest, urination, and bestiality is, once again, being just a little self-righteous.

I don't want to cause trouble and I am so very grateful, truly, for all the kind things that were said about me over the last few days. I don't feel I deserve such praise because there are so many gifted writers here and Mike has done a wonderful gathering them here. But, this issue really got to me and I felt so horrible Saturday that I felt I had to say something. I'm not a drooling pedophile who reads or writes filth about raping kids. I am, like many here, a man who has an attraction to younger gays, but who would never act on those feelings and who likes to read and write positive and affirming stories about them and who recommends such stories when I find them.If such stories are not to your taste, then fine. That's perfectly all right. But the "I'm not one of THEM, but I masturbate over boys" attitude is a bit hypocritical.

[Window to the World by Indiana Jon]

Cole did not recommend the story and had nothing to do with my recommendation. His thinking is much more in line with everyone else's. Please do not think poorly of him. He had nothing to do with this.

[The Angel of Pie Jesu by John Teller]

Again, I apologize.

[Window to the World by Indiana Jon]

Forgive me. I'm sorry. I have misunderstood things. Please forgive me.

[And he Scores!]

Hi! Thank you!

[And he Scores!]

The Doors have ruled since I discovered them at the age of ten. I saw them on Ed Sullivan, the famous episode when they performed "Light My Fire" and Jim Morrison sings"Higher" when Ed specifically told him not to. Ah, the innocence of television in the sixties. I think my father began to suspect his son was different from other boys when he caught a ten year-old FreeThinker gazing rapturously at the cover of their first album, although I'm sure there may have been signs earlier....

[Flash Mobs]

I love your uncle's comment, Paul, and I'm going to shamelessly steal it and use it! I steal only from the best.

[First Visit to a New World]

This is a delightful story! I love the Amish boy coming out into the world and amazed at all he's seeing! One of the things I love about boys is how everything is new and they're learning and pushing the envelope and experiencing new things and this is what we see with Abner. Delightful. I have trouble believing this is a first effort. Get to work and write some more!

[Leaves & Lunatics by EleCivil]

I first read Leaves and Lunatics several years ago and I'm about to read it again. It's a terrific story. I like EleCivil's work!

[Window to the World by Indiana Jon]

Another story I have been following on Nifty and which is one of the best I've read recently Window to the World, by Indiana Jon. This is his first story, but you would never know it by the professionalism and the quality of the writing. It is the story of a former school teacher who has chosen to leave the profession under difficult circumstances and become a truck driver. Wait a minute. Don't jump to conclusions. It is a very moving and poignant story and I strongly recommend it. Jon is a good writer and a good person, as I have learned from our correspondence, and he could use some encouragement. His story is really quite good! It can be found in the A/Y section on Nifty and comes out every two weeks. The last installment was posted June 14.

[The Angel of Pie Jesu by John Teller]

I have been reading a marvelous story in the A/Y section of Nifty called The Angel of Pie Jesu, by John the Storyteller (or John Teller). It is the story of a British businessman who falls in love with a member of a German boys choir (and who hasn't?). I had the good fortune to read his first installments last February on the very same night I saw the Vienna Boys Choir perform in my hometown and I heard a young soloist almost break my heart singing Pie Jesu. When I read the beginning of the story, it was even more powerful because I was still on an emotional high from having experienced almost what the protagonist in this story experiences. I think this story could be a nominee for the Best of Nifty!

John is also the author of The Magic Cap, a very moving story set in the North of England during the Fifties. It is partly autobiographical, which makes the story all the more poignant. Both can be found in the Prolific Authors Section of Nifty under John Teller.

[Doing Something - by Cole Parker]

I have been reading Cole's stories since the beginning and I see a difference in this one from his other work. It is more mature and is the first to seriously deal with such a difficult issue. Without a spoiler, let me say that its also the first with serious drama. He has written others with drama and difficult issues, but this story shows a greater ability to present it in a compelling and believable way. I have repeatedly told him that he needs to write for money and try to get some of his work published and Doing Something is definitely something I think could and should be published. But, then, just about everything his writes could and should be published!

[What gives?]

I'm a republican(Small "r" please, not one of THOSE), and I don't believe in hereditary heads of state. Of course, not. One of ancestors was a colonel in the Revolutionary army in the 1770's. HOWEVER, I can the see the attraction. In America, our politics have become SO very polarized that an elected Head of State no longer receives the respect from half the country that he or she is due. So, I can the attraction of having a national grandmother. That said, I'm an Anglophile and I love ANYTHING English. I also like Scots, Welsh, and Irish things, but I love England. I love English mysteries, English TV shows, and Earl Grey tea. I can even eat spotted dick. Um. Ahem.. Well, anyway... so I was glued to the TV here in America watching the concert and it was absolutely stunning. The aerial shots of the sunset behind Buckingham Palace and of the absolutely HUGE crowd were unbelievable. I've seen both Elton John and Paul McCartney live in concert here, but it was a thrill to see them at the Queen's concert. I also enjoyed the shot on the evening news of the Queen slipping in ear plugs!!!! And, I can now die happy having seen the Archbishop of Canterbury bopping next to Princess Anne to Madness. Speaking of Madness, the light show projecting their video onto the palace was amazing. You Brits know how to throw a party. (Unfortunately, Paul McCartney sang the one line in all of pop music that absolutely drives me to distraction... in Live and Let Die: "in this world in which we live in..." ARGGGGGH!)

[Republican Assembly Members Walk Out During Gay Ceremony]

It was not too long ago (1996), that a Republikan konvention in Oklahoma voted to declare sodomy (their term, not mine) a capital offence. In other words, in case this isn't clear enough, Republikans in Oklahoma want to execute us.

I once had sympathy for Log Cabin Republicans, but no more. I now consider them traitors. I hope that is not thought pf as too strong a term, but how can you be part of a political party that wants to kill you?

[Homosexuality is in the genes, study claims]

I think I was correct. I found a reference to the play being written in 1993:

'Twilight of the Golds' raises serious issues with superficiality

By DAMIEN JAQUES

Journal Sentinel theater critic

Posted: June 17, 2005

Jonathan Tolins' 1993 drama "The Twilight of the Golds" addresses that with an interesting and troubling twist.

All of which takes away from the point I think he was trying to make. Lets not get lost in minutiae when a bigger point is being made.

[Homosexuality is in the genes, study claims]

I saw the play in the spring of 1993 at the Paramount Theater in Austin Texas. There was a movie made of the play in the mid nineties.

[I'm confused...]

Actually, I chose the avatar because it is one offered by the AwesumeDude site. There were a number which I found quite appealing, but there is something about thoughtful looking boys that I find quite attractive.