Who's straight on "Boy Meets Boy"?

[+ Charlie]

I decided to indulge my vulgar curiosity and watch "Boy Meets Boy" last night for the first time. To my surprise, I found it rather affecting, because all of the characters (except the British bitch) were rather sweet, and there seemed to be an amazing lack of sexual tension in a group of attractive young gay males. In fact, it seemed more innocent than the straight reality dating shows. What baffled me, however, was my inability to pick out who was straight, although I felt fairly certain about who was gay. Any guesses about who is straight among the remaining candidates?

[Will]

RE: Who's straight on

 

Ah, another convert, like me. You put your finger right on the problem of telling the straight guys from the gay guys. Why? Because in that age cohort in the U.S., gay and straight men look and act very much alike. It's even more obvious in the generation now in college. The reason for that is that many, maybe most, kids just don't think sexual orientation is a shameful thing any more. Thus, gay kids grow up behaving the way they want to behave. And -- surprise, surprise -- some of them dearly love to swish and sashay! On the whole, though, I find that it's easier to distinguish the young lesbians than the young gays. There's still something very political about looking/acting like a Lesbian (notice the upper-case L). Women are still women, regardless of their sexual orientation, and they have to deal with sexism as well as homophobia.

 

Also, don't forget that we see very, very little of the individual men on that program. Actually, I guessed that Michael was straight right from the beginning. But the kid from Michigan, who is very very young anyway, could have been straight or gay. I think that's one of the points. Every gay man who wants to date another man has to go through that process: "Is he, or isn't he?" It's one of the most realistic aspects of the show. But you're right: most of those guys are really sweet.

[skins1]

RE: Who's straight on

 

I think Dan is str8. the small muscular I'm the greatest guy. i think his name is Dan. I knew right away Paul was str8. he was sooo uncomfortable to be there. Franklin I'm on the fence about. James seems to like him though.

[woodlawn]

RE: Who's straight on

 

>Ah, another convert, like me.

 

That was a mighty fast conversion. Just last week you were telling everyone how awful this program was. Is there any difference between you and a weathervane?

 

>The reason for that is that

>many, maybe most, kids just don't think sexual orientation is

>a shameful thing any more.

 

I don't know where you get your information about what kids are thinking, but maybe you should have a word with the people who just opened the Harvey Milk School in New York. I'm sure they'll be glad to learn there's no longer any need for a separate school for gay and lesbian kids.

[bigguyinpasadena]

RE: Who's straight on

 

Will-It is something I have heard called the Abecrombie&Fitch syndrome.I just call it gay men getting BLANDER AND BLANDER-selling out to retailers happy to mold us into their demographics rather than our demanding our own style.

Soon we will fade into the wallpaper-not a sign of FABULOUSNESS anywhere to be seen.What a sad,sad day that will be.

I think the cute blond twink with the wavy hair is straight.Also the tall all american-think his name is Craig.

[Will]

RE: Who's straight on

 

You may have noticed that I generally ignore your ad hominem potshots if for no better reason than the fact that replies seem to encourage you to keep firing. In this case, however, I can only say that I spoke sincerely when I called myself a "convert." You may remember that I wrote about the discussion that Rick and Devon were having on the subject of these gay-themed shows -- "maudlin" was your description of my comments, if I remember correctly -- and I had also written that Devon's take on BOY MEETS BOY opened my eyes to its charms. I don't think it's the greatest thing going, but last night's episode certainly made me want to watch the third one.

 

As for the business of the weathervane, all I can say is that I can change my view of something if persuaded. Some people might call that prevarication, inconsistency, or even opportunism. I call it open-mindededness.

[Guest ncm2169]

RE: Who's straight on

 

< the Abecrombie&Fitch syndrome >

 

Yep. You betcha. Spend a few hours in an A & F store -- a veritable surfeit of eye candy. :9 :9 :9 College guy heaven, str8, bi or gay. }(

[Guest alanm]

RE: Who's straight on

 

I like the show. Dan is cute and the guy everyone loves to hate, including James. Clearly, the producers have some say in who goes and who stays, because James and Dan have zero chemistry. If Dan is really

straight then he fooling me and is a good actor.

 

Franklin is way cute, but was very vague in his answers to James last

night (James: Have you ever been in love?" Franklin: "Yes and no. I had a friend in high school.") James seems to want a real relationship with an experience guy, which seems to disqualify Franklin.

 

I am sick of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" already. "Boy Mets Boy"

has a lot more room for surprises and new ideas. "Queer Eye"'s format is too rigid.

[+ Charlie]

RE: Who's straight on

 

I also suspect that Dan might be straight, since he can't seem to keep his story that way. And Franklin is another that I wondered about (sweet, sensitive straight boys can be SO attractive).

[+ Hoover42]

RE: Who's straight on

 

I've only been able to detect one (Brian) of three straight guys who have been eliminated by the end of the third episode.

 

I was a surprised (and a little disappointed) to discover last night that Jim and Paul were straight; I thought Paul was one of the cutest guys there.

 

I didn't know young straight guys could be so sweet, especially when around gay men (my apologies to any sweet, young, straight guys reading this).

 

...Hoover

[Guest Kevin 2]

RE: Who's straight on

 

Dan and Michael

[woodlawn]

RE: Who's straight on

 

>You may have noticed that I generally ignore your ad hominem

>potshots if for no better reason than the fact that replies

>seem to encourage you to keep firing.

 

But you, of course, never resort to "ad hominem potshots" yourself. As in the thread on stj's apology? Of course not. Perish the thought.

 

>In this case, however,

>I can only say that I spoke sincerely when I called myself a

>"convert." You may remember that I wrote about the discussion

>that Rick and Devon were having on the subject of these

>gay-themed shows -- "maudlin" was your description of my

>comments, if I remember correctly

 

 

You do not remember correctly. That is a word I seldom use.

 

-- and I had also written

>that Devon's take on BOY MEETS BOY opened my eyes to its

>charms. I don't think it's the greatest thing going, but last

>night's episode certainly made me want to watch the third

>one.

 

If you want to watch, watch. I think reasonable people can disagree about whether the show is worth watching. Not many such people will begin with the type of stern denunciation of the show that you gave us and then take almost exactly the opposite position a few days later, however.

 

I have made a big effort to watch the show because I am very curious to see how a group of gay men behave in such a situation. But the show is so silly that it does take a big effort to keep my mind from wandering. The star seems a good-natured fellow but not, as they say, the sharpest tool in the shed. "If you were stuck on a desert island what's the one thing you would want to have?" Do you think he is dumb enough to come up with that question himself or just dumb enough to let the producers talk him into using it?

 

I do think the producers were clever to get some straight guys to try passing as gay. I am not exactly an aficionado of reality shows, but I do not know of any other such show where something like that was attempted. Very interesting.

 

>As for the business of the weathervane, all I can say is that

>I can change my view of something if persuaded.

 

Especially if the person doing the persuading is someone you'd like to bonk? Yes, being open-minded is an admirable trait, most admirable.

[Samai139]

RE: Who's straight on

 

Nothing to do with "Boy Meets Boy" but about Abercrombie and Fitch:

Do the stores in your part of the US, hire hunky young A&E types to stand in the doorway with their shirts unbuttoned to lure customers---not sure who they are targetting--into the place? The last two times I was in the malls in my area, I was treated to this A$E "eye candy" and was appreciative.

[phage]

RE: Who's straight on

 

A couple of my friends and I were discussing this and came to the rather obvious conclusion that our gaydar is thrown off because it has been tuned to detect gay men pretending to be straight and not the other way around. I say obvious, and maybe we’re just slow, but it actually took us a little while to go…”Duh, it’s really about signs and small tells. Why would you be attuned to looking for undercover straight guys?”

 

So far, I’ve gotten two out of three. I really wasn’t sure about little Jim. Sure, I’ve never seen a ‘mo where overalls with a shirt on underneath, but I thought maybe he was just being modest for TV.

 

I think Matt is probably a straight boy. I can’t make up my mind about Franklin, but I think it is clouded by wishful thinking. Definitely my favorite on the show.

[+ Hoover42]

RE: Who's straight on

 

Oh yes...regarding the remaining cast, I think: Darren, Franklin (swoon), Sean, and Wes, are straight.

 

...Hoover

[+ Hoover42]

RE: Who's straight on

 

>Do the stores in your part of the US, hire hunky young A&E types to

>stand in the doorway with their shirts unbuttoned to lure customers?

 

The A&F store in Bethesda, MD does. In fact, they had a shirtless "santa" in boxer shorts standing in front of the store over the Christmas holidays.

 

...Hoover

[woodlawn]

RE: Who's straight on

 

>Soon we will fade into the wallpaper-not a sign of

>FABULOUSNESS anywhere to be seen.What a sad,sad day that will

>be.

 

Yes, it sure will be. What would the world be like without men who love to wear dresses and lip-sync the songs of the 1970s? It hardly bears thinking about. And what a pity none of the men on the BMB show is the sort of flaming queen who runs around yelling "FABULOUS" at the top of his voice every chance he gets. Because that sort of person is so much more representative of gay men in America than the ordinary type that is hard to distinguish from straights.

[Guest alanm]

RE: Who's straight on

 

There is gossip all over the internet about the show, most consistent

favorites are James, Dan and Franklin in that order. I will let you

search out the gossip because some of it concerns James' final pick.

 

But people might enjoy the hated Dan's website:

 

http://www.danwells.com

[bigguyinpasadena]

RE: Who's straight on

 

"she is a fabulous person"

The shrub jr.

Is he representitive of flaming queens?Would you just pull the stick out of your ass and put it back in your eyewhere it belongs woodie

Jeesch what a scmuck

OOOOPPPS now I will be treated to a barage of >>>>>quotes<<<<

I just know you are not fabulous,not even in trollville.

[Will]

RE: Who's straight on

 

>But you, of course, never resort to "ad hominem potshots"

>yourself. As in the thread on stj's apology? Of course not.

>Perish the thought.

 

By "ad hominem potshots" I mean a direct criticism leveled not at an idea for its merits but at a person for his expressing the idea. I've just looked over the stj thread and I don't see where I criticized someone by name because of what I perceived to be some character or personality flaw. So, no, as a rule I don't "resort" to ad hominem potshots, even when dealing with a homo I'd like to shoot. I'd be the first to admit, however, that I do loose my patience every now and then. But I don't make a habit of directing responses on this board directly to other posters with the apparent intention of catching them in a mistake of logic, in an inconsistency, or of accusing them of some kind of hypocrisy.

 

I think reasonable people can

>disagree about whether the show is worth watching. Not many

>such people will begin with the type of stern denunciation of

>the show that you gave us and then take almost exactly the

>opposite position a few days later, however.

 

I agree with you on both counts. It's a foolish cast of mind to make a quick decision about something and then to reconsider only after I have begun to act on that decision. I do it all too often.

 

>The star seems a

>good-natured fellow but not, as they say, the sharpest tool in

>the shed.

 

Ah, yes. He is so good-looking and so sweet and so obviously sincere that it would be easy to develop a kind of fantasy crush on him. But then he opens his mouth and that's the end of the fantasy. I was thinking about that very aspect -- the sharpness of the tools in that shed -- the other night while watching it. Once again, I realized that the eye overdetermines my initial responses to men. All of the men on that show, with the possible exception of Franklin (the only one of the 15 who would take classical music onto a desert island), are dumb and/or boring. That's one reason I like escorts. You get to see what you get; but if you don't like it so much after you've gotten it, no big deal. If you do like it, well, you can always go back for more.

 

For the record, I'll also say here that two of the smartest people I've met in the past three years are escorts. I said "smartest," not "best-educated." For me, there's a big difference. Most of my friends have Ph.D.s or other advanced professional degrees. My most intimate friend had to stop his formal education when he graduated from high school; even so, he's one of the brightest people I know.

 

>Especially if the person doing the persuading is someone you'd

>like to bonk? Yes, being open-minded is an admirable trait,

>most admirable.

 

Well, in this case, we are talking about Rick, Devon, and you. Of the three, I've bonked only one. I really don't know whether I'd want to bonk the other two or not. I do find both men to be very, very bright, very articulate, and very persuasive. As for the rest, I can only say that I'm open-minded.

[woodlawn]

RE: Who's straight on

 

>I'd be the first to

>admit, however, that I do loose my patience every now and

>then. But I don't make a habit of directing responses on this

>board directly to other posters with the apparent intention of

>catching them in a mistake of logic, in an inconsistency, or

>of accusing them of some kind of hypocrisy.

 

 

You don't know what you're missing.

 

>Once again, I realized that the eye

>overdetermines my initial responses to men. All of the men on

>that show, with the possible exception of Franklin (the only

>one of the 15 who would take classical music onto a desert

>island), are dumb and/or boring.

 

I'd call that a snap judgment. The fact that someone likes a band called "Massive Attack" doesn't make him dumb and the fact that someone else likes classical music and knows a lot about wine doesn't make him smart. I find it hard even to keep track of the names of the guys on the show, and I don't kid myself that I know anything about them as people from the few minutes each has appeared on screen. I grant you that choosing as a gift for someone a chess set composed of shot glasses is not a very good sign, but I need a lot more information about a person before labeling him dumb and boring.

 

 

>For the record, I'll also say here that two of the smartest

>people I've met in the past three years are escorts.

 

I can't say the same. The people I think are smart are those who have jobs that pay a lot more money and involve a lot less risk.

 

>>Especially if the person doing the persuading is someone

>you'd

>>like to bonk? Yes, being open-minded is an admirable trait,

>>most admirable.

>

>Well, in this case, we are talking about Rick, Devon, and you.

 

Not me. I'm not trying to persuade you of anything. I haven't said BMB is or isn't worth watching, merely that I watch it because it has one feature that's of particular interest to me. I readily concede that others could find it stupid or offensive. What impression it gives the country about gay men in general and whether it should or should't be shown for that reason is another issue.

[woodlawn]

RE: Who's straight on

 

>Is he representitive of flaming queens?

 

You'll have to ask Laura.

 

Would you just pull

>the stick out of your ass and put it back in your eyewhere it

>belongs woodie

>Jeesch what a scmuck

 

This is what I love about this board -- the brilliant, witty repartee one invariably finds here.

[Guest justme]

RE: Who's straight on

 

They said on the first show there were 3 straight men in the group. One left the first week. This week 2 straight men left. So everybody who's left is gay. :9

[bigguyinpasadena]

RE: Who's straight on

 

HAAAA!!!Woodie,why you are just one big ball of.....wit.

Oscar Levant and Noel cowerd are saving you a place at the table-hurry and join them OK-There's your repartee you schmuck.

[DaninWA]

RE: Who's straight on

 

No, they don't, damn it.

 

Dan