Boy meets Boy - Infiltration!

[ready182]

On the last show when James dismissed straight Franklin, James complained about James inapropriate "infiltration" of the gay scene. IMHO James just doesn't get it. Several of the contestents commented that the best thing about the show was how it demonstrated that gays & straights are really very similar. James' comment, in contrast, implies that gay's belong to a exclusive private club - no straights allowed.

 

To understand my displeasure with James' remark, reverse the straight & gay roles. Think about the gay teen who is "outed", whether intentionally or accidently -- and then is chastised for trying to fit into the straight world - being pushed away from former friends and possibly family for being gay.

The message is not about "separate worlds of sexual orientation", and inappropriate infiltration of these distinct worlds by imposters.

 

Straight people are people too. If gays cannot accept them, what chance is there for straights to ever accept gays???

 

Still ready

[phage]

>Straight people are people too. If gays cannot accept them,

>what chance is there for straights to ever accept gays???

 

I can’t be certain, but since dear James obviously isn’t the best-spoken guy around, I can’t help but think he meant ‘impersonation’ and not ‘infiltration.’ As in, “It’s difficult enough without straight guys impersonating gay guys.”

 

Either way, I don’t think it has anything to do with gays accepting straights. Not when you’re talking about love and sex and relationships. There is no reason that we should accept them pretending to be something they are not.

[raife]

I think James was just speaking from the heart. He was hurt emotionally, both by the deception, and looking at Franklin as a possible love interest when he certainly does not return the sentiment. At first, I had very low expectations for this show, but I really got hooked midway through by the depth of feeling and sincerity shining through the "reality show" glitz factor, and talking to a couple of straight friends, I think it really hit its mark of helping straights to see that we really are the same inside. I thought Wes was a foregone conclusion about 3 shows from the end, but I at one point I thought James just might go for Brian.

 

The big question (asked to me by my straight friend), how well did the gay audience's gaydar hold up??? (of course this isn't a real test, as gaydar normally doesn't have to hold up to subterfuge and intentional role-playing).

[eastbayguy]

>On the last show when James dismissed straight Franklin,

>James complained about James inapropriate "infiltration" of

>the gay scene. IMHO James just doesn't get it. Several of

>the contestents commented that the best thing about the show

>was how it demonstrated that gays & straights are really very

>similar. James' comment, in contrast, implies that gay's

>belong to a exclusive private club - no straights allowed.

 

Let's remember that it wasn't Franklin who initiated the infiltration or whatever of the gay scene. It was the producers who contrived this little situation. Heck, for a shot at $25K, I'd consider infiltrating almost anything, from the KKK to Al Qaeda. (Well, probably not Al Qaeda, but you get the idea.)

 

There are lots of positives about Boy Meets Boy, along with some negatives. Personally, I think the most interesting relationship and mental state for analysis are James & his fag hag pal Andra. What an odd relationship, and what an odd person Andra turned out to be. Such the drama queen. I'd love to meet her husband, who allows her to pal around with James while also raising >1 kids at home.

 

As an aside, I'm inclined to support queer programming. I think bad programming beats no programming. If bad programming is supported, my hope (perhaps misplaced) is that better programming will follow.

 

I hope Bravo has a follow-up show planned that shows the date, New Zealand and allows us to learn more about Andra. (Apologies in advance if I got the female's name wrong.)

 

--EBG

[Guest]

I guess that the issues James had with Franklin's (and the other straight guys') "infiltration" of the gay group involved the fact that Franklin (and the other straights) actively deceived him and played with his emotions in an attempt to steal both $25,000 and an opportunity to take a romantic vacation with someone with whom he might have a truly caring relationship. If things were upfront in the beginning that 7 of the 15 guys were straight, and that his job was to try to weed them out, I don't think there would have been as much of an issue.

I must admit I relished the opportunity to see straight guys have to change their pronouns and conceal their sexual preferences. I hope it gave at least some straight viewers the thought of what it feels like for many gay people who must conceal their sexuality every day. However, we must remember that this whole show ended up as a practical joke at James's expense.

Quite honestly, if I had been in James's position, and I had doubts as to who might be straight, I might have refused to select someone for the $25,000. It would have pissed me off too much to risk giving $25,000 to someone who got where he did by lying to me. On the other hand, I just can't understand why he didn't give a long, wet French kiss to each of the three. At the very least, it would have given Franklin's friends something to discuss the next time they got together. I can only guess that James had decided on Wes from the beginning, and that this is why Wes was the only one he Frenched. After all, the fact that James Frenched only one of his suitors adds credibility to the contention that Wes was truly special to him.