Magazine Editorial-An Escort's Perspective on Brokeback-Mountain Fallout

[Rod Hagen]

Good Morning. Thought you all might find this (another!) Brokeback commentary interesing:

 

http://news.ncmonline.com/news/view_article.html?article_id=66b6e58760e0590cb7a6dba39c139f0d

 

 

 

AFTER "BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN," THE DELUGE: A GAY ESCORT PREDICTS A RISE IN CLIENTELE

 

 

 

EDITOR'S NOTE: The film "Brokeback Mountain" is released nationwide and in England this week, and PNS contributor R. Hagen (not his real name), a male escort and writer in West Hollywood, predicts it will unleash a deluge of repressed feelings among closeted men. Hagen has a degree in engineering.

 

 

 

BY R. HAGEN, PACIFIC NEWS SERVICE

 

 

 

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--I am a gift. A prize. After years of difficult repression, men with a secret seek me out as a reward for their good behavior. I make a living having sex with these closeted married men. I'm an "escort," to use the euphemism, which gives me a unique perspective on a potential, and particular, cultural fallout as this week "Brokeback Mountain" widens out not just to Britain but to every remaining crumb in America's breadbasket.

 

 

 

<<<<< Click the Link Above to Read the Rest of the article>>>>>

 

 

 

 

http://www.RodHagen.com

310.360.9890

Fun, Fit, Friendly Fucker in West Hollywood.

-Rod Hagen

[spiro3]

Nice article, Rod. I'm just glad I didn't wait for Brokeback to come out before I came out myself!

 

"Brokeback" seems to be on track to becoming a cultural tsunami.

 

Just this AM, I read two political commentaries in an AZ newspaper about it, and there are two articles on the movie in USA today commenting on how the flick is developing into a heterosexual "date" movie with even straight guys deeply moved by the "love" story.

 

Finally, we have a serious movie that dares to speak its name, and loudly. And despite the American Family (Hate) Assn.'s claim that the film had a high "ick" factor and people would leave the theaters vomiting, quite the opposite is happening. Fuck you, AFA!

 

It's gonna be an interesting couple of months through the Oscars seeing how America (and the world at large)adapts to this positive portrayal of gay homosexual love. I have to believe it can only be a big plus for us in the long run.

[Guest ncm2169]

VERY VERY well done. }( }(

 

Love the geographical references. ;-)

[OneFinger]

Rod,

 

What an amazing article! I can tell you put a lot of time and thought into the editorial and it is one of the most moving perspectives I’ve read.

 

My first reaction to BBM was pretty non-typical. I loved the scenery, found the story interesting, but didn’t think it emotionally “moved” me. For me, BBM was kind of an initial disappointment.

 

However, in the 24-hour period after seeing the movie, I couldn’t get it out of my mind. There was something about it that kept gnawing away at me.

 

I’ve come to believe that there were many reasons for my initial reaction. A couple significant ones are:

 

1. Rather than “stuff” my gay feelings when I got engaged and almost married, I came out of the closet and called off the wedding. So I didn’t “think” I had a lot in common with Jack or Ennis. I’ve never had a wife or kids to try and integrate or resolve with my gayness.

 

2. I went to the movie with a 2006 perspective and I forgot how things were back in the ‘60s. I’d compare BBM to a movie such as “Mississippi Burning”. It’s hard to believe that kind of repression and discrimination took place or was commonly accepted. Neither BBM or MB is something we want to remember and it’s not comfortable seeing it on the big screen.

 

I saw the movie with two friends who didn’t come out of the closet until after they were married and the kids grown. For them, BBM was a powerful movie.

 

Until reading your article I didn’t consider the effect this movie could have on closeted gays, married men, or escort clients. But I think you’ve really identified an important by-product of this movie.

 

After turning back my mental clock to the ‘60s, I remember what it was like not being able to be open. I recall how important it was to keep your feelings secret and maintain appropriate appearances.

 

I actually remember in the 70s as a gay man having to dance with lesbians in a gay bar because the law prohibited same-sex dancing. I vividly remember being part of a police raid where everyone was ordered to place their hands on the wall, spread the legs, and be subjected to a groping search for simply being in a gay bar.

 

I recall the fear and anger I felt when a pickup truck of high school jocks with baseball bats decided to have a little fun with gays in a park. I also remember the feeling of satisfaction when we stood up to the punks and went toe-to-toe with them until they turned tail and ran away. (We’ve come a long way!)

 

I also started reflecting on what my life would be like if I had made choices similar to Ennis. Would I feel “stuck” or “trapped” by my lifestyle? Would it affect my work, motivation, and ability to lead a full life? Could I have ended up with my gay memories being mementoes and remembrances that I keep in the closet?

 

Rod, I think your assessment is right on the mark. BBM has the potential for changing the lives of people who have not yet integrated their desired lifestyle with their married reality.

 

I plan to see this movie again. The more I reflect on it, the more I realize the delayed reaction it had on me. I don’t believe this movie can be fully digested or appreciated at a single viewing. It’s something that grows on you and evolves into a very powerful awareness and awakening.

 

-------------

"We need to have more respect for each other. Things have just gone really crazy, out of control. ... We're on a very weird kind of cycle." Stevie Wonder

[Trixie]

You are a gifted writer, Rod Hagen, no doubt about it. Your article was a pleasure to read, and I read it three times, simply to make sure I'd understood it correctly. And while I must congratulate you in that the words flow eloquently, the idea behind them leave alot to be desired.

 

You find a reverie in the notion that the repressed protagonists in BBM will instigate a cascade of truth-starved closet-cases flooding to your doorstep. But, you are not the truth that sets them free, in fact, you are not even a step in the right direction. You are just another fantasy in their avoidance-culture. You can make them feel like they're on top of the world for an hour, or a day, or a week... whatever they can afford. Then they go back to... whatever it is they go back to. In your case, it's likely a dysfunctional family in very comfortable home in Pasadena rather than a one-bedroom apartment over a laundromat.

 

Of course, you never really suggest in the article that you are an answer these men's problems, you only claim to be a "salve". Which I interpret as the weakest sort of band-aid possible.

Do you really feel that you have anything to offer the men you think will be flocking to you as a result of this film? Do you believe that an hour of your time will really help heal the tragedies of their lives?

 

In Brokeback Mountain, Jack went to a prostitute for release in Ciudad Juarez, but it obviously didn't provide the "salve" he needed. What he wanted was Love. What he needed was Love, and what the many, many men who lead dual lives need is Love, Love strong enough to tempt them to come out from the shadows. A hour or so of "good times" is not going to change anyone's life.

 

Hmmm... maybe that's what you're getting at in your article. Maybe you're saying "Don't come to me, for I am nothing but an illusion."

 

Who knows. In any case, I think it was a very well-written aricle. It certainly will shut the mouth of GLAAD just as they wanted to take on Gene Shalit's review of BBM as portraying gays as sexual predators.

 

PS, Felicitations on your degree in engineering! I'm sure, in your occupation, that it comes in handy.

 

La Trix

 

 

PPS... I know there's another side to your article, suggesting liberation through sexual exploration... a valid point. But you continued to illustrate your potential future clients as those trying to recapture lost loves of the past. Key word being Love, not pecadillo.

[+ deej]

>ordered to place their hands on the wall, spread the legs, and

>be subjected to a groping

 

So you went to HustlaBall and met Chi Chi too? :7

 

(Sorry. I do understand what you were talking about. But boy did you leave this one hanging in mid-air!)

[RockHard]

Rod's article

 

I responded earlier but, for some reason, it didn't fully take.

 

Finally got to reading the article, Rod. Absolutely fabulous! It's so nice to see an escort exercise a more potent organ; and it seems to be a big one, too. Maybe Jake will critique. :-) (I do love being bad.)

[Guest Jocoluver]

Ron, I have responded positively and apologetically to your post at Open Topic Forum at Ace's MuscleService.com.

 

I once long ago gave you "crap"

 

I was WRONG!

 

Keep doing what you're doing. It's priceless.

 

(My name at MuscleService is "luvmuscl")

[Bilbo]

It is largely a matter of intention. If one goes to an escort to do what one has always done, or if one goes to merely "scratch an itch", then, yes, I wouldn't expect any long term results. Such was obviously the case with Jack Twist in Mexico. He didn't want anything to change. He just wanted momentary satisfaction to help him get through everything. Which is what he presumably got.

However, if you go into the situation with an intention of working on and helping to heal a part of your mental wounds, and if you are with an escort/bodyworker/Sacred Intimate who is giving you full attention and his intention is to help in that healing process, then it is quite possible that you can find a bit of long term healing.

Love is the answer, I agree with you. However, some people are just not ready for an LTR, perhaps because of emotional baggage which an attentive worker may be able to help you shed, to help you get yourself ready for Love.

[+ Lucky]

RE: Escort's Perspective on Brokeback-Mountain Fallout

 

Rod's article is on SFGate today, the website for the SF Chronicle. So good for you , Rod.

[Rod Hagen]

RE: Escort's Perspective on Brokeback-Mountain Fallout

 

All of you have had interesting things to say that I really appreciate. yes it WAS published in the Sunday San Francisco Chronicle. My Gosh!

 

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/01/15/ING2AGLRMJ1.DTL

[CT Dick]

I,too, enjoyed the article. And, a movie had a profound affect on my coming out.

 

It was "Boys in the Band," the story of a gay birthday party in the 60's. I was ready to join the gay world until I saw the pathetic, nasty characters in that movie and it slammed me back into my closed for a few more years. x(

 

Dick

[Guest Dan]

RE: Escort's Perspective on Brokeback-Mountain Fallout

 

>All of you have had interesting things to say that I really

>appreciate. yes it WAS published in the Sunday San Francisco

>Chronicle. My Gosh!

>

>http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/01/15/ING2AGLRMJ1.DTL

>

>

2FA (TOO FUCKING AWESOME!)

 

Congrats!

 

 

Dan Dare

http://www.geocities.com/dandare_laca/DanDare4Hire.html

[Rod Hagen]

Can someone please forward this article on to DevonSF, or email me his current email address? I want his take on it, and, of course, to find out how he's doing.

 

Thank you!

 

RH

 

>I,too, enjoyed the article. And, a movie had a profound

>affect on my coming out.

>

>It was "Boys in the Band," the story of a gay birthday party

>in the 60's. I was ready to join the gay world until I saw

>the pathetic, nasty characters in that movie and it slammed me

>back into my closed for a few more years. x(

>

>Dick

 

Glad you enjoyed it Dick et al., and thank you Dan et al!!

 

http://www.RodHagen.com

310.360.9890

Fun, Fit, Friendly Fucker in West Hollywood.

-Rod Hagen