"I had never worn a thong before. So the first time I tried it, I put it on wrong and my junk didn't fit in it. I had to call a wardrobe person in and go, 'Something's wrong with my thong, you guys. I think we're going to have to figure this out.' And they go, 'Yeah, your legs are in the wrong holes!'"—Matt Bomer discusses shooting his stripping scenes for Magic Mike. Do you really need to include instructions with a thong? Maybe he thought the point was to cover up his hole.
Equality. We say we want it. But do we? Really? Because if we want real equality, we must take all of it. We can't pick when we want to be treated like everyone else and when we don't—it's an all-or-nothing proposition. When I came out in the late '80s, being gay wasn't quite the taboo it had been. There were lots of gay bars where we could socialize, many gay newspapers to keep us informed and a handful of gay bookstores. Now, 20 years later, most of those clubs have closed, newspapers are in danger of extinction and we can buy anything we want on Amazon.com . While some of these changes are a sign of the times, we are in danger of losing our community. What's replaced these gay businesses is integration into the general population. So, yay, let's hear it for equality.
This also affects gossip. Recently, many people ran photos of Taylor Lautner having dinner with Dustin Lance Black and Gus Van Sant. Many of us questioned if these two powerful gay men had designs on the fetching Taylor—one of the most visible places this rumor was printed was in GQ. This prompted Mr. Black to write (in part), "Really Mr. GQ writer? I'm curious, will you be asking all of the handsome actors I've ever had the privilege of working with or meeting if I made passes at them as well? I'd love to be there when you ask Sean Penn that same question. Or, Mr. GQ writer, were you projecting your own unprofessional desires onto me and Gus? Perhaps? Or worse still, are you a homophobe?" He ends his letter by saying, "Leaning on lies, myths and stereotypes about gay people is hateful, harmful and outdated. It's not the 1950s anymore GQ, it's 2011 and it's time to grow up."
First, let's not start brandishing the word "homophobe," Lance. My God, girl, get a grip. Second, I most certainly would ask Sean Penn or anyone else those questions. Has Lance ever picked up a tabloid or watched any of the hours of television devoted to such speculation? George Clooney is seen out with a younger woman—we ask, "Is something going on there?" That's life in today's world. I don't wish to cast aspersions on Mr. Black, who I respect artistically, but suffice it to say he's not maintained his personal life above reproach. True equality comes in all shapes and sizes. You're right, Lance—it's not the 1950s. It is 2011. And when a mainstream publication like "GQ" (albeit the Aussie edition) starts gossiping about gay movers and shakers possibly sleeping with hot young men the way they have about straight men and starlets for eons, then there's some real equality. Period.
This was all going on at the same time that actor Zachary Quinto came out. Although there was much fanfare after the announcement, Zach made it rather quietly and matter-of-factly. Back when he was appearing in the off-Broadway production of Angels in America, the New York Times asked if he'd comment on the speculation about his sexuality. (Maybe Black has a problem with that question, too.) Zach said he'd "prefer not to feed the rumor mill with either substantiation or dismissal." This year, he told New York Magazine that being in the play opened his eyes: "At the same time, as a gay man, it made me feel like there's still so much work to be done."
But what really prompted his coming out was the rash of gay teens committing suicide: "And again, as a gay man I look at that and say there's a hopelessness that surrounds it, but as a human being I look at it and say 'Why? Where's this disparity coming from, and why can't we as a culture and society dig deeper to examine that?' We're terrified of facing ourselves." And yet in saying so, Zachary faced himself quite bravely. Bravo.
It probably won't help promote my enlightenment to discuss the movement in Florida to legalize dwarf-tossing, right? Probably not. So I'll sit on that (as it were) and move onto something far more uplifting, like news that the recent benefit performance of the Broadway hit How to Succeed in Business raised more than $15K for the Trevor Project. Thanks to another straight ally, Daniel Radcliffe, who stars in the show and spearheaded the benefit.
Our "Ask Billy" query comes from Tom in Florida: "Have you ever written anything about Charlie Hunnam? He was a hot young guy on the original Queer As Folk, and is an even hotter adult on Sons of Anarchy."
He is, indeed. Little Charlie has matured quite nicely. I don't know how many of my readers realize he originated the role of Nathan in the UK version of Queer As Folk, which became Justin in the U.S. version and was played by Randy Harrison. Since I assume you're interested, he is straight and was married for a few years. On Sons of Anarchy, he plays a biker who enjoys walking around naked. We'll show you how much on BillyMasters.com .
When I'm challenging gay heavy-hitters, it's time to end another column. It seems I made a bit of news last week on Sirius OutQ when I talked for the first time about my ongoing romance with a certain sexy celebrity. Although I'm usually loathe to ramble on about my personal life (aside from a quip here and there), I realized there are people interested in what makes Billy Masters tick. If you fall into that category, check out Billy's Boudoir, which is housed along with this very column on www.BillyMasters.com . I'll even post my Sirius appearance there for your listening pleasure. If you have a question, drop a note to Billy@BillyMasters.com and I promise to get back to you before DLB calls me a homophobe! Until next time, remember, one man's filth is another man's bible.
