Dear BTL,
In their respective editorials on the "Brokeback Mountain" movie, John Corvino ("The 'Brokeback Buzz," Dec. 21) and Charles Alexander (Jan. 12's "Seven Golden Gropes!") seem a little flummoxed by its success. As Corvino put it, "I've grown tired of people talking about 'Brokeback' as if it's the first film ever to broach the subject of men loving men, or if such love is a recent discovery." And then both go on to cite past movies they ostensibly believe better dealt with the subject of love between two men, notably stories featuring drag queens.
What Mr. Corvino and Mr. Alexander may not realize is that not everyone sees their point of view. The reality is, "Brokeback Mountain" is the first film about male love that I could relate to. There are some of us where the lifestyles of the characters portrayed DO make a difference. I cannot relate at all to drag queens or men who yearn, in any shape or form, to be the opposite sex. I'm just an intellectual, masculine caveman slob (yes, all of the above, gentlemen) from the Midwest who happens to like guys. I don't give a hoot if it's not PC to vehemently say that I absolutely despise pre-fabricated stereotyping concocted by professional gays who insist on pegging us all after their own limited notions. Promoting acceptance is one thing; promoting a sheep-herd mentality is another. "Brokeback Mountain" is a universal story of love understood by all (hence the excessive "buzz"), and leaves it blissfully at that. No message shoving, no preaching, no pandering.
Niel Rishoi,
Ann Arbor
Brokeback' not a drag
Read More
Idaho Legislators Continue to Flex Their Muscles, Use Those Muscles Against Trans Youth
The national political and legal landscape for transgender youth in Idaho is… not great!While it should be absolutely appalling that elected leaders in [...]
Tim Walberg: Michigan’s Worst Congressman?
Congressman Tim Walberg, a man with the name and look of a substitute teacher, is an unlikely candidate to grab headlines. Yet after his latest blowup over [...]
Trump Is Old And Tired, But That’s Not What Makes Him Objectively Terrible
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but old people get tired. Which is why disgraced former president Donald Trump fell asleep during day one of his [...]
25 and Out!
I am 52 years old and incredibly corny. As I write this, my final column, I keep hearing television variety show sign-off songs in my head, whether it’s [...]
Re-Remembering Brent Dorian Carpenter: A Writer Who Pushed Boundaries With His Fearless Essays
Over the past two decades, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing my name among the bylines in this paper of some pretty talented writers. I was blessed to win [...]
Lies, Lies — and the Conservatives Who Tell Them in Order to Assert Their Dominance
I know that this is going to come as a shock to everyone, but I have to say it: The folks who want to ban transgender people from public bathrooms and overturn [...]
