Gingrich Accuses Gays; Straight Movies Done Gay; Gay in May

Gingrich Accuses Gays

Former Speaker Gingrich commented recently on Derrick Ward's tweet, commenting that all gays practice intolerance when it comes to any anti-gay opinions/views. Anti-Gay Ward is in the NFL, and openly gay player, Michael Sam, has been making headlines lately. Michael Sam recently kissed his boyfriend on TV, it made national news, and Speaker Gingrich commented on Derrick Ward's twitter meltdown over a kiss between two men. Allegedly, Ward faced criticism over what he said, in public, on social media, for the world to see. As far as I can tell, no one twisted Ward's arm to make the gaycist twitter comments and he did it of his own free will. I guess he felt he was exempt from comment afterward because he's so special?

In any event, before I try to disabuse Speaker Gingrich of a few notions about gay people...and the way he seems to like to generalize all gay people...here's what Gingrich said.

Gingrich, in defending Ward and other said: 'You guys talk about how you want to be inclusive, except of course if somebody tweets this, then (there are) death threat or let's send them off to sensitivity training.'

He added: 'I mean it strikes me as repression, that’s not inclusive…shouldn’t you also be teaching people who are gay to be open and understanding (of anti-gay views)?'

First, I actually agree with Gingrich to a certain extent. I have militant gay friends I don't speak to anymore in my personal life because of their blatant intolerance and their hooded political activism. It's not the way I live my life, and it's not the way I wish to be represented as a gay man. And if someone like Derrick Ward decides to tweet anti-gay comments the only thing I feel for him is pity because he was stupid enough, and weak enough, to melt down in public. He should know better as a public figure. There are smarter ways to make a point.

Second, I wish former Speaker Gingrich would take the time to understand that making broad generalizations about all gay people could be a good example of why he never made it to the Presidency, and why he most likely never will be President. Gay people are not all the same, they don't always agree on all issues, and to ignore that is just another example of not being in touch with what's happening in the world today. The best leaders realize this. Many of us actually do have the kind of tolerance Speaker Gingrich seems to think we ALL lack, and by accusing us all he negates his own argument.

As for Ward. He didn't only offend gays, he offended everyone who is related to a gay person, everyone who works for a gay person, everyone who has a gay landlord, everyone who has a gay friend, etc...

You can read more here.

This is what Derrick Ward said on Twitter:

"I'm sorry but that Michael Sam is no bueno for doing that on national tv," former Super Bowl champion Derrick Ward tweeted.

 

"Man U got little kids lookin at the draft. I can't believe ESPN even allowed that to happen," he added.

 

Other players reacted the same way. There's more here.

 

Derrick Ward obviously isn't up on his recent American history, because if he were he would know that not more than fifty years ago if a mixed race couple were to have kissed on national TV the same way Michael Sam and his partner kissed that mixed race public kiss with a straight couple would have been met with the same negative, racist response, if not worse.

 

Straight Movies Done Gay

 

When I first started to parody straight romance films as gay erotic romance novels, it was met with some heavy criticism from some...many times to the point of absolute bullying and vicious hate. Here's an example of how some commented on Amazon in reviews about my novel, My Fair Laddie. I've talked about this before on the blog and I've always been open about my intentions, and I've always explained my reasons for writing these parodies with movie tie-ins. First, it's erotic parody meant to entertain readers. Hot gay sex. Plain and simple. I never expected to win a Pulitzer or a Lammie or even a Rainbow Award. Second, I also wanted to make my own statement and show that gay characters can replace straight characters in almost any standard trope that's ever been done. With My Fair Laddie, I think the Pygmalion story is probably one of the most recreated tropes in the history of story telling. I also thought it was time for readers of gay fiction to have something to read that wasn't dark, depressing, and abstract literary.

 

And finally, there's now a YA film coming out that did the same thing I've done with my movie-tie ins. They made the two main characters gay instead of straight.

 

The Fault In Our Stars is a film about a 16-year-old girl with terminal cancer who meets and falls in love with a 17-year-old male ex-basketball player and amputee.

 

Tear-jerking, for sure, but perhaps not of real interest to LGBTI fans.

 

Well male stars Ansel Elgort and Nat Wolff decided to give gay fans a reason to watch the movie.

 

You can read more here, and see the trailer. There's even a gay version that mimics the straight poster. As a gay man, I related to the gay version immediately.  

 

It's important for all gay people to check these things out, and also just as important for those who aren't gay but love gay stories (and movie tie-in books) to understand the magnitude of this. Gay people didn't have movies or books like this growing up. We had nothing but heteronormative stories and were forced to endure them and recreate our own fantasies in our own minds. And when I parody heteronormative films like An Officer and a Gentleman, with a book titled, An Officer and HIS Gentleman, I'm doing it for a reason, I don't care who doesn't like it, and I hope most of all I'm entertaining the gay people who never had these things growing up.

 

I wouldn't do a movie-tie in book or parody with a well known gay film. That would make me stupid (smile).

 

Gay in May

 

On another note, Jean Paul Zapata, my favorite travel writer, put a list of pride events and other gay related events together.

 

It’s happening. Summer is coming.

 

We know what that means: Gay Pride season takes over the northern hemisphere with parties, marches and events.

 

This month we’re reminded being out and proud is more important than ever.

 

There's more here.

 

We actually have our very own Gay Pride event right here in New Hope, PA, in May. Tony and I have been dealing with two different family health issues since Christmas and I'm not sure we'll have the time to get to anything this year. But if we do I'll take a few photos.

 

Photo above was taken in Philadelphia yesterday, in one of the more popular gay neighborhoods.

  

 

 

 Palm Beach Stud by Ryan Field

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Bad-Boy-Billionaires-Palm-Beach-ebook/dp/B00JMGDR8U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399561870&sr=8-1&keywords=palm+beach+stud+by+ryan+field



His Only Choice by Ryan Field

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Second-Chance-His-Only-Choice-ebook/dp/B00HZ47Q4C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399561915&sr=8-1&keywords=His+Only+Choice+by+ryan+field

 

 

 

The Preacher's Husband by Ryan Field

 

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Preachers-Husband-Glendora-Hill-ebook/dp/B00JEHN0D4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399561981&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Preacher%27s+Husband+by+ryan+field

 

 

Parody, Pygmalion, and Retelling Classic Storylines

Although most people know what parody is, I find that there are some who don't. So I wanted to write a short post about it, keeping it as simple as possible. (Even though writing parody isn't simple to do.)

According to Wiki, this is parody:

A parody ( /ˈpærədi/; also called pastiche, spoof, send-up or lampoon), in current use, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation. You can read more about it here.

A good example of parody would be the logo above, of MTM Enterprises. This was a parody of the old MGM logo, and clearly done very well.



Parody is something that has been done for a long time, and will continue to be used over and over again.

Pygmalion comes from Greece. The story has been retold many, many times by authors like George Bernard Shaw.

In George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion, a modern variant of the myth with a subtle hint of feminism, the underclass flower-girl Eliza Doolittle is metaphorically "brought to life" by a phonetics professor, Henry Higgins, who teaches her to refine her accent and conversation in social situations.

Retelling this story isn't something new. I did it, with a cast of all gay characters, in my book "My Fair Laddie." The title of my book was a parody of the play, "My Fair Lady," and I retold the story just like Shaw did, with gay characters, plenty of erotica, and distinct differences in the storyline so that it would work for gay men. You can read more about Pygmalion here.

The film, "Pretty Woman," is a classic retelling of the Cinderella story.

A modern-day retelling of the Cinderella story, PRETTY WOMAN catapulted its star, the then 23-year-old Julia Roberts, into the film stratosphere. Her portrayal of Vivian, the call girl whose low self-esteem disallows her from thinking she can live any other way, was popular not only with men but also women, seeing in her their own insecurities and vulnerabilities.

You can read more about it here.

When I wrote "Pretty Man," I did the same thing, with all gay characters, a bulter, and plenty of erotica that no one's done before. I changed the characters completely, changed the setting, reworked the entire storyline. But I did use parody with the title. I thought my gay readers would enjoy reading the Cinderella story about gay men for a change. We rarely get an opportunity like that. All those deep, emotional, dark books about gay men are great. We love m/m romances with cupackes, cute kiddies, and ribbons and bows and picnic baskets filled with puppies and kittens. We really love them. But we like to have a little fun every now and then, too...with plenty of sex!!



These are just basic concepts of parody and retelling. For those who already know this, I hope I added something in the links that said something new so I didn't bore you to death. For those who don't know anything about parody, or how classic stories have been retold in very different ways, I hope I taught you something.

Sneak Peak: MY FAIR LADDIE

Here's a sneak peak at the cover for a new release, MY FAIR LADDIE. The book is based loosely on a Pygmalion storyline and set in Savannah, GA. The main character's name is Wilbur, and he makes transformations throughout the book that leave him a completely different man in the end.