Average ‘Mo: Brandon Brewer
While it may sometimes seem like Queerty only cares about politicians, studs and celebrities (in that order), nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, we strive to include all members of the gay community, regardless of how ripped their abs are or elite their contacts. To that end, this is Average ‘Mo, where we introduce you to regular gays from around the world to discover what life is like in their neck of the woods.
Today, a Fulbright Scholar discusses life south of the border.
Age: 25
QUEERTY: Where are you from originally?
Brandon: Sierra Vista, AZ. I moved to Tucson in middle school.
You’re a Fulbright Scholar in Acapulco now; what does that entail?
I am an English Teaching Assistant; there are five of us here in Mexico. I actually applied for Brazil but got put on the alternative candidate list. Then Mexico called to ask if I wanted to participate in their brand new program. I applied through Bowling Green State University, where I graduated with a Masters in Spanish in August of last year.
What do you hope to do once out of academia?
Even though I thought I wanted to teach Spanish in higher education and eventually go for a PhD – since my dad has his and I do love going to school – I’m not too sure about that anymore. I have a new “plan” just about every day, which has included everything from moving to South Korea or Japan to teach English, or the Middle East. Or maybe going back to school for science, which I was really good at in high school—maybe green technologies or something. What I do love doing is traveling and learning different languages.
At what age did you come out?
I came out at about the age of 17 or 18, I actually don’t remember very well if it was the summer before senior year of high school or during that year.
What’s the gay scene like in Acapulco?
The gay scene in Acapulco is “thriving,” you might say. And by thriving I mean there are about five gay bars that are usually pretty busy on the weekends. I haven’t really been lucky though in the love department here, though. Usually what happens is I’ll meet someone that I find attractive and interesting, but who is, of course, visiting from Mexico City. And speaking of tourists, the spring-breakers arrive soon at the end of this month and all of next, which is going to be puro desmadre as the locals phrase it.
Where’s your favorite spot to hang out?
My favorite local hangouts are probably Squid Roe, a restaurant-bar chain, and Zoom, the newest gay bar, both of which are on the coster, or main beach drive. Mostly because they tend to play at least a little bit of hip hop and R&B, which is hard to come by in bars and clubs in Mexico. Any place that caters to my requests for “Single Ladies” can expect to see me on their dance floor every weekend.
How easy is it being in Mexico?
I lived in Guadalajara for 10 months in 2006 and 2007, so I’m somewhat familiar with the culture and the way things work around here. Being an ambiguous-looking person of mixed descent (dad’s black, mom’s Cape Verdean) I can pass for a Mexican until I open my mouth—although some people do ask if I’m from here. It’s relatively easy for me to fade into the background and live an every day life. But it’s certainly not perfect. I live in one of the poorest states of Mexico, Guerrero, and one of the most affected by the recent drug cartel-related rash of violence. There’s definitely an atmosphere of fear – perhaps precaution is a better word choice – that I can sense among my friends and students. Just recently some students were robbed in the parking lot and a neighbor of my school was shot dead in front of the entrance three weeks ago. But life still goes on for the majority of Acapulqueños.
You can learn more about Brandon and his travels down south here, at his blog.
i dont want to be harsh, but the average ‘mo isn’t that good looking so maybe you shud try and mix it up a bit lol
Not to mention the Fulbright isn’t very average
I found his “coming out” story relatable. For many of us in his generation it just wasn’t the issue that it has been in the past.
Congratulations to him on his Fulbright grant. I like that he is kind of all over the place trying to decide which way to go professionally/academically and still exploring his options.
Y’all are some bitter queens.
All I ask is what’s wrong with having elite contacts and ripped abs? That’s far more interesting than being average…
If he were really average, he wouldn’t be interesting enough for a regular feature about average people.
@sioraiocht: Maybe for you. For me and many others a brain and a heart are more interesting. As all of the websites geared towards gay men prove, guys with elite contacts, ripped abs, big guns and dicks are a dime a dozen and $250 an hour.
There are some shady comments on here!
I agree that someone with a Fulbright scholarship is not really average, I think Queerty should do a “(wo)man on the street” kind of feature if they wanted to spotlight regular people.
Do you mean “typical” or “average”?
If I may nerd out on all of you with a stats lesson, average mos include some high-achievers like Brandon. As well as cretins like Larry Craig. Neither are typical mos. However, “average” describes the distribution of all the mos, including exmplars as well as turds.
If he does go back to school for green technology, I will totally have to bone him. And that’s saying something, because men under 35 don’t exist for me.
Eco-perv is eco-perv though, and serious eco-slut am I…
And the Fulbright thing doesn’t hurt.
POPMUSIC, no one wants to join your fucking forum! Quit hawking that shit!
And are you guys seeing pics I’m not because he looks pretty cute to me…except for the hair. And a Fulbright Scholar is not average, Queerty.
Just to echo a few of the other comments, a Fullbright scholar is in no way average. At all.
How about for the next feature you guys find someone who went to a state college, is working a banal office job, has love handles and is mired in student loan debt!
@RDM: ZOMG Qrty please do an Average ‘Mo interview with Larry Craig. I’d love to know what he thinks about the gay scene in Acupulco (‘s airport bathrooms).
I think you are missing the point. He is an everyday person who isn’t a model/actor/singer/porn star. He doesn’t have to be statistically average to be a good representative of one of the diverse types of people we have in the community.
I’ll look forward to Average ‘Mo if it helps us look at the different glourious colors of our rainbow flag. (Sappy, I know.)
Also.
I love this idea. Was he a commenter on the site or a personal friend? I think it’d be kinda fun if you identified and interviewed some of the common posters around here. We’d be able to put a face to the trolls. :)
So how do you pick the people?
Is this going to be a weekly installment?
I think it should be, I like it, it ads a new area to the site…
I like this new feature. Maybe it should be renamed “Cool homos that aren’t celebrities, activists, or models”
I’m not going to say that nobody wants to visit the POPMUSICFORUM, but if it’s filled with dumb bitches like its namesake, it really doesn’t sound too appealing.
spotlight a guy who works a 9-5, might not of went to college. has some meat on his bones. and then you can call this “average mo”
@Mark:
nah we’re all pretty awesome lol
@Stop! Or My Daddy Will Shoot!: Or just pick your typical closet ‘mo, and let’s see what he has to say about the gay life.
This is a really interesting new segment, however I think it would be even better if it wasn’t entirely an interview. I suggest letting the featured person write part of the article as well, so we get to know more than just the answers to a few questions. Giving them some space to write about whatever they want could downplay the stereotypes and highlight some of the really more interesting and unique things about the person.
I think its a great idea to highlight “average” people who are doing good in life. I would have preferred a little more background information about how he grew up. But, it is always nice to see the average guy doing well. This guy is from Arizona and went to state college, how much more average do you guys want? This is the perfect example of who should be spotlighted, not someone who has not done anything in their life and not trying to better themselves. Average doesn’t have to mean a loser.
I just think that if I were going to be profiled on a major website, I wouldn’t want the only pic of me to show me boozing it up. Other than that, I really don’t see anything here worth bitching about, considering it’s the first installment of the series. You want them to toss us some (classically) ugly, unambitious, unintelligent failure on their first outing? I imagine Queerty would like for people to continue reading this section as it arises. Morning Goods aside, I would like to think that our gracious hosts recognize that there is plenty of variety in the GLBT community, and that as much as possible will be represented in future installments. There’s no reason to make up your mind this quickly.
Rather than pointing out how Brandon is somehow above average for being an intelligent and articulate young man, why not point out the fact that this interview is still mired in cliches. Who cares when he came out or what the gay scene is like in Mexico? Why not focus on what makes this “average guy” truly interesting: like his proximity to the drug-related violence and his enthusiasm about pursuing higher education?
The individual may be above average, but this interview is crap.
@vernonvanderbilt – “some (classically) ugly, unambitious, unintelligent failure” – LMFAO, can’t wait as well.
Cheers
@MJP: It’s a fluff piece. What do you expect? I agree with your assessment, but again…fluff piece.
@Sebbe: I’d volunteer to be the first, but all I’ve got working against me is being laid off and a little overweight. Oh, and I’m psychotic, can’t you tell? In all honesty, I’ll be happy when they get around to showing us a homo who likes his heavy metal music as much as I do.
@vernonvanderbilt – well i don’t know how “average” that’ll be but…….. I catch your drift.
@vernonvanderbilt: You’re not the only homo who likes heavy metal. I love Slayer. ‘Reign in Blood’ has to be one of the best albums of all time.
@Aaron: Slayer’s cool, but I’m more a power metal kinda guy, generally, Iron Maiden and their artistic offspring and the like. I’m also into the Gothenburg style, and even dig a little black or death metal on occasion.
I like lots of other types of music, of course, but metal seems to be the only one that I haven’t found significant numbers of fellow homos to be fans of. Kudos to you, though, for having some good taste. ;)
That guy is not average in any sense of the word. He is cute and, obviously, extremely intelligent. An average ‘mo are the ones that are overweight with average income(read, poverty level), trying to make ends meet through everday assault in the neighborhood and at a dead end job. I am sorry, but where is this hyped up disposable income that we as gays are supposed to have? A gay guy, I talked to, mentioned that he worked as a porn shop clerk and gave up his job as a customer service representative because of the homophobia. And guess what? Many of us, who are not butch enough to hide our true identity, have to resort to these kinds of jobs just to avoid the anguish of feeling isolated and being harassed everyday at the work place. Now there is an average ‘mo for you–struggling through life; not being accepted by the straight world for being gay and rejected by the gay community for “looking gay” and not being perfectly coifed and shaped and with money to spare.
LMAO at “puro desmadre”!
I am a scholarship student studying in Mexico, I live in the state of Morelos. The gay/lesbian scene here is also thriving. I’ve been to Acapulco twice but I have never visited any of the gay clubs.
@Aaron: I don’t think that’s average either (aesthetically). Based on me and my friends, we take care of ourselves after working the boring office jobs and paying off our student loans. I manage to have good contacts and a nice body. I’m basically penniless, but who isn’t these days?
Wow, many of you are truly hateful. I know this person, and though we’re not friends, he’s truly well-deserved of the life he lives. He might not be average, but he’s inspiring.
Also, his pictures might not do him justice (though I don’t see how that is — they look fine to me), but he’s pretty hot in real life. Stop being a bunch of self-loathing jerks, guys.