Meeting new people's a bitch, especially in New York. There are so many damn barriers! The last time we met someone new was 1984 - it didn't go well and we vowed never to extend our hand to another unknown soul again. Our clenched fist? Well, that's another story.

Anyway, for The Boundaries Issue, we thought it would be fun to accost a stranger and interview them. Thus, we sent editor Andrew Belonsky on a mission and he brought back this interview with a young punk-rock loving 20-year old straight boy named Jake. Even though he has no qualms sharing his inner most thoughts with a stranger, Jake wouldn't disclose his last name. Nor would he allow Belonsky to take his picture. He did, however, offer his totally anonymous shoes (pictured).

It's worth noting that Andrew met young Jake on the street as they both tried to break into and subsequently enter Jake's apartment building. The boys covered a lot of ground for complete strangers. Not all their ramblings made the editorial cut, unfortunately. Some notable cuts: Jake hates Guns N' Roses, isn't keen on dogs and has never heard his roommates have sex. He does, however, like gay people, rockabilly and smoking pot. Oh, and Belonsky say's he's very pretty.

Andrew Belonsky: [Buzzing neighbor] Hi, I’m sorry, it’s Andrew again. [Door buzzes] And we’re in. I’m Andrew.

Jake X: I’m Jake.

AB: When did you move in?

JX: Last June. How long have you been here?

AB: I don’t live in this building. I’m just friends with some people who live upstairs. What’s your story?

JX: I’m from Washington State. The Northwest.

AB: What brought you to New York?

JX: I’m studying film right now. And acting.

AB: Which do you prefer?

JX: I don’t know. I like them both. I studied acting first. Now I’m studying directing.

[Enter apartment]

AB: I’ll turn this [light] on so it’s not so scary in here… What’s appealing about filmmaking?

JX: I guess I’ve just always liked movies. I knew I wanted to do something with the arts and I’m trying this out right now. I used to be in a band and I did that for a while. I always liked acting, so I decided to come to New York to study it. I wanted to know both aspects of it so I could be a better actor or be a better director, I guess.

AB: Are you a homosexual?

JX: No, I’m not. My roommate is, actually.

AB: How did you meet your gay roommate?

JX: He was studying directing last year at the New York Film Academy. I had met some of his classmates and became friends with them. We hung out a lot last year and now we’re roommates. We work together a lot, too. He helps me with the sets.

AB: Tell me, who was the first gay person you knew?

JX: I was probably really young. I did a lot of regional theater. I guess the first gay person I ever met I was eight or nine years old - the first person at least that I knew well. Just through theater, I’ve always known a lot of homosexuals.

AB: Are you wearing eye make-up right now?

JX: Yeah.

AB: Do a lot of people still think you’re gay? I thought you were gay.

JX: Yeah, I mean, people think so, but I don’t think – I don’t know – it’s never really - the last couple of years it hasn’t really been an issue. I’ve had people after I’ve gotten close to them, say, “Yeah, I thought you were gay at first.”

AB: Obviously that doesn’t bother you.

JX: No, not at all.

AB: Do you have a girlfriend?

JX: Yeah.

(Jake would rather we don’t publish the bits about his girlfriend. Apparently there was some sort of fight. We think (redacted) may have been involved.)

AB: Do you ever feel like you’re playing into [seeming gay]? Do you enjoy the ambiguity of it all?

JX: Yeah. I suppose I do. It’s not as much about that as it is, I think it started out more [as] trying to get a reaction. To get people to notice me, but never to get people to think I’m gay. I’ve been wearing make-up since even before high school. So at this point, I don’t feel as attractive when I walk out the door unless I have make-up on.

AB: Do you hang out with a lot of queer people?

JX: I hang out with a lot of actors and artists…a lot of the people I know go both ways.

AB: Is it easier for you to relate with them than with some macho man?

JX: Totally. I’m a sensitive person. It’s just the kind of people you fall into.
[Pause]
Was it the make-up that made you think I was gay when you saw me?

AB: No, I didn’t even notice the make-up.

JX: Can I ask what it was?

AB: I don’t know…

JX: When did you “know”?

AB: That I was gay? I don’t know. People ask me that all the time. I guess I always knew I was different, but I really don’t know. I do remember being called a fag. I don’t remember the first instance, but I remember the feeling of – well, I think the first feeling was confusion, because I didn’t know what it was. Then I knew it was bad – and I was different already, so I didn’t want to stick out. When I definitely knew I was gay, I thought, “Fuck, they totally know.” And then, of course, came the time when I was like, “Yeah, I am a fag.” It was stages, but I didn’t come – well, I came out to other people, but I didn’t come out to my mother and family until I was 18.

JX: How was that?

AB: It was awkward. It’s actually very funny, because everyone knew, obviously. I had been getting my haircut – the guy who cut my hair, I knew him for ages. He was so cute and I always thought he was gay. Anyway, I told him all my problems and I said, “Shit, I have to tell my mother, it’s just ridiculous at this point.” And he said, “Yeah, you should.”

My mother had just surgery, so she was bed-ridden. I went into her room and stuttered over the problem – well, I guess it wasn’t a problem, but I stumbled over the issue at hand before finally telling her. It was a great relief.

JX: Did your dad take it well?

AB: He died when I was a kid, so he didn’t take it at all. Anyway, that’s my coming out story - not very interesting. How many siblings do you have?

JX: There are fifteen of us.

AB: Are you kidding me?

JX: No.

AB: They’re not all from one couple?

JX: Seven of them are – just my mom and dad. One was just adopted last week from Haiti. There are eight adopted and seven biological.

AB: Wait, when did this all start?

JX: It started when my mom couldn’t [have] any more kids.

AB: How old were you?

JX: I think ten.

AB: What’s the run down of the countries?

JX: There’s six from Vietnam and two from Haiti.

AB: Is your family very religious?

JX: Yeah, my parents are pretty religious. My dad was Jewish and then he converted to Catholicism when he married my mom. Now they’re strong Catholics.

AB: They’re raising these children Catholic?

JX: Yeah.

AB: How do they feel about homosexuality?

JX: They’re not against it.

AB: Are a lot of people who go to their church against it?

JX: Yeah, that’s actually one big problem I had with the church. I was set to get confirmed – and I did end up getting confirmed against my integrity. My parents said they wouldn’t support me after I graduated.

AB: Do you still feel connected to the religion?

JX: No, not at all.

AB: What about if you were dying – would you want your last rites?

JX: No. I don’t want religion to be a part of my life at all.

AB: Do you believe in God?

JX: I don’t know. That’s something I don’t really know, yet. I like to think I do, but I’m never sure.

AB: I guess you never can be.

JX: Have you ever been with a woman?

AB: Yes.

JX: More than once?

AB: Yes.

JX: Did you have a girlfriend?

AB: Yeah, I had a lady.

JX: How was it?

AB: It was like vaginal sex – and I mean that in the most clinical way possible.