A new documentary airing on Logo aims to squash gender stereotypes by entering the fabled realm of legitimately straight men living in traditionally gay culture.
Premiering June 10, “Gay Lives of Straight Guys” will introduce viewers to the seemingly mind-blowing phenomenon of straight men who do stereotypical “gay-guy” stuff despite having no sexual interest in men. It chronicles the lives of men riding “the sexual divide” in order to find a “new emotional freedom,” and it features way more skin than you’d think.
Judging by the trailer, it’s a pretty standard docu-reality film with a very specific subject: One is a hairstylist, another is a fashion designer. There’s “a straight guy working at a gay bar,” a straight married man who works in a gay gym, a straight guy on a gay football team, and even a straight guy who’s simply friends with a gay guy.
If you inhabit a progressive outpost like San Francisco, there’s probably nothing too revolutionary about any of this: Surprise, gay men and straight men can be friends! Straight men can pass for queer! (Sometimes it is, in fact, possible for us all to get along.)
But in the context of American culture in general, this is a new and challenging way to live. For decades, men have been raised to reject anything gay — or, at the very least, to enforce the separation of gay and straight worlds. It’s nice to see those separations break down.
In general, everything about this seems good, although Logo is maybe not the most constructive channel for it to be on. It would be a game-changer if it were on Spike, or even (God help us) TLC. But if it’s on Logo, it’s probably only going to be seen by queers, right?
Then again, maybe not. After all, that’s just the sort of assumption that this show is breaking down. We’ve always assumed that gay guys are the only ones watching Logo, but maybe there’s a bunch of open-minded men-who-have-sex-with-women who are watching as well.
Mike
Oh God I think my eyes just rolled out of my head
Stupid stupid stupid
redcarpet
Straight guys at a gay bar, or as a gogo dancer, or doing gay-for-pay porn are just such a bummer. I’d like to have at least a LITTLE plausibility when I fantasies about unattainable beautiful men.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
“Gay Lives of Straight Guys”
I believe there is a typo there, should read “Gay Lives of Closeted Gay Guys”………………..
cflekken
LOL. I agree that these are likely not “straight” guys. And let’s stop stereotyping professions..or anything..as “gay” or “not gay”.
SpunkyBunks
Straight guys and closeted ‘homosexuals’ exploiting gay guys for dollars? Shocking…
Mezaien
Good for you guys! why worried about HOMOS, when you are not that straight.
Blackceo
@PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS:
LOL!!!! I’m always skeptical about American straight guys being this comfortable too, but I’m sure there have to be some. My European friends though are totally like these guys. When we are traveling they have no problem going to the predominantly gay beach or gay club and trust me they are straight. Of course, my Parisian and Brit and Spaniard friends are those kind of European men whose ideas of male masculinity and sexuality aren’t like most American straight males.
However, I do think we need to start giving some straight guys credit for being totally secure in their sexuality to have gay friends and go to the gay bar and not really be in the closet. I have a very good American straight friend who is a father of 2 who has met me at gay bars for drinks. He gets hit on by guys and politely tells them that he’s straight. He’s totally a secure and open minded liberal guy.
James Hart
Right, they’re straight ;-). Anyone want to buy a bridge to Brooklyn???
andy_d
San Francisco is progressive? Please, I lived there for 5 years. Try provincial and self-centered.
toberlin
Before I read this site I didn’t know that straight and gay men couldn’t be friends.Sure there are guys on both sites who seem to have a problem with that .And maybe with some men you have to reduce prejudices at first.But as a straight woman who use to have male friends who are straight I do not see there a problem anyway.
dbmcvey
So, Logo has completely run out of ideas.
stanhope
LOGO, aka the RuPaul version of OWN, was a great concept that totally failed in execution. If ever the time was right for a LOGO channel, it is now. What a missed opportunity.
Paco
I don’t get LOGO. Hopefully it will be on Netflix soon. It looks interesting.
Shannon1981
@toberlin: I think you’re generalizing a little when you say that straight and gay men can’t be friends. There are plenty of gay men who are friends with straight men. Plenty of lesbians are friends with straight women. However, straight people have zero concept of what we LGBT people go through just to live our lives. There is a definite disconnect there. Further, I’ve personally had to cut many straight “friends” loose because they were the worst kind of bigots: the kind who can’t look in the mirror and see themselves for what they are. Thanks to institutionalized inequality, there will always be a line between the two groups that can’t be crossed.
toberlin
Shannon 1981:
I said the exact opposite,but Thank You for your Answer.I know for sure straight and gay men can be pretty good friends…
toberlin
…sorry,for the short-cut anwers .Nobody needs bigot Friends.So good for you that they are no more in your Life.And if you are ever interested again in being a Friend with a man who is straight here a Tip(own experience/and Queerty Interview with Mark Ruffalo)
If he treats women like shit “Hands off!”.A man who is not able to see a woman as equal will do the same with a man who is gay.But there are really tons of cool,smart and heartly men in the world who have no problem to be really good Friends with man who are gay. Maybe you are different in some Things but this is always like that.There are straight men who have a brain a heart and empathy…
DK
It would be nice if gay bars would hire gay guys instead of playing into the “straight is more desirable” meme. Here in Los Angeles, gay bars have seen their straight staff cause the bar to get sued by drugging women clientele or otherwise violating and assaulting them. They still haven’t learned the lesson: The Abbey bills itself as the “best gay bar in the world” and most of the bartenders are straight.
It’s awesome gay establishments are welcome to straights. But straight privilege should not exist in the gay world too. It sucks to see beautiful, handsome gay go-gos and bartenders not chosen over a straight dude because of sexuality. Unfortunately, this is yet another area where the gay entertainment industry is not a force for good within the gay community.
sportyguy1983
Only gay people should be hired at bars just like only straight people should be hired at straight bars and only people who adhere to catholic dogma should be hired at catholic schools.
toberlin
@DK:In Berlin,there are enough Places to feel easy together outside a Gay Bar.I am straight and since we still live in such a straight World I really avoid to go Gay Bar(beside special occaisons).I am also pretty good in having Fun without Dudes like they are pretty good in having Fun without me.It is really an annoying Privilege to be always in the “straight sexual majority Position”.I mean that was not my Idea…
Bonerboy
Wow. How old ARE you guys?? Just like the recent “Straight Men React to Grindr” post, some of you can’t imagine there being a world where straight men are cool with gay men without said “straight” men actually being gay. It’s a big, wonderful world emerging and sometimes I think it’s not that you don’t believe it…it’s that you don’t WANT to believe it…
Geeker
Why would a gay bar hire straight dancers/bartenders? I want to go to a gay bar to be around gay people not straight guys using the gay community to pay their bills.
Paco
@Geeker: Probably because some gay men fetishize straight guys. Some do more obsessively than others of course. I guess it is good for business to have some forbidden fruit on display in a club. Just my guess anyway.
Jack90
@Bonerboy:
+100.
I guess I live in the big bubble of DC where it some times seems like half the city is gay. Straight guys in this town don’t have much of an option but to embrace the gay community and live and work in the same place…and somehow magically be friends with us and not secretly have internal gay feelings of lust.
Y’all are stuck in the 20s–I’m, going back to my bubble.
Eduardo
Well, i did read some posts…
In my humble opinion (as gay) i do not see whar’s wrong with Straighr
guys working and staying beside gays. I am gay and most of my friends are Straight men. I respect all of you opinions, but we cannot create a world divided between Straight and “Homo” people.
(my opinion)
Baba Booey Fafa Fooey
I’m watching this now and can’t tell you how awful this show is. It’s even offensive.