And one more ponderous thing. Why is it that homosexuals are sneered at for being “Sodomites” when more heterosexual couples, than homosexual couples engage in anal sex?
On that same note, why is it that a young heterosexual couple can make out in public, and receive some grumbling and stern looks from more conservative bystanders, whereas I can’t so much as hold a boys hand in public without taking some rather harsh comments, or threats of bodily harm?
This particular double standard reminds me of something I once saw in a comic called ASB (that’s Associated Student Bodies, and yes it’s a lewd pun). It’s about a boy who goes off to college and comes to terms with his sexuality, and the angst that ensues, it’s actually not that bad though. . . ok actually it’s really good and I give it my endorsement, but that’s getting ahead of myself. Click
here to see the particular instance in question.
It’s the panel down at the bottom which I’m referring too. The couple which appear in the first panel on this page are of course a gay couple, and they’re coming home after having seen a movie together. They board a nearly empty bus, and sit together. Daniel, the lion (I’m not sure why all the characters in this comic are anthropomorphic animals, but then I don’t suppose it much matters, it works all the same) notices the heterosexual couple sitting together a few seats ahead of them is making out, and are relatively free to do so without fear of any consequences, sure it’s still considered as being rude, but generally no one is going to do anything about a couple of kids kissing in a relatively non-crowded public area. He looks over to his own boyfriend who is pretending to be asleep, most likely to make it seem less like they are together, as most of the time heterosexual males will not sit right together on a buss or a restaurant, or in a movie theater, without leaving one empty seat between them in order to say “we are friends but not boyfriends”. Daniel seems to become aware of the double standard, knowing that public displays of affection between a male couple is looked down upon in our society, and that there would almost certainly be some sort of negative repercussion of a larger sort than just an old man scowling at them for instance, as could be expected for a heterosexual couple. He has a moment of angsty pain because of this, all taking only a single panel to communicate, and then the comic resumes without commenting on the incident, to show that this is just a small and probably fairly common thing, worth paying lip service to, but not so unique that it deserves it’s own story line.
This one panel really hit me hard, most likely because the first time I read it was after I’d just been out on my first date with a guy, and we’d been essentially chased out of a family ice-cream place (Called the sugar bowel, this place is actually featured in some “Family Circus” comics, just to give you an idea of the sort of atmosphere they’ve got going there) not because we were making out or even holding hands or anything, but just because we were clearly two fags on a date together, and apparently some of the other patrons had something against that. I mean my God there were children present, after all, I guess it was our own fault for minding our damn business and enjoying an evening out together.
Anyway, my own minor tales of personal trauma aside, I mentioned that ASB comes with my own recommendation and endorsement. The premise may seem a bit trite to some, but then I’m sure many others have never actually read or seen anything quite like it. It’s funny at times, serious in others, and over all a very compelling and emotional story, and a satisfying read, even if you feel the same way about comic books that I do (which is generally that they are childish and not really worth looking at). Yes, there are a few panels wherein they show weenies, this is true, so don’t read it at work, however this is not “The comic book that dares to depict graphic scenes of gay sex!” so it’s not TOO wild, this isn’t a porno or anything, though I could link you to some of those if you really wanted ‘em
Anyway if you want to give ASB a try click
here.
