Comments
by Java Mann
| I think it’s kind of funny,
but because I’m gay and naturally attune myself to such things, I kept
bumping into one particular topic in the past few weeks. Oddly, when I
mentioned it to a straight friend, he hadn’t heard about it at all. Thus
I’ve concluded that I, as a public service, must share the following with
all my readers, gay and straight alike. Here goes. Is this summer’s mega-hit
movie, X-Men, a cleverly concealed metaphor for homosexuality? |
 |
Consider please, during adolescence
a segment of the human population undergo changes, and no one knows why.
Society shuns them, religious and political leaders demonize them, and
they are forced to hide behind a façade of normality. These altered
people polarize into two factions, one determined to fight against those
who would oppress and persecute them, and another determined to show that
they can assimilate and become valuable members of society. You tell me,
are we talking about super heroes or homosexuals?
There are some obvious clues
to the gay theme allegedly hidden in the film. Sir Ian McKellan, an openly
gay actor takes the role of Magneto, the villain of this story, and Patrick
Stewart (no stranger to gay cinema, having appeared in the romantic gay
comedy Jeffery) appears as Professor X, the leader of the
good guys. In a nod to history buffs, Magneto’s powers manifest themselves
as his parents are dragged off by Nazi to be gassed in a concentration
camp. (Yes gentle readers, the Nazis also targeted homosexuals.) Another
hint comes in the form of a female character that all but kills her boyfriend
with her first kiss.
Admittedly, comics have always
been a source of homo-eroticism, but of late, more and more controversy
appears to be surfacing around it. Check out my Super
Fag column in the archives. I don’t understand the trend, but
personally I’m not offended. The truth is as a kid I had such
a crush on the Green Arrow (blond, green eyes and a chest by da’Vinci.
Woof.) and always suspected that there was something more to Batman and
Robin’s relationship than they revealed.
But is X-Men
a gay flick? I dunno. I’ve heard The Exorcist described as
a metaphor for puberty and the TV sci-fi flick V described
as a metaphor for the Nazi’s rise to power. Then again, I’ve heard The
Road to El Dorado described as a gay flick, and I just thought
it was an animated buddy movie in the style of Hope and Crosby. Maybe people
are just over-analyzing things, or maybe it’s wishful thinking on the part
of the gay community. Hugh Jackman as "Logan/The
Wolverine" is a major piece of stud meat I wouldn’t kick out for eating
crackers in bed. Maybe were just looking for a way to make him more accessible
to gay fantasy.
I guess what it comes down
to is this: Whether Bryan Singer, the director, intended his movie to be
a metaphor for homosexuality or not, the gay community has taken it to
heart and embraced it as such. Others will simply see it as an exciting
summer popcorn action flick. But a lot of people are gonna see it, and
it’s gonna rake in the bucks.
And that’s always the bottom
line.
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