Reader Mail:
Bi Supposition, Gay Propositions &
The Underwear Question
By JEFF SIMMERMON & KENNETH HILL

It’s not easy having a penetrating conversation about the difference between gay and straight each week. In preparing this column, Kenny has to endure a lot of ridiculous, unintentionally bigoted questioning from me, and I’m sure he’s getting tired of it. And combating Kenny’s homosexual superiority complex is, frankly, exhausting for me. But just when I think we’ve run out of stuff to fight about, you, our dear readers, come through like the cavalry on a fleet of flying carpets with some amazing e-mails.


We’ve highlighted a few of them below for public response. The names have been changed to protect the innocent, the curious and the ridiculous. If you want to send us a question, tell us we’re fantastic or call us a couple of idiots, you’re certainly not alone. Click here to leave a comment on our message boards, or here to e-mail us directly.
-- JEFF

I have been with the greatest guy for almost four years now. We are engaged and will be married this summer. Before I met him, he was in a relationship with a guy. He fooled around with a couple of them but only dated one. Prior to this part of his life, he was with females only.

I do not think homosexuality or bisexuality is something that can be "cured" (I use that for lack of a better word, not because of ignorance or prejudice). I have actually met and get along with his ex-boyfriend and other acquaintances of his from this time in his life. He insists that he doesn't have the "urge" for sex with anyone but me. We can even watch gay porn together!

Am I completely naive to think that he can love and desire only me in our marriage? Am I stupid for marrying a man who used to be into other men for some time?

-- W


Sexuality is very fluid, and it’s possible your man is a bona fide bisexual. If so, he very well may have the ability to remain faithful to you, if that’s what you two decide you want. Keep in mind, however, that a) men can be pigs and he may cheat on you -- with men. Can you live with that? And b) he might be lying to you, to himself or both, about his true sexuality. Is he being pressured to get married by his family or religious upbringing? The fact that he says he doesn’t have the “urge for sex with anyone” but you makes me think he might be a liar. Everyone has urges; it’s what you do about it that makes a relationship work or not. Bottom line: Make sure you feel 100 percent about the quality of communication in your relationship with this guy. If you have any doubts about his honesty, it probably means something, and you should pay attention to your gut.

Kenny’s pretty much sewn it up here, so I can only add this: If you think he might cheat, it doesn’t matter which gender he cheats with, he’s still cheating. Look at that part, not the bi part, and you’ll have a clear answer.



EVERY TIME I READ THOSE HATEFUL ANTI-GAY COMMENTS THAT YOU GET, I END UP SENDING THE COMMENTER A STUPID REPLY. I CAN’T HELP MYSELF. SINCE I CAN’T PUT MY HANDS AROUND THEIR ANTI-GAY CHRISTIAN NECKS, THAT’S ALL I CAN DO.

HOW DO YOU GET PAST IT? DON’T YOU EVER GET [ANGRY]? ARE YOU A BETTER GAY THAN I AM? PLEASE, TELL ME JUST TO FORGET ABOUT IT.

-- Bruce

Just a few thoughts from a straight guy here, Bruce. First -- that Caps Lock key on your computer is not a toy. When you send an e-mail in all caps, it’s the virtual equivalent of shouting into a megaphone. Just a few capital letters per sentence will be fine -- no need to scream.

Secondly, I totally see why you would want to just light a bag of e-dog poop and leave it in someone’s inbox. If it makes you feel better, keep doing it. But if it doesn’t, you should stop. Kenny and I get all kinds of awful e-mails all the time, and we just laugh at most of them.

These letters/comments are always written by a person with a very particular sort of personality disorder that causes joy to be expressed as rage, and rage to feel like an exquisite pleasure. People like this are incapable of true happiness as we understand it -- they can only feel good when they are riled up and furious. Try to see letters like that as the lighthearted expression of a diseased mind, and then go get some fresh air. You’ll feel lots better.

Most of these comments are from Christian fundamentalists who love to throw around the Bible in an attempt to threaten us with hell and damnation. It’s pretty sad, although not as sad as their ability to pick and choose which parts of the Bible to enforce, and which to ignore. For example, Leviticus 18:22 says, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.” Many scholars say the true meaning of that passage is open to interpretation, just like this one: Leviticus 21:17, “Whosoever he be … that hath any blemish, let him not approach to offer the bread of his God.” So I mean, really, people. If it is a sin for men to love men, then is it also a sin to put something in the collection plate at church if you’ve got a couple blackheads?

I digress. Just remember, Bruce, that nothing these people say can diminish you in any way. Although it’s tough to do sometimes, take the advice that Jesus gave to his boys: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” It’s good for the soul -- and when fundies know that homos love them, it drives them NUTS.


So if I have had thoughts of [being on the receiving end of the beautiful, powerful expression that is a man’s love and lust for another man], am I gay?

--MC

Probably.

It depends. What music are you listening to during the fantasy?



Just wanted to see if either of you would like to hook up. I am 35 and would like to [invite you to be on the receiving end of the beautiful, powerful expression that is a man’s love and lust for another man].

-- Jazminn


You know, we get several e-mails like this a week. And not one of you fiends has even thought to ask if you can buy me dinner first. Anyway, my answer is NO.

I know. It’s not that I am narrow-minded, it’s just that I prefer the intimacy and closeness that I can find in the bushes at a highway rest area.



Boxers or briefs? What do gay guys and straight guys have to say on the subject?

-- Dwaynne


Dwaynne, there are no easy answers, especially for gay men for whom choice of underwear is an art form. It depends on the pants you’re wearing, where you are going, what/who you might be doing later, and a host of other variables. You don’t like to wear the same exact thing every day, do you? Neither do your dangly bits. It’s important to have a well-rounded underwear collection -- you need at least two dozen pair in total -- including briefs, boxers, boxer briefs, a jockstrap, a union suit and maybe one exotic (bikini, mesh, etc.) But please: No thongs, as they are just wrong.

In case that answer didn’t tip you off, Kenny is the gay one. Boxer briefs are the only answer. They’re the best of both worlds, popular with ladies and gents alike, and they come in a three-pack at Target. Spend 10 bucks and you’ve got a week’s worth.

Um, Jeff, a three-pack lasts a whole week for you? Wow.



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