The tip of the PoeFinn online iceberg
As 2015 comes to a close, we seem to be in a particularly fine era for gays and geeks, what with a number of historic LGBT victories-- notably national marriage equality-- and the likes of Star Wars, Jurassic World, Supergirl, and The Flash dominating our screens. The two categories have overlapped in wonderful ways-- for me, at least. Here are my 5 personal gayest and geekiest moments this year.
Scream, Queen!--I did adore Ryan Murphy’s fabulously campy Scream Queens this year, but my top scream queen moment involved Flame Con guest and Nightmare on Elm St 2 star Mark Patton, who promoted his documentary Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street at Rockbar this past summer. When a college friend showed me his queer studies essay on the homoeroticism of Elm St 2 in 2001, I never could have imagined I’d be dancing on stage with its hero fourteen years later. I’ll never forget reciting Jamie Lee Curtis’ Halloween: H20 dialogue with my friend Andrew and a room full of queens, either.
Jurassic, Gurl--My inner child was absolutely delighted by this summer’s Jurassic World, a bracing and well-crafted love letter to fans of Steven Spielberg’s landmark original (though Bryce Dallas Howards’ high heeled cliche didn’t exactly do womankind any favors). The gay factor for me came not from ogling Chris Pratt’s admittedly hunky Owen but in realizing that the T.Rex and surviving Raptor at movie’s end shared a “Mean Girls” moment: their body language somehow conveyed the whole Not Friends, But Respectful Equals status quo shared by Lindsay Lohan and Rachel McAdams. I also got to cos play as Alan Grant and Owen with my buddy David Rondinelli for the “Jurassic Parkisode” of our YouTube channel Monster Nation.
A Super Boy--This year I struck up an online friendship with a trans man who loves Superman in general and Lois & Clark (one of my all time favorite shows) in particular. I’ll just call him Dean. Dean’s fun and fascinating posts on Twitter and Tumblr provided eye-opening perspectives on queer and popular culture as well as insights into his continuing journey to become himself. I hope to meet him face to face in the new year, and I’m grateful to the insights he’s given me into the transgender experience.
Rocket ‘Ship--Watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens, I couldn’t help thinking how significant it is that the new installment of the mega-popular franchise has a woman and a black man at its center-- the “protest” instigated by a handful of morons against the latter further proves its import. I was further astonished to read not only that ‘shipping the movie’s Finn and Poe had become an internet phenomenon but that the actors who play the characters, John Boyega and Oscar Isaacs, had openly, playfully commented about the relationship with Ellen Degeneres. Actors in a major Hollywood blockbuster openly speculating about gay romance? We’ve come a long way in that Millennium Falcon, baby!
Follow me on Twitter: @HeyLockwood On YouTube: youtube.com/monsternation
Scream, Queen's Mark Patton
