Michael Lucas: Misplaced Lust

Lady Gaga and Liza Minnelli I get. But when The New York Times pronounced antigay Rep. Aaron Schock of Illinois a gay icon, I was, well, Schocked.

Sure, he had just posed—washboard abs exposed—for Men’s Health magazine. But the idea that gay people would lust over this 29-year-old “straight” Congressman is symptomatic of a problem I see so often in our community. Many grown gay men simply find straight guys to be their ultimate turn on. When they turn straight athletes, and in this case, straight politicians, into gay icons, it’s no surprise that it makes straight people feel uncomfortable. It makes me uncomfortable.

With all the gorgeous gay men in this world, why do we need to bestow icon status on (to name just a few) straight celebs like actor Paul Walker, soccer star David Beckham, and model Chad White?

Our community’s political enemies seize upon our straight-men obsessions to support the notion that gays should be feared. It’s at the heart of the shower propaganda, which posits that gay soldiers would “disrupt unit cohesion” by trying to service the members of their straight fellow service members.

It’s not cool for gay men to sexualize straight men—or, conversely, allow straight men to tease us. It makes us look pathetic.

I go to David Barton Gym in Chelsea—one of the gayest gyms on earth—and every day I see straight trainers pushing back the legs of their gay clients, pressing their bodies against them, as they give them a “stretch.” Surely there are enough gay trainers out there who are more than qualified for this, um, position. We should be supporting trainers who come from our own communities.

And why do so many wealthy gay men insist on hiring straight caterers for their parties? Often, they fork over extra money for these guys to work shirtless. Can’t you imagine the conversations these guys have afterwards—about those annoying, lecherous homos? Why do gay bars hire straight bartenders? There are plenty of hot gay men who could use the work, and wouldn’t mock the people who so generously tip them.