Glee & Modern Family with mainstream media sanitized gay lifestyle
![Cover of "Brokeback Mountain [Blu-ray]"](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51yrlq1nqhL._SL350_.jpg) |
| Cover of Brokeback Mountain [Blu-ray] |
Sciambra: Because the mainstream media is collaborating with those in the gay elite, there has been a very skewed and untrue picture of the homosexual lifestyle painted for the American people.
At one time, I bought into that as well, although the imagery was very different when I was a child. At that time, The Village People and The Castro in San Francisco were portrayed as one big party.
By the time I entered the lifestyle, the mood had changed with the advent of AIDS. I had to watch as beautiful young men from all across the United States, who arrived in San Francisco seeking a safe harbor of acceptance, succumbed to disease. It was heartbreaking. But in the 90’s, things started to return to business as usual: gay pornography became a hot commodity and a new generation of boys were lured to their deaths by promises of pleasure with no risk.
With my book, my intention was not to simply disgust people or gross them out, but to reveal a very significant side of the gay lifestyle that is rarely investigated. The last serious exploration was probably the much maligned film “Cruising” directed by William Friedkin. But that movie got it right. Because, although, gay men may one day settle down and attempt monogamy, the vast majority, beforehand, had to travel through a wasteland of perversity and promiscuity. Because, every young boy, who just enters the lifestyle, is quickly set upon by a troop of eager older men ready to exploit new recruits. It sets you up for a life of bitterness and disappointment. Some survive and move on, many do not. But, they all reemerge damaged and untrusting.
You are very keen and astute to realize that the gay lifestyle has been “sanitized” by the media, and that was precisely what I wanted to fight against [by writing my book]; to show just how ugly, and yes dirty, the gay lifestyle is; but also how ultimately sad and tragic it seems to end for almost everyone involved. I especially wanted to reach modern parents who are so willing to offer their sons up to this horror – to explain what awaits their children, and to also give some dignity to those who fell into the life because of no fault of their own.
By the time I entered the lifestyle, the mood had changed with the advent of AIDS. I had to watch as beautiful young men from all across the United States, who arrived in San Francisco seeking a safe harbor of acceptance, succumbed to disease. It was heartbreaking. But in the 90’s, things started to return to business as usual: gay pornography became a hot commodity and a new generation of boys were lured to their deaths by promises of pleasure with no risk.
With my book, my intention was not to simply disgust people or gross them out, but to reveal a very significant side of the gay lifestyle that is rarely investigated. The last serious exploration was probably the much maligned film “Cruising” directed by William Friedkin. But that movie got it right. Because, although, gay men may one day settle down and attempt monogamy, the vast majority, beforehand, had to travel through a wasteland of perversity and promiscuity. Because, every young boy, who just enters the lifestyle, is quickly set upon by a troop of eager older men ready to exploit new recruits. It sets you up for a life of bitterness and disappointment. Some survive and move on, many do not. But, they all reemerge damaged and untrusting.
You are very keen and astute to realize that the gay lifestyle has been “sanitized” by the media, and that was precisely what I wanted to fight against [by writing my book]; to show just how ugly, and yes dirty, the gay lifestyle is; but also how ultimately sad and tragic it seems to end for almost everyone involved. I especially wanted to reach modern parents who are so willing to offer their sons up to this horror – to explain what awaits their children, and to also give some dignity to those who fell into the life because of no fault of their own.
