Why Bruno is Bad News for Gay Men

First of all, Bruno – utterly self-absorbed, freakish and empty – is a pretty repellent character. Recoiling from his advances is a sign not so much of homophobia as of simple common sense and discernment. But more importantly, at a time when school kids are using the word ‘gay’ to denote something which is tacky, stupid or uncool, putting Bruno forward as a test of possible latent homophobia in others is not going to get you very far, and might even be retrogressive.

Like any gay man who grew up in the 60s and 70s I can tell you of the fear one felt at the thought that one might ‘turn out’ like Larry Grayson or John Inman. They might have made your family laugh around you, but one secretly went through mental hoops in trying to square oneself with these oddly asexual, mincing creatures. Much of the impetus behind the gay movement of the time was the strenuous fight simply to be taken seriously.

Read the rest at: Telegraph!