JOHN BARROWMAN IS GAY
What? You already knew? Of course, this is no real surprise to anybody who's owned a TV set over the past 3 years, being as he is, perhaps one of the gayest men on television. But why is he gay? Is it a case of nature or nurture? Thankfully the Barrowman Broadcasting Corporation decided to find out and sent our man on a journey across London (Made obvious by the ridiculous amounts of panning establishing shots of London landmarks...I thought I was watching the flipping Apprentice!) Chicago, LA and wherever it is his family live.
This picture features the lovely Eve Myles and therefore covers all demographics....
This is for the Beeb's new show The Making of Me a 3 part series in which celebrities try and find out what it is exactly that makes them the way they are. And Barrowman's journey is a genuinely interesting one, albeit one that scarcely touches on the problems many gay men face in coming out to their friends and family. Barrowman himself says that if he had stayed in Glasgow instead of moving to the States he may have ended up killing himself after coming out. It's an interesting point; Barrowman has been lucky, a loving caring family and living in a fairly liberal and affluent community that accepted him for what he was, something you may not have got back here in Scotland. Still, the show is not really about the hardships gay people face, it's about whether or not they're born with it, which is an admirable quest in itself.
So what does he find out? There are some interesting things in the programme, an MRI scan can pinpoint exactly what it is that turns us on. (My brain would clearly light up like a Christmas tree if I saw Kristin Bell in knee socks.) One "Ex-Gay" dismisses this as being the same as chocolate and that he can refuse men in the same way he can give up smoking because both are harmful. It is here and with an interview with a man who tried to "go straight" that Barrowman is actually serious for a moment, he's enthusiastic to the point of nausea at times and it's good to see him shocked and struggling to understand something. Unfortunately, for me, there's a lack of bona-fide proof that people are born gay. For all the similarities gay brains have to straight women brains and a search for a gay gene, there's no real definitive proof. It takes a rather shonky ending that falls apart slightly involving the length of ring fingers and the amount of older brothers you have that smacks of desperation. Especially when Barrowman almost celebrates the fact his mother miscarried a son.
Still, it's a worthwhile enough exercise, and a diverting albeit very interesting 60 minute though I doubt it does enough to convince those that believe homosexuality is a lifestyle choice otherwise. But hopefully it helps to make some headway.
7 comments:
thought I'd make a comment about no definite proof about being born gay. there is actually a mounting evidence that it is determined prenatally through a combination of genetics and hormones (not a gay gene as such.
we do know what doesn't cause it.
1. Strong mother weak father
2. Early sexual experimentation with the same sex
3. Sexual abuse
all these things are experienced by heterosexual men and they don't turn out same sex oriented. Ie attracted physically and romantically to the same sex and want to partner with the same sex.
there are some in religious circles who still hold on to the belief that it is a choice. this is actually not only irrational but laughable and can be easily dispelled in a night. all one would need to do is go into any gay bar and begin asking people. Did you choose to be gay? Best to duck though after asking the question as some gay men find it quite offensive. They spent more of their life trying to change it then accepting it. The journey to self acceptance is often a difficult one of gay men and lesbians as there are so many pressures to conform to heterosexuality within our society.
Just thought I'd share those few thoughts.
Absolutely, I totally believe that you're born gay. It's just unfortunate that the evidence Mr Barrowman found wasn't entirely convincing enough for those religious idiots etc who believe that you can give up having sex with men as easily as you can cigarettes or chocolate.
a friend of mine sent me the link to the BBC show about Mr Barrowman. unfortunately if you are out of the UK though you can't watch it. Shame...sounded interesting.
Having gone through an ex-gay program myself i am fully aware of the ignorance they are based on.
Cigarettes and chocolate being used as analogies for sexual orientation are a good example of that ignorance.
TBH im not the biggist Barrowman fan but sounded intresting. Dont think i will bother getting as u have pointed out pitfalls that will annoy me. Anyway, this is to prove that im still reading ur blog and confirms to me that im still unemployed by having time to read this blog!
Oh what did the first post say btw???
The real evidence of nature rather than nurture is: why would anyone choose to be gay and suffer all the abuse they get?
Sadly I missed this.
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