The Queer Question

A Little Rant on Societal Ills:
 As the last book of the semester, all of the eleventh grade English classes read A Separate Peace. The predominant discussion among Juniors for the past three weeks—are Gene and Phineas gay?
 The queer question surfaces a lot in older literature, and it drives me crazy. It reinforces every American macho stereotype and contributes as early as middle school to the undercutting of healthy male relationships. You may think I’m being overdramatic, but revisit some of the books you’ve read in school. Shakespeare is gay because he wrote a poem complimenting a guy, the entire Forrester (ha! I didn't realize that both this family and Gene share the same last name) family from The Yearling is gay because they ran around their house naked, and Gene is gay because he shows genuine affection towards his best friend Phineas, and in one scene mentions a guy’s prominent buttocks.
 I’m not saying speculation in literature is the source of our problems, but it’s one of those little facets of our culture that contributes to the whole problem. We’ve forbidden guys from connecting with each other on a deep level of friendship. Anything less than a joking cut or a chest bump is bordering on homosexual. God forbid a hug, unless of course you’re only joking about it.
 I don’t think men are as connected as they could or should be in today’s time, especially in America. I feel like it’s a recent development—not that I’ve done a lot of research on the subject, but from the cultural history I’ve looked at, men in the past seemed unabashed to express their affection for each other in a more intimate way than just “homeboys.”
 The problem with this kind of speculation in school is that we instill the idea in middle and high school that any kind of intimacy between two guys must by default be sexual in nature. The jokes and borderline inappropriate debates are fun at the time, but subconsciously the message we’re sending sticks with the guys—no male affection aloud.
 I feel like I’m beating a dead horse, so I’ll just end with this: Most people would agree that Jesus was not gay. And yet, at The Last Supper, he let John lean against his chest. Jesus displayed his love for his disciples with intimate, non-sexual, physical affection. Of course, I know that cultural perception changes, and that the transition back to closer male relationships has to be gradual, but if Jesus lived the perfect, godly life, then who’s to question the acceptability of affectionate male relationships?