Old gay cowboys

By John Polly

As "Brokeback Mountain," director Ang Lee's heartbreaking film tracking the ill-fated relationship of two ranch-roaming cowboys in rural Wyoming, continues to stack up awards and nominations for its influential love story and its talented cast (most notably leading men Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal), it's also drawn a bit of attention from a few nay-sayers who feel that the movie somehow misrepresents the long-iconic figure of the traditional Old West cowboy.
One Wyoming native, playwright Sandy Dixon, was quoted in an article in the Casper, Wyoming Star-Tribune newspaper, which was then widely reported in national media, claiming she had certainly never met a gay cowboy, and that "real cowboys" would dismiss the film as "hogwash." Dixon stated: "There is nothing better than plain old cowboys and the plain old history without embellishing it to suit everyone."
Authentic gay ranchers, who do in proof exist, whether Dixon knowingly met them or not, may beg to differ that the film doesn't embellish at all. One of them is Tracy Lehman. Lehman, who is now 38, was raised on

Gay Cowboy

2 Following

Bisexual shepherds, close enough.

The mythos of the American Old West, with its aura of ruggedness, danger and adventure, has appealed to many people over the years, including gay men. While they don't have quite as many stereotypical gay associations as sailors and leather-clad bikers, cowboys are nevertheless an important part of macho gay male iconography.

It's more about the look and experience of the cowboy than the facts, so these men can be set up in The Unrestrained West, but also in a Space Western, Cattle Punk, New Old West, Samurai Cowboy, or any other cowboy-flavored work.

This trope covers gay or bisexual men who are Western-flavored characters (ranchers, cattle hands, rodeo performer, and country singers) or just fans of the genre.

This is almost always a flavor of Manly Gay.

Examples:

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  • Jonah Hex:
    • In the series, Hex faces off against a Gay Cowboy who goes on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge against the town where his

      University Writing Program

      Out West: The Queer Sexuality of the American Cowboy and His Cultural Significance

      by Hana Klempnauer Miller

      Research Noun | UWS 53b Mythology of the American West | Eric Hollander | Fall &#;

      About this paper |&#;&#; This paper as PDF | MLA format

      Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal in a scene from&#;Brokeback Mountain.

      &#;

      Ask anyone who&#;s seen BrokebackMountain() to characterize the film in three words, and you&#;re almost certain to hear some variation of &#;gay cowboy love-story.&#;&#; While many have lauded the film, directed by Ang Lee, for its nuanced portrayal of two men&#;s complicated admire for each other, the film was subject to scathing criticism at the time of its release. Detractors, largely spearheaded by right-wing and religious groups, quickly and fervently deemed the film&#;s depiction of a homosexual couple immoral, evidence of an attempt to feminize men, and even anti-American. In many cases, critics honed in on the two leads &#; occupations as cowboys, challenging the existence of a &#;gay cowboy&#; in American history

      Gay Cowboys? Sure, Pardner.

      A FILM about two cowboys who verb horses, drive pick-up trucks and noun in love with each other has delighted Hollywood and sent a shiver of horror through America's religious heartland.

      But real-life gay cowboys and Wild West historians say that the plot of Brokeback Mountain -- an Oscar favourite after topping the Golden Globes nominations -- is nothing new.

      And in a claim that is likely to outrage many rural conservatives, they utter that homosexuality was an unspoken norm on the American frontier, where men were close and women were scarce.

      ''There they were, a couple of men, alone together in isolated frontier country, for weeks or sometimes months at a time,'' says Randy Jones, 53, who was the stetson-wearing, lasso-throwing gay cowboy in the Village People and who acted as an adviser on the film.

      ''The thought must have passed through their minds, even if they didn't act on it, because men are sexy animals. If that wasn't the case, there wouldn't be so much homosexual sex in prison.''

      There is growing evidence to support Jones's theory. As