Re: Tommy/TJ
"I'm sorry, are we talking about you or me, here? Because I could swear 'my father was right; I am pathetic' is my line," TJ teased. "That's not what I'm saying, though."
Turning, he propped his head up on his hand on the back of the couch. "Society has a part of it, but what I'm saying is that gay, straight, bi...there's no clear line a person can point to and say 'there! that's where one becomes the other'. Males do not represent two discrete populations, heterosexual and homosexual....The living world is a continuum in each and every one of its aspects. Kinsey wrote that in the introduction to his Heterosexual-Homosexual Rating Scale. Using his scale, I'm probably about a five, mostly gay with an occasional interest in women. I told my brother once that just because you get dealt the gay card it doesn't take breasts off the table.
"If you're starting to think you're attracted to a man -- and please tell me it's Queen because I'll have to start questioning your judgement if it's any of the other available men here. Well, maybe not if it's Doug. You don't stand a chance in hell, since he's definitely a zero on Kinsey's scale, but you'd have good taste. Anyway, if you're starting to be attracted to a man, it doesn't mean you're gay, either. I don't think Travis is gay, even though we're together. He's as gay as I am straight. Women are his preference, but occasionally he's attracted to men. And I'm just irresistible," he added with a smirk.
TJ thought for a moment before continuing. He wasn't sure about whether or not to say anything. But, in the end, maybe his fucked up experiences would help Tommy. The man was the closest thing TJ had to a friend by Travis' definition, even if they weren't all that close, defined as they had been by their world. "Look, if anyone knows how confusing it can be, it's me. When I came out...God, I was fourteen and didn't really understand anything. Gay, straight, it was all vague concepts and the social conversation was still only really beginning, even in the nineties. I didn't get that half the country would consider me the spawn of Satan and the other half a champion of gay rights. All I knew was that Joshua Billings had beautiful green eyes and lips that fueled a lot of teenage jerk-off fantasies. He didn't know how to keep his mouth shut once we got a taste of some of those fantasies. But, that's neither here nor there.
"The point is, it's confusing to suddenly find oneself attracted to someone you don't think you should be, whether that's because of gender or class or sheer irritating optimism. But, if it was just about sex and getting laid, there are single, available women here you could be attracted to instead."