The Gay Connection of Julio Iglesias and Sons

Julio Iglesias is a famous singer in Spain and Latin America, with dozens of gold and platinum albums.

I knew him primarily from a series of duets performed in the 1980s with an eclectic assortment of American stars:

"All of You" with Diana Ross
"The Air that I Breathe" with the Beach Boys
"To All the Girls I've Loved Before" with Willie Nelson
"My Love" with Stevie Wonder

They were all very heterosexist, but what did you expect of popular music in the 1980s?

Not much gay connection, although he was a guest star on an episode of The Golden Girls, and once he said: "If I was gay, I would be the best gay in history."  I wonder what his criteria for gay excellence would be?

Well, maybe there's a gay connection in his sons.

The older, Julio Iglesias Jr. (born in 1973), got his start as a model, and now is an actor and singer.  He appeared as Luis on the tv series Hacienda Heights, a bilingual telenovela about a Los Angeles family.

The younger, Enrique (born in 1975), has followed in his father's footsteps to become one of the biggest stars in Latin America.

He has been the subject of gay rumors, so he responded with a post on Facebook:

"I try to make good songs and that are fun. Either way, what is the problem with there being many gay singers? There are many gay people that must be respected … the truth is that most people are good and human."

It's nice to know that most people are good and human, gay or not, but not a lot of gay connection there.

Wait -- Julio Sr. is married to a cousin of famed actor Steve McQueen, making Julio Jr. and Enrique second cousins of his grandson, gay actor and model Steven R. McQueen.

There's always a gay cousin or uncle somewhere in the family tree.

See also: Steve McQueen's Hunky Family Tree.

Recreating Childhood Photographs: The Homoerotic and the Heartbreaking

Have you heard of the fad for recreating old childhood photographs?  The ones your parents took of you in "cute," embarrassing situations, like taking a bath with your brothers?

As adults, you try to match the setting, costumes, positions, and facial expressions, and recast the picture.

The blogosphere tags the results as "hilarious," but sometimes they are decidedly homoerotic.

The nude body contact that is cute and innocent with little kids heats up very quickly with adults.  Even with the weird facial expressions.

Muscular, bearded adults frolicking in a tub look decidedly like lovers.

But sometimes that dazed childhood expression becomes depressing in an adult, as if he's looking back on his life, wondering how so many years managed to slip by unnoticed.










And when the "kids" were already grown up, with biceps and baskets, the recreations show the ravages of time, as muscle turns to fat, heads become bald, faces become gaunt.

Sic transit gloria mundi.

Oh, well, back to the homoerotic.

Homophobic Dog with a Blog: The Disney Channel's Worst Show

The Disney Channel used to be better than Nickelodeon in airing teencoms with gay subtexts, but the last couple of years, it's been slipping.  Of the current crop, the only shows of much interest to gay kids are Austin & Allie (with Ross Lynch, who adds a gay subtext to everything) and Liv & Maddie (with Joey Bragg as the gay-vague older brother).  I heard that Good Luck Charlie will be getting a "real" gay couple sometime this season.  The other programs, like Jessie, are unremittingly heterosexist.

Take Dog with a Blog (2011-) -- please.

It's a standard "my secret" sitcom about a talking dog, Stan (voiced by Stephen Fuller), who uses the anonymity of the internet to write a blog about his family's adventures.  The family, blended to provide conflict, consists of Mom and Dad, 13-year old Avery (G. Hannelius, a girl), 16-year old Tyler (Blake Michael, #8 on my list of Unexpected Disney Channel Teen Hunks), and the preteen Chloe.

Avery is the focus, so the recurring characters consist mostly of her friends, plus her evil nemesis, Karl Fink (LJ Benet), who suspects the secret.

Homophobia: Lots.  Karl is a mincing, swishy, "quel domage!" homophobic stereotype.

Beefcake: none.  Blake Michael, shown here partying with his buds, Eric Unger (Billy Unger's brother) and Mateus Ward (whose homophobic agent asked me to take down his post), is always fully clothed on camera.

Joe Larry Campbell plays Tyler's boss, The Hawk.

Bonding: maybe a little between Avery and her bff Lindsay.  Other than that, Tyler keeps crushing on girls, Avery keeps crushing on guys.

Gay symbolism: Stan the Dog, the outsider masquerading as "normal," constantly in danger of discovery.  Maybe a little.

Do you think the problem is co-creator Philip Stark, who was also responsible for the homophobic Dude Where's My Car (2000)?