Tristan Borders pushed up the queer codes as Young Kelvin Gemstone, but what about his other roles? With twink bottom and Cleveland c*ck

   

Link to the n*de photos

For a long time, I've been wanting to do a profile of Tristan Borders, who played the young Kelvin in the flashback episodes of The Righteous Gemstones, and gave us so many intentional and unintentional clues to Kelvin's identity -- more than Adam Devine himself, back when most fans were still yelling "He's not gay, just sensitive!"  

In the Season 2 flashback to 1993, four year old Kelvin has two dolls in his bedroom, and  a Muscle and Fitness cover taped to his wall.

In the Season 3 Interlude, a flashback to the summer of 2000, eleven-year old Kelvin complains that his sister forces him to come to the mall with her, to act as a distraction while she shoplifts.  She also criticizes him for having "a tiny little doll p*cker," starting an obsession with his size that will bedevil Kelvin through his life and, in 2023, make him reluctant to begin bedroom activities with his boyfriend Keefe.

Young Kelvin also wears a t-shirt with hibiscus flowers in the colors of the Pride Flag.

In the Season 4 Interlude, set in the summer of 2003, Young Kelvin is obviously gay, with a number of feminine mannerisms and an interest in teen idols.  He is a snob and a jerk, constantly denigrating his siblings and their friend Corey.  In a pivotal scene, he is alone in the house when Cobb breaks in to destroy things and steal the family heirloom Gold Bible.

Tristan doesn't have a social media presence, and there's no biographical information online, so all I can use for a profile are his other roles on the iMDB.

His career begins with two episodes of American Rust (2021), with a rust-belt police chief investigating the murder of flawed, troubled cop Pete Novick (Jim Frost, backside on RG Beefcake and Boyfriends).  Tristan plays Pete's son.

Then two episodes of The First Lady (2022), about three first ladies: Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford, and Michelle Obama. Tristan plays John Roosevelt (1916-91), young son of Franklin (queer actor Charlie Plummer) and Eleanor (gay in real life).

More after the break

Southern Gospel (2023) stars Max Ehrlich as a rock star who decides to become a preacher.  Tristan plays a little boy at a church service.

Left: There are some Max d*ck pics in his profile.

Then came six episodes of The Righteous Gemstones (2022-25).

The short One of Them (2024) comes from the Lakewood Young Filmmakers Academy in Cleveland, "Ohio's Premiere Film School for Kids and Teens!"  

So Tristan lives in Cleveland?

A Cleveland c*ck is posted on RG Beefcake and Boyfriends.

In the schoolyard, Tristan and his brother Gavin (5-year old Tommy Maximoff in Wandavision) are zapping bugs with a magnifying glass.  The teacher is irate: "How would you like it if somebody did that to you?"  Before they can answer, they are evaporated by a ray from a flying saucer.  The rest of the movie involves accusing a new girl of being "one of them."

Murdagh:A Death in the Family (2025) is a true crime miniseries. Alex Murdaugh (Jason Clarke), who will soon be accused of murdering his wife and his son Paul (Johnny Berchtold), has taken his family to a Caribbean resort.  He sees that Brady (Tristan) is afraid to jump into the pool, and coaxes him in.  Brady's Dad rushes over to congratulates him on being brave. Why weren't you the one coaxing him?

Tristan has a femme look, but he hasn't had many substantive roles outside of the Gemstones, so he hasn't had much opportunity to display queer codes.  I'm looking forward to Buddy, scheduled for a theatrical release in the fall of 2026.  Buddy is an orange humanoid unicorn who hosts a 1990s children's show.  Except the kids (including the now-teenage Tristan) have lost their memories of the outside world, and are trapped there forever. When Josh (Luke Speakman) is murdered, they realize that Buddy is actually a demonic being, and...I don't know what happens next, but I imagine that there's a lot of satire of the queer favorite Pee-Wee's Playhouse.  

And maybe some buddy-bonding. 

See also: Jett Klyne: The future bisexual superhero spends his teen years bodybuilding and dating guys. With two twink d*cks and an Ecuadorian dude

Max Ehrich: Disney Channel dancer, Dome hacker, gay soap opera teen -- wait, is that a different actor? At least the d*ck is really his

Luke Speakman: The femme bully of "Weapons" meets a lot of hunks, likes capybaras, plays a boy raised as a girl. With Dad and Dylan d*cks

Pee-Wee's Playhouse: Did somebody say "Swish"?