I was a teenager in the Southwest when Brokeback came out and I genuinely cannot stress how much of a THING it was. People talked about it constantly and how much they hated/love/was sick of hearing about it, theatres banned it, me and other closeted kids were desperate to get our hands on it, it's wild to think about even now, it was as if we'd been invaded by aliens or something. Sometimes I still think about how different it was compared to the representation we have now.
It was a national event wasn’t it? Radio stations were on about that movie for months. Around 2007, about a year and a half after it came out, I was nursing a hangover on the couch and caught it on HBO or Showtime or something. And it was actually a pretty good film. I remember thinking “Oh. So that’s it? Ok.” On the other hand it wasn’t something you’d show up at work the next day to tell everyone you saw it. And worse yet, enjoyed it. LOL. It’s cool and all that hang ups about gay people have gone away. But things have swung way too far to the other side. That if that movie were to premiere now if you didn’t have anything but applause and admiration for it you’d be tagged a bigot and ostracized by everyone. There’s got to be a middle ground, is what I’m saying.
Hey! Hey! Hey hey hey hey! Macho macho man - it's implied or overtly represented in the navy and prison constantly in popular/everyday culture...why not the West? It's so weird like, Jarheads too will freak the fuck out at the implication but navy? Well obviously that's different. Do you think it's because ground forces/cowboys have an endless supply of brown women to SA either in reality or in their heads? Like is that it? In a pinch if there were no Mexicans and Native Americans around, then pianoforte can-can dancing harlots were enough?
As a gay man living in the woods in the pacific northwest on a farm with my parents and some of my siblings in my state. I would definitely be comparing pistols with future boyfriend
this reminds me of my friend’s southern great grandpa who was obsessed with westerns and one day watched brokeback mountain and when my friend asked what he thought he just made a comment about how they were riding the horses wrong or smth lol
I would love a video on queer Natives. As a queer Native trying to deal with how I'm so easily accepted in my tribe yet the white world around me often disapproves, I think it could be helpful to get more info out there. Ps your videos are so good and well thought out and researched and I greatly appreciate you and what you do!
I heard lots and lots of talk about Brokeback Mountain when it first came out. When I finally got around to seeing it, I was shocked to find that one of the main characters gets murdered. That's how much the homophobic plot was erased from the discourse around this movie. All I'd heard was that it was a gay love story - not that it was a tragedy about the very real discrimination and violence that hangs over homosexual people in rural America. It's a much better movie for including that reality, but it's a crying shame that people still don't want to talk about that part.
I've known about Brokeback Mountain and it being a queer tragedy for what feels like forever, and yet I still was unaware hes actually straight up murdered
The entirety of the plot caught me by surprise because my sweet sweet grandma kept describing it only as a "movie with beautiful landscapes". When asked about the plot, she would just start going on about how there was a mountain in it (which felt self-explanatory to me)
@@anaischampignon4455 that's honestly pretty disturbing. Whether it be out of blatant homophobia or a desire to censor or make it "more palatable" for her to talk about, she was in denial of and said nothing about the core aspect that the ENTIRE movie revolves around.
I wanna say, your Queer History of the Old West, script and presentation, was among the top 5 YT content in the last 2 years for me and I watch tons, keep coming back to it a lot since. Good stuff.
@@picklejuice2 Not on the topic of queer wild west but there are other great queer content creators like Strange Aeons, Verily Bitchie, Contrapoints and Rowan Ellis with lots of fun topics to pick from! ☺
I was living in a tiny West Texas town when Broke Back Mtn came out. I remember arguing with a couple of friends who were laughing at the suggestion there was any such thing as a gay cowboy. Oh, both of them were in their dress-up cowboy costumes as well. Neither of them had ever worked cattle or could saddle a horse by themselves. I kept coming up with names they both knew, some of whom they had known were gay. They finally admitted there were gay ranchers who did indeed work cattle, but that was different they were born into the business. They didn't choose to be cowboys like real, straight cowboys. The myths don't die easily.
This is my first time leaving a comment I’ve been watching you for over a year now and I so appreciate your deep dives into these subjects being a bisexual male having lived through the 60s 70s 80s 90s 2000s and two present day. These stories really help me just live my truest life and for that I am very grateful. Keep doing what you’re doing.
It's weird to me. I grew up with a very revisionist view on homosexuality, my parents told me being gay was weird and a new thing. Figuring out how far back it goes, and how much more it makes sense from a history perspective, and how much it helped me come to terms with my own sexuality. It's really helping me personally.
Thank you for this video and the Queer Wild West video. As a nonbinary lesbian who only found my identity and sexuality after starting my career with horses and accepting that I was, in fact, raised in the south/country, and that I wasn't odd. I love seeing people adopt the customs and aesthetics of the times, and I feel like cowboys/cowgirls/cowfolk are just the icon of the queer community. It's hard work and powerful, yet elegant and ethereal. I shared your video as my official coming out to my non-immedeate family to show the community of horse-people that I was actually allowed to be in their space. You've done a lot for many people and I will always appreciate the hard work you've put into these videos. Thank you, truthfully.
My great uncle was in the navy in WW2 and when he was killed they sent home his shaving kit and a pile of photos he’d taken onboard the ship. There’s some normal pictures, but a lot of them are pretty weird. Not a lot of clothes, lots of jumping into pools from upper decks, dressing up in drag or as babies, etc.
I got a bunch of WWII negatives taken between 1938-45, one set stood out: it was on a battleship, the sailors were placing with what I assuming was a mannequin, wearing its clothes, and such. It was very strange to find.
Have you seen the show MASH? The part about the way war is depicted post WWII in media reminded me of it. It's a show made in the 70s but set during the Korean War (early 50s) in a MASH (mobile army surgical hospital) unit. The first few seasons are a comedy that didn't age the best, but in the last episode of season 3, the show completely shatters the expectations of a comedy and shows that war isn't funny. As the show goes on (11 seasons total) it shows more and more of the horror of war until the last episode is so gut wrenching that you'll never be the same. One of the most famous quotes from the show that illustrates the show's message in a pretty good way goes as follows: Hawkeye Pierce (a passionate surgeon and the main character): War isn't Hell. War is war, and Hell is Hell. And of the two, war is a lot worse. Father Mulcahy (the unit's chaplain): How do you figure, Hawkeye? Hawkeye: Easy, Father. Tell me, who goes to Hell? Father Mulcahy: Sinners, I believe. Hawkeye: Exactly. There are no innocent bystanders in Hell. War is chock full of them - little kids, cripples, old ladies. In fact, except for some of the brass, almost everybody involved is an innocent bystander.
I grew up watching that show because my parents love it and grew up in the 70s. As a child it was kinda silly and some parts were a little scary but I recall it being pretty influential for me as it made me see how horrible war really is even in a TV show.
That scene in Red River where the two guys lovingly inspect one another's guns is profoundly gay. I love the fact that they squeezed that one past the Hays Code.
Truly saddened you didn’t mention A Gunman Named Papaco ://// (THIS IS A JOKE BTW, it is a 80s Brazilian porn-comedy that parodies westerns, and became a meme around here in early 2010s.) Amazing video as always, receiving a notification for your channel is always a joy :)
Oh Kaz, I’m so sorry to hear about your rough time. Thank you for even posting anything at all. This video was very informative! I wish you a speedy recovery and my condolences. 💗
Glad to hear that. Although not for the same reasons, I also hated Power of the Dog so it was nice to hear anyone talk shit about it because I felt gaslit when I watched it and read the reviews
@@wookong1723 fair enough, maybe it's a strong word. But I saw so many folks praise the film, not to mention the oskars, and very few bad reviews that were dismissed with "you don't get high art" bullshit. I get it, I understand it. I just think it is very very bad and I felt like everyone was pranking me by saying it is great.
@@ettaz the film did not do well at the oscars if you see the number of wins awarded to it (or just the way it was being talked about at the ceremony), a lot of reviews against the film were also being obtuse about its themes. it's okay to dislike a film but all the backlash around that time was in the vein of "wah wah movie boring what about superhero punch punch" so critics had to double down on their takes. i personally enjoyed the film and thought the hate was really childish.
Your videos are literally the best. So well researched, argued, sourced and presented, you're a genius and top notch cosplayer. I'm always excited to watch a new Kaz Rowe doc :))
I absolutely love this channel!! I’ve been going on a marathon of all your videos and I can tell that so much effort is placed into researching a topic. As a straight cis white man myself, (and a person who loves the old west) these types of videos dispel the fantasies about that time period. For all of my life until THIS VIDEO I had believed being, queer, gay, bisexual, trans, etc was rare throughout history, that it was a more recent movement within the last 100 years. This really just makes me realize that times aren’t so different. That people then and now just wanted to live their lives the way they want. Free and happy. Thanks for fantastic videos!!!
I am almost 100% certain that sexuality among humans is "on a spectrum' of sexual practices and desires, and always has been I suppose. I believe there were many gay men and women in the old west!
Brokeback was so influential to me as a young queer person, I vividly remember waiting until my family wasn't home, watching it on Netflix, then anxiously playing about 10 other shows to try and bump it from the "recently watched" list 😂 I love watching your video essays, you have such a thorough research methodology while still managing to present less-discussed queer historical topics in a digestible way. Sending love from a fellow art school kid 💖
I watched brokeback mountain for the first time a few years ago and it instantly became one of my favourite films. From growing up in the 2000s, I expected it to be a lighthearted comedy since everyone seemed to just take the piss out of it for being gay, which is just astonishing given how heartbreaking of a movie it is. It’s really sad that society still reacts so negatively to gay media, even when it’s a genuine and vulnerable exploration of their experiences and the discrimination and hatred we’re forced to deal with
it isn't a movie, but i love the steven universe episode where ruby runs away and becomes a cowboy, trying to be the stereotypical "stoic, emotionless, solitary cowboy", but then realises she misses her girlfriend and goes home to propose to her.
Why had I never heard of Zachariah before? This movie is so right up my alley in every single level! Thank you so much for making me aware of it. It is now one of my favorite movies ever!
Now I want to see Zorro, The Gay Blade. It looks so camp, and so fun! Finally! A gay movie where one of the gay characters don't die of aids? All of my yes!
Or say "LatinO", the masculine form is the neutral form when its plural, in geral context it dosent mean that everyone is man Make our languages neutral in especific contexts is tolerable, its understandable Make our language neutral in geral context is just a way to anglicize it, its a subservient mindset
@@pedrocantovitz5247 Nah, it's not subservient at all. Wanting to change a language isn't anything new, we've been doing it for ages. Portuguese, for exemple, went for a major revision in the beginning of the 2010's. I agree with "latine", it sounds English and it won't sound as weird on "text to voice app converter" for blind people.
Nice to see Zorro the Gay Blade getting some love xD Not a perfect movie, but a very entertaining one, with a villain that absolutely goes to town on the scenery :D
I remember a line from a song by a group that appeared on MAD TV in the 90s. It went "Isn't it sad when you realize that all your heroes are gay or cowboys?" I guess our heroes are gay AND cowboys.
You posted this on my 70th birthday...just so you know that I'm coming from a time when gay liberation was a "new" thing. I think your take on Andy Warhol is unfair. Warhol, even though he never really came out, was enormously influential in bringing gay male sex on screen in a very up front way before anyone else. His influence on youth culture and on gay culture is highly underestimated. In my freshman year in college in Amherst in 1970, my now husband and I drove four hours to NYC to see "Trash", see it, LOVE it..and drive home to Amherst all in one day. That is how important he was to young gay people. Warhol was prescient, in that he understood, that gay culture was beginning to grow and would eventually blossom.
My condolences! Losing a family member is never easy. I'm so sorry you're sick on top of that, glad you got antibiotics. Be sure to take the time you need to rest! I for sure will still be here, you're one of my top five favorite youtubers.
Beautiful shirt, loved the outfit. Wish I had something like that. I love this type of content and long form essays too. They’re easy to listen to while doing chores
Proud of you and all you do. Hoping you are on the mend. The world needs more ravishingly handsome thinkers and artists like you. Thank you for helping everyone learn about these topics, but especially those of us who will one day be part of queer history. It's important for us to know about those that went before.
14:30 Navy vet here (2003-2009). While I was never on a sub or even a ship, if you ask men who did sub duty what happens down there, none of them will answer. Everyone one of them gets tight lipped. The phrase "what happens on the sub, stays in the sub," was common when i was in. So it's known that intimacy happens while at sea but they keep it quiet.
Ive been having a really rough day and seeing the lil blue mouse in the corner from bear in the big blue house, was really comforting. Completely lifted my mood. Your voice is also really soothing to listen to.
Thank you so much for saying "spoiler warning" even though the movies are old. So many people have an attitude like "it's so old, you've had plenty of time to see it" like, dude, I didn't know I wanted to until now?
I had a hyperfixation on brokeback mountain like right when you posted the original queer cowboy video, and while its pretty much died out I now know a lot about gay cowboys and am very excited for this video.
I grew up watching Zorro: The Gay Blade. My brother loved Zorro, and when he saw The Gay Blade, he was hooked. Whenever I had met people who hadn't seen it, I thought they were strange. And then explaining the plot to them and they'd give me weird reactions, I really thought they were strange. I never thought of it being a subject that people would have issues with. Guess that's what happens when you are young and raised in a household that teaches you to love everyone for who they are. Didn't learn until I was older, it was bc I have certain family members that abandoned their own children for not being their "ideal" children. It's honestly a great and terrible movie all rolled into one. Definitely one of my guilty pleasures as an adult. So glad it was included.
I'm so grateful for your continued work amongst such personal difficulties. Thank you, and please take care of yourself. I rave about your channel to anyone who will listen, and hope to learn more from you for a long time to come
This was a fantastic ride! Hope you're feeling better, nay, fabulously well soon! Fun bonus fact: I was a (very closeted gay) Mormon missionary stationed in the town of Fort Macleod, Alberta when a lot of the filming of Brokeback Mountain was happening there. To say I was intrigued would be an understatement! One of my now favorite movies -the music in Brokeback Mountain is SO GOOD.
Stumbled upon your channel and have absolutely fallen in love with it; the way you break down every single topic into specifics with so much care and consideration while talking about things on a broader context is absolutely fantastic, and I have learned so much from binge watching your videos. Something I would be REALLY keen to see you talk about is the queer subtexts within alternative subcultures (like punk/goth/emo/etc etc) - although it's not quite as historical, I feel like it's a topic you could talk about endlessly and I would adore to watch! Even things like how historical movements have influenced the creation of XYZ groups (Victorian mourning and goth/flapper girls and the parallels between egirls) would be so cool and interesting to hear you talk about. As I'm studying this topic for my master's, I have sources that may be of interest if you'd like me to share at all!
Fascinating video as always. Familiar with a couple referenced films, have a couple new ones on my list to watch (and whoa boy, understatement on the mess when brokeback came out, I'd transfered back to tidewater VA for school when that came out, and there were strong feelings in the land of Nascar and televangelists). Sorry to hear about everything going on, hopefully feel better soon.
Sorry to hear about your loss. ... and thank you for yet another awesome video. This one was super interesting, as always. Looking forward for your next one.
Never apologize for being sick or struggling (especially when it is grief)! The video is as great as always and I didn’t notice anything lacking. Take all the time you need (I know this video is a few weeks old but still!) your health is more important than putting out a video😅
Your insights/analysis of these topics are always a good way to refresh the way I think about media and pop culture (not my forte). My condolences on your loss and I hope you get better soon.
I always forget that Will Rogers was an actor. In my mind he's always the one of the two who died in a plane crash and got a OKC Airport named after him (the other being Wiley Post)
This was genuinely fascinating to me I didn’t ever really connect the dots of the wars on these movies and depictions - probably because I don’t watch any of them cause usually the racism etc makes me so mad - so thank you for educating me!! I’m doing psychosocial studies at uni and on several occasions I’ve like half quoted your videos to explain my points in class, and I’ve recommended your channel to literally everyone on my course. I’m doing a module involving film when I go back after the summer and I’m definitely going to be encouraging people to watch this!!!
Bravo! This is one of the best video essay on cinema in general, and on the hidden lgbtq culture within cinema in particular. It reminded me of why I studied film and why I love cinema as a social practice. Thank you Kaz!
31:46 You may freak out about hunky Dakota Johnson's dad Don Johnson, but I'm more excited to see a young John Rubinstein! His breakout TV show Crazy Like A Fox was a staple in my grandparent's household, alongside Matlock, Murder She Wrote, and Highway To Heaven, whose grouchy co-star Victor French bore an uncanny likeness to my grandpa.
You put in a lot of passion and effort into each of your videos and your strong moral justice to provide fair and equal representation in history, and I love that. And I’m thankful to have found your channel! Also all your outfits and decor are on point. Very engaging
Your work is just so awesome, seriously. Your comment about Belle Starr at 33:10 and cutting off the dramatic "ME!" made me have to pause the video for a bit xD I haven't laughed that much in a long time, haha. But sincerely, the care and attention to detail you put into researching and presenting these topics is wonderful, and your witty and silly humor is just top notch. Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
I went and saw calamity Jane in a musical retrospective in cinema, And HOT DANG was it a surprise and disturbing at that. The Kate Brown "woman's touch" number was the only thing I knew about it and it was so horrendously racist
my favorite queer cowboy movie is the brazilian movie "um pistoleiro chamado papaco" (a gunslinger called papaco (which would translate to something like "eatass")), it's a pornochanchada, which is a genre created in the 70s during the brazilian dictatorship that connects porn with humour and satire (it has a lot in common with burlesque) and has a lot to do with the sexual liberation movement the movie became a meme more than ten years ago and is a satire of django (1966) and it's famous for having a lot of iconic lines like: "what are you carrying in that coffing?" "a lot of shit" "and who did it?" "i bet it wasn't your mother's ass" *then papaco proceeds to kill four dudes and when their wife asks if she can go with him now that he killed all her husbands he makes it implicit that he prefers men
I know this video can only mention so many movies, but MAN if Desert Hearts (1985) isn't such a guilty pleasure for me. maybe just because Patricia Charbonneau looked like an other-era KStew and because it didn't beat me over the head with homophobia. still a very pretty and atmospheric movie for anyone wanting some good ol' Nevadan lesbian ranchers (yeehaw)
Have you ever done or thought of doing an essay on the representation of gay gangsters or criminals in film? Specifically, something like "Burnt Money"??? Amazing film, based in part on a true event.
I finally saw Johnny Guitar after really only knowing it through Godard using the lie to me scene in his montage films. It's absolutely stellar and people should check it out.
I‘m a student of German Literature and in this year‘s seminar, we are reading about how war is described in literature before WW2. There’s lots of homosexual subtext in these novels and poems, too… and a weird sexualization of weapons.
I loved your analysis on "Red River", one of my favorite Westerns since Monty beats up John Wayne. Also as a side note Monty also had relationships with women too, i.e., Libby Holman , Judy Balaban, and Phyllis Thaxter. While we don't know how he would label himself, his relationships with both men and women were important. His brother Brooks said he might've been bisexual. I recommend to anyone "Making Montgomery Clift", made by his nephew and how it dismantles rumors about Monty, which was not uncommon for many other queer Hollywood stars to have rumors thrown at them.
Wonderful! What a great job! I would be interested in knowing how Lust In the Dust mixes into all of this, especially as a bridge between Zorro and Brokeback. In regards to the Lavender Scare, be sure to check out the just released book Secret City about Gay Washington D.C.
something about the line "while our identity names are modern, our shared experiences are very old" really just hit me so deeply
I was a teenager in the Southwest when Brokeback came out and I genuinely cannot stress how much of a THING it was. People talked about it constantly and how much they hated/love/was sick of hearing about it, theatres banned it, me and other closeted kids were desperate to get our hands on it, it's wild to think about even now, it was as if we'd been invaded by aliens or something. Sometimes I still think about how different it was compared to the representation we have now.
Brokeback mountain was one of the first gay movies I watched
It was a national event wasn’t it? Radio stations were on about that movie for months. Around 2007, about a year and a half after it came out, I was nursing a hangover on the couch and caught it on HBO or Showtime or something. And it was actually a pretty good film. I remember thinking “Oh. So that’s it? Ok.” On the other hand it wasn’t something you’d show up at work the next day to tell everyone you saw it. And worse yet, enjoyed it. LOL. It’s cool and all that hang ups about gay people have gone away. But things have swung way too far to the other side. That if that movie were to premiere now if you didn’t have anything but applause and admiration for it you’d be tagged a bigot and ostracized by everyone. There’s got to be a middle ground, is what I’m saying.
Yeah the beginning of the rot
@@ParagonRexAw... Big scary gays got your bible belt all tightened!
@@JDG81-r3b Shut up groomer
The fact people think that thousands of men living and working together, and all of them were straight and white is wild.
It really is telling
Hey! Hey! Hey hey hey hey! Macho macho man - it's implied or overtly represented in the navy and prison constantly in popular/everyday culture...why not the West? It's so weird like, Jarheads too will freak the fuck out at the implication but navy? Well obviously that's different. Do you think it's because ground forces/cowboys have an endless supply of brown women to SA either in reality or in their heads? Like is that it? In a pinch if there were no Mexicans and Native Americans around, then pianoforte can-can dancing harlots were enough?
"Have womz will rapez"? That's gotta be it, right? It's only in the navy or prison where forcing women is not possible that it occurs to people.
Facts.
99.9% of them were straight. Your personal fantasies aren't reality.
As a gay dude, "Testing each other's pistol" has to be the gayest subcontext I have ever turned red and giggled at ☺️😅😂🤣!
Same!!! 😭
As a gay man living in the woods in the pacific northwest on a farm with my parents and some of my siblings in my state. I would definitely be comparing pistols with future boyfriend
Thank you for the image, very cute 🥰
🥰🤣
this reminds me of my friend’s southern great grandpa who was obsessed with westerns and one day watched brokeback mountain and when my friend asked what he thought he just made a comment about how they were riding the horses wrong or smth lol
Him: Oh they were gay? Thats whatever, they didn’t ride the horses right though, that pissed me off.
@@scars_babygirl honestly, that's the most pissed farm grandad thing to say about a movie, though.
🤣
I would love a video on queer Natives. As a queer Native trying to deal with how I'm so easily accepted in my tribe yet the white world around me often disapproves, I think it could be helpful to get more info out there.
Ps your videos are so good and well thought out and researched and I greatly appreciate you and what you do!
You are very lucky you where never born in an aboriginal Australian tribe.
After learning about the Two Spirits, I would like to know more
That sounds like a fascinating topic. I'm always interested in how cultures other than my own treat what I'd call queerness.
This, please!!!
There is a two spirit caracter,in "Little Big man",Not a major player though.
I heard lots and lots of talk about Brokeback Mountain when it first came out. When I finally got around to seeing it, I was shocked to find that one of the main characters gets murdered. That's how much the homophobic plot was erased from the discourse around this movie. All I'd heard was that it was a gay love story - not that it was a tragedy about the very real discrimination and violence that hangs over homosexual people in rural America. It's a much better movie for including that reality, but it's a crying shame that people still don't want to talk about that part.
Same it fucking sucks and u can't really recommend it to gay ppl to b honest... it's more for heteros to show them what gay ppl can go through.
I've known about Brokeback Mountain and it being a queer tragedy for what feels like forever, and yet I still was unaware hes actually straight up murdered
The entirety of the plot caught me by surprise because my sweet sweet grandma kept describing it only as a "movie with beautiful landscapes". When asked about the plot, she would just start going on about how there was a mountain in it (which felt self-explanatory to me)
I loved your comment and talking about that ending is the most painful part and I agree with you but also sympathize
@@anaischampignon4455 that's honestly pretty disturbing. Whether it be out of blatant homophobia or a desire to censor or make it "more palatable" for her to talk about, she was in denial of and said nothing about the core aspect that the ENTIRE movie revolves around.
I saw the title and LAUNCHED into here I can't wait
fancy seeing you here 😎
I got so excited when I saw your name that I snorted
Omg i just came from your video to this one!
same
Kuncaaaaaaan, what are you doing here?
I wanna say, your Queer History of the Old West, script and presentation, was among the top 5 YT content in the last 2 years for me and I watch tons, keep coming back to it a lot since. Good stuff.
The Old Wet 😭
@@SaintShion Oop, lol xD
YES
Got any other fav videos on the topic??
@@picklejuice2 Not on the topic of queer wild west but there are other great queer content creators like Strange Aeons, Verily Bitchie, Contrapoints and Rowan Ellis with lots of fun topics to pick from! ☺
My Dad, a short, cute, and straight guy, complained about getting hit on *a lot* during his time in the navy, in the late 50’s.
My dad served in the early fifties, same deal. The USS Constellation was notorious. The gay crew called themselves ‘The Connie Girls.’
I was living in a tiny West Texas town when Broke Back Mtn came out. I remember arguing with a couple of friends who were laughing at the suggestion there was any such thing as a gay cowboy. Oh, both of them were in their dress-up cowboy costumes as well. Neither of them had ever worked cattle or could saddle a horse by themselves. I kept coming up with names they both knew, some of whom they had known were gay. They finally admitted there were gay ranchers who did indeed work cattle, but that was different they were born into the business. They didn't choose to be cowboys like real, straight cowboys. The myths don't die easily.
This is my first time leaving a comment I’ve been watching you for over a year now and I so appreciate your deep dives into these subjects being a bisexual male having lived through the 60s 70s 80s 90s 2000s and two present day. These stories really help me just live my truest life and for that I am very grateful. Keep doing what you’re doing.
It's weird to me. I grew up with a very revisionist view on homosexuality, my parents told me being gay was weird and a new thing. Figuring out how far back it goes, and how much more it makes sense from a history perspective, and how much it helped me come to terms with my own sexuality. It's really helping me personally.
I worry a lot about how many people are growing up that way these days. Congrats on doing your own research!
❤🏳️🌈❤️
Yay!!! Gay pirates, gay cowboys, what historical archetype will we discuss the queerness of next?
Maybe sapphic princesses? Sapphic fairies? Sapphic elves?
Well, Kaz just made multiple mentions of sailors! :)
Gay royals? Red White and Royal Blue has started filming already
Spartans
I want to live to see the day of gay space alien interspecies marriage rights!
Thank you for this video and the Queer Wild West video. As a nonbinary lesbian who only found my identity and sexuality after starting my career with horses and accepting that I was, in fact, raised in the south/country, and that I wasn't odd. I love seeing people adopt the customs and aesthetics of the times, and I feel like cowboys/cowgirls/cowfolk are just the icon of the queer community. It's hard work and powerful, yet elegant and ethereal. I shared your video as my official coming out to my non-immedeate family to show the community of horse-people that I was actually allowed to be in their space. You've done a lot for many people and I will always appreciate the hard work you've put into these videos. Thank you, truthfully.
Oh jeez, this is beautiful 😭 How did your family respond to seeing that you are part of that history?
My great uncle was in the navy in WW2 and when he was killed they sent home his shaving kit and a pile of photos he’d taken onboard the ship. There’s some normal pictures, but a lot of them are pretty weird. Not a lot of clothes, lots of jumping into pools from upper decks, dressing up in drag or as babies, etc.
Sounds like the Shellback ceremony, a celebration/hazing ritual when you cross over the equator.
I got a bunch of WWII negatives taken between 1938-45, one set stood out: it was on a battleship, the sailors were placing with what I assuming was a mannequin, wearing its clothes, and such. It was very strange to find.
Have you seen the show MASH? The part about the way war is depicted post WWII in media reminded me of it. It's a show made in the 70s but set during the Korean War (early 50s) in a MASH (mobile army surgical hospital) unit. The first few seasons are a comedy that didn't age the best, but in the last episode of season 3, the show completely shatters the expectations of a comedy and shows that war isn't funny. As the show goes on (11 seasons total) it shows more and more of the horror of war until the last episode is so gut wrenching that you'll never be the same. One of the most famous quotes from the show that illustrates the show's message in a pretty good way goes as follows:
Hawkeye Pierce (a passionate surgeon and the main character): War isn't Hell. War is war, and Hell is Hell. And of the two, war is a lot worse.
Father Mulcahy (the unit's chaplain): How do you figure, Hawkeye?
Hawkeye: Easy, Father. Tell me, who goes to Hell?
Father Mulcahy: Sinners, I believe.
Hawkeye: Exactly. There are no innocent bystanders in Hell. War is chock full of them - little kids, cripples, old ladies. In fact, except for some of the brass, almost everybody involved is an innocent bystander.
Check out the lyrics of the title song from the movie! Needless to say, not used for TV!
I grew up watching that show because my parents love it and grew up in the 70s. As a child it was kinda silly and some parts were a little scary but I recall it being pretty influential for me as it made me see how horrible war really is even in a TV show.
😯😳
That scene in Red River where the two guys lovingly inspect one another's guns is profoundly gay. I love the fact that they squeezed that one past the Hays Code.
Came back from the ER, on two antibiotics, after a death in the family... Still records a phenomenal narration. Absolute legend!
Truly saddened you didn’t mention A Gunman Named Papaco :////
(THIS IS A JOKE BTW, it is a 80s Brazilian porn-comedy that parodies westerns, and became a meme around here in early 2010s.)
Amazing video as always, receiving a notification for your channel is always a joy :)
When I tell you I *screamed* lol
*_Cara, n brinca com o perigo assim_*
Hold on now, it may be a joke, but I now need to see this porrn comedy.
@@joseybryant7577 Want a link? I think its in youtube
muito triste o apagamento de um dos maiores filmes nacionais😔✊
Oh Kaz, I’m so sorry to hear about your rough time. Thank you for even posting anything at all. This video was very informative! I wish you a speedy recovery and my condolences. 💗
By the way: Elliott later apologized for his homophobic remarks about the movie and especially to the LGBTQ+ community.
Oh that's nice : ) not saying anyone has an obligation to accept his apology, but as an lgbtq+ person that made me feel a little lighter.
Glad to hear that. Although not for the same reasons, I also hated Power of the Dog so it was nice to hear anyone talk shit about it because I felt gaslit when I watched it and read the reviews
@@ettaz someone having a different opinion as you is not gaslighting.
@@wookong1723 fair enough, maybe it's a strong word. But I saw so many folks praise the film, not to mention the oskars, and very few bad reviews that were dismissed with "you don't get high art" bullshit. I get it, I understand it. I just think it is very very bad and I felt like everyone was pranking me by saying it is great.
@@ettaz the film did not do well at the oscars if you see the number of wins awarded to it (or just the way it was being talked about at the ceremony), a lot of reviews against the film were also being obtuse about its themes. it's okay to dislike a film but all the backlash around that time was in the vein of "wah wah movie boring what about superhero punch punch" so critics had to double down on their takes. i personally enjoyed the film and thought the hate was really childish.
Your videos are literally the best. So well researched, argued, sourced and presented, you're a genius and top notch cosplayer. I'm always excited to watch a new Kaz Rowe doc :))
33:14 "You don't want him anyways, you want me! ME!-"
That made me burst out laughing.
your videos never fail to scratch that itch in my brain. i sincerely thank you
I absolutely love this channel!! I’ve been going on a marathon of all your videos and I can tell that so much effort is placed into researching a topic.
As a straight cis white man myself, (and a person who loves the old west) these types of videos dispel the fantasies about that time period. For all of my life until THIS VIDEO I had believed being, queer, gay, bisexual, trans, etc was rare throughout history, that it was a more recent movement within the last 100 years. This really just makes me realize that times aren’t so different. That people then and now just wanted to live their lives the way they want. Free and happy. Thanks for fantastic videos!!!
I am almost 100% certain that sexuality among humans is "on a spectrum' of sexual practices and desires, and always has been I suppose.
I believe there were many gay men and women in the old west!
Brokeback was so influential to me as a young queer person, I vividly remember waiting until my family wasn't home, watching it on Netflix, then anxiously playing about 10 other shows to try and bump it from the "recently watched" list 😂 I love watching your video essays, you have such a thorough research methodology while still managing to present less-discussed queer historical topics in a digestible way. Sending love from a fellow art school kid 💖
Kaz, please rest if you need to. We all want you to be happy and healthy!
I watched brokeback mountain for the first time a few years ago and it instantly became one of my favourite films. From growing up in the 2000s, I expected it to be a lighthearted comedy since everyone seemed to just take the piss out of it for being gay, which is just astonishing given how heartbreaking of a movie it is. It’s really sad that society still reacts so negatively to gay media, even when it’s a genuine and vulnerable exploration of their experiences and the discrimination and hatred we’re forced to deal with
me too! i watched it recently and it absolutely broke my heart. i cried so much 😭. i didn’t expect it at all.
it isn't a movie, but i love the steven universe episode where ruby runs away and becomes a cowboy, trying to be the stereotypical "stoic, emotionless, solitary cowboy", but then realises she misses her girlfriend and goes home to propose to her.
lol that episode is awesome :)
This ol',
Ruby Rider....
Is Ruby Ridin' alooone
❤
Why had I never heard of Zachariah before? This movie is so right up my alley in every single level! Thank you so much for making me aware of it. It is now one of my favorite movies ever!
Now I want to see Zorro, The Gay Blade. It looks so camp, and so fun! Finally! A gay movie where one of the gay characters don't die of aids? All of my yes!
I saw it when it was in theaters. Lots of fun. And yes, George Hamilton was known (and sometimes ridiculed) for his deep tan.
Saying "they've gone and killed John Wayne with this movie" isnt the condemnation they think it is
pretty sure The Conqueror was the movie that killed John Wayne
41:30 I recommend referring to the community at “Latine” rather than “Latinx” as the latter wasn’t made by/for Spanish speaking folks /gen :)
Or say "LatinO", the masculine form is the neutral form when its plural, in geral context it dosent mean that everyone is man
Make our languages neutral in especific contexts is tolerable, its understandable
Make our language neutral in geral context is just a way to anglicize it, its a subservient mindset
@@pedrocantovitz5247 Nah, it's not subservient at all. Wanting to change a language isn't anything new, we've been doing it for ages. Portuguese, for exemple, went for a major revision in the beginning of the 2010's.
I agree with "latine", it sounds English and it won't sound as weird on "text to voice app converter" for blind people.
I call them Little Latinlupelou’s.
Nice to see Zorro the Gay Blade getting some love xD Not a perfect movie, but a very entertaining one, with a villain that absolutely goes to town on the scenery :D
It just made my Wanna See list!
I remember a line from a song by a group that appeared on MAD TV in the 90s. It went "Isn't it sad when you realize that all your heroes are gay or cowboys?" I guess our heroes are gay AND cowboys.
You posted this on my 70th birthday...just so you know that I'm coming from a time when gay liberation was a "new" thing. I think your take on Andy Warhol is unfair. Warhol, even though he never really came out, was enormously influential in bringing gay male sex on screen in a very up front way before anyone else. His influence on youth culture and on gay culture is highly underestimated. In my freshman year in college in Amherst in 1970, my now husband and I drove four hours to NYC to see "Trash", see it, LOVE it..and drive home to Amherst all in one day. That is how important he was to young gay people. Warhol was prescient, in that he understood, that gay culture was beginning to grow and would eventually blossom.
My condolences! Losing a family member is never easy. I'm so sorry you're sick on top of that, glad you got antibiotics. Be sure to take the time you need to rest! I for sure will still be here, you're one of my top five favorite youtubers.
It made me so happy to see you talk about Zorro The Gay Blade! It was formative to my younger years. I watched it about 100 times when I was 5. Lol
Beautiful shirt, loved the outfit. Wish I had something like that. I love this type of content and long form essays too. They’re easy to listen to while doing chores
I saw Zachariah YEARS ago--- so long ago, I kinda forgot that I saw it & how much I loved it. Thanks for the reminder!
You say you had more to say so I’m letting you know I would be very interested in a part two
Proud of you and all you do. Hoping you are on the mend. The world needs more ravishingly handsome thinkers and artists like you. Thank you for helping everyone learn about these topics, but especially those of us who will one day be part of queer history. It's important for us to know about those that went before.
44:52 reminds me of how people say, “if you don’t have a gay cousin, it’s you?” Well, if you ain’t never met no gay cowboy…
Hope you're doing well, and that you have all the support you need to get through this difficult time!
I've never clicked a notification so fast!! Been looking forward to this one 💜 I love your videos Kaz, please keep up the good work!!
Sorry for your loss. And hope you're health gets better soon, too.
Stellar video as always. You're turning into one of my most favourite youtubers!
14:30 Navy vet here (2003-2009). While I was never on a sub or even a ship, if you ask men who did sub duty what happens down there, none of them will answer. Everyone one of them gets tight lipped. The phrase "what happens on the sub, stays in the sub," was common when i was in. So it's known that intimacy happens while at sea but they keep it quiet.
Ive been having a really rough day and seeing the lil blue mouse in the corner from bear in the big blue house, was really comforting. Completely lifted my mood. Your voice is also really soothing to listen to.
Thank you so much for saying "spoiler warning" even though the movies are old. So many people have an attitude like "it's so old, you've had plenty of time to see it" like, dude, I didn't know I wanted to until now?
I had a hyperfixation on brokeback mountain like right when you posted the original queer cowboy video, and while its pretty much died out I now know a lot about gay cowboys and am very excited for this video.
I grew up watching Zorro: The Gay Blade. My brother loved Zorro, and when he saw The Gay Blade, he was hooked. Whenever I had met people who hadn't seen it, I thought they were strange. And then explaining the plot to them and they'd give me weird reactions, I really thought they were strange. I never thought of it being a subject that people would have issues with. Guess that's what happens when you are young and raised in a household that teaches you to love everyone for who they are. Didn't learn until I was older, it was bc I have certain family members that abandoned their own children for not being their "ideal" children. It's honestly a great and terrible movie all rolled into one. Definitely one of my guilty pleasures as an adult. So glad it was included.
Gay Blade is a GREAT movie (well, so bad it's good), not to mention funny AF.
I loved the zorro universe growing up. I've never heard of gay blade but this is definitely on my to watch at the weekend list now
I'm so grateful for your continued work amongst such personal difficulties. Thank you, and please take care of yourself. I rave about your channel to anyone who will listen, and hope to learn more from you for a long time to come
I didn't know how badly I needed queer cowboys until I discovered your content
This was a fantastic ride! Hope you're feeling better, nay, fabulously well soon!
Fun bonus fact: I was a (very closeted gay) Mormon missionary stationed in the town of Fort Macleod, Alberta when a lot of the filming of Brokeback Mountain was happening there. To say I was intrigued would be an understatement! One of my now favorite movies -the music in Brokeback Mountain is SO GOOD.
Stumbled upon your channel and have absolutely fallen in love with it; the way you break down every single topic into specifics with so much care and consideration while talking about things on a broader context is absolutely fantastic, and I have learned so much from binge watching your videos.
Something I would be REALLY keen to see you talk about is the queer subtexts within alternative subcultures (like punk/goth/emo/etc etc) - although it's not quite as historical, I feel like it's a topic you could talk about endlessly and I would adore to watch! Even things like how historical movements have influenced the creation of XYZ groups (Victorian mourning and goth/flapper girls and the parallels between egirls) would be so cool and interesting to hear you talk about. As I'm studying this topic for my master's, I have sources that may be of interest if you'd like me to share at all!
Fascinating video as always. Familiar with a couple referenced films, have a couple new ones on my list to watch (and whoa boy, understatement on the mess when brokeback came out, I'd transfered back to tidewater VA for school when that came out, and there were strong feelings in the land of Nascar and televangelists).
Sorry to hear about everything going on, hopefully feel better soon.
Sorry to hear about your loss.
... and thank you for yet another awesome video. This one was super interesting, as always. Looking forward for your next one.
I just love this page; you’re so captivating in explaining your various subjects.
Never apologize for being sick or struggling (especially when it is grief)! The video is as great as always and I didn’t notice anything lacking. Take all the time you need (I know this video is a few weeks old but still!) your health is more important than putting out a video😅
Your insights/analysis of these topics are always a good way to refresh the way I think about media and pop culture (not my forte).
My condolences on your loss and I hope you get better soon.
I'm delighted every time one of your video essays comes out. Excellent work as always. I hope you feel better soon.
Loved the outfit today, as always
Sorry for your loss, Kaz. Hope you feel better and have some peace and joy in your life.
Just what I needed today 👌🏻
Also please take care of yourself and don't feel pressured to release videos when so much is going on in your life 💜
I always forget that Will Rogers was an actor. In my mind he's always the one of the two who died in a plane crash and got a OKC Airport named after him (the other being Wiley Post)
This was genuinely fascinating to me I didn’t ever really connect the dots of the wars on these movies and depictions - probably because I don’t watch any of them cause usually the racism etc makes me so mad - so thank you for educating me!! I’m doing psychosocial studies at uni and on several occasions I’ve like half quoted your videos to explain my points in class, and I’ve recommended your channel to literally everyone on my course. I’m doing a module involving film when I go back after the summer and I’m definitely going to be encouraging people to watch this!!!
this is the video that introduced me not only to this amazing channel but also Zachariah and for that I am forever grateful
Thank you Kaz, for making this video despite everything going on. I hope you'll feel better soon. ❤️
Bravo! This is one of the best video essay on cinema in general, and on the hidden lgbtq culture within cinema in particular. It reminded me of why I studied film and why I love cinema as a social practice. Thank you Kaz!
31:46 You may freak out about hunky Dakota Johnson's dad Don Johnson, but I'm more excited to see a young John Rubinstein! His breakout TV show Crazy Like A Fox was a staple in my grandparent's household, alongside Matlock, Murder She Wrote, and Highway To Heaven, whose grouchy co-star Victor French bore an uncanny likeness to my grandpa.
You put in a lot of passion and effort into each of your videos and your strong moral justice to provide fair and equal representation in history, and I love that. And I’m thankful to have found your channel! Also all your outfits and decor are on point. Very engaging
That mountain broke that back🥁
Thank you for hanging and teaching me history while I paint!
Your work is just so awesome, seriously. Your comment about Belle Starr at 33:10 and cutting off the dramatic "ME!" made me have to pause the video for a bit xD I haven't laughed that much in a long time, haha. But sincerely, the care and attention to detail you put into researching and presenting these topics is wonderful, and your witty and silly humor is just top notch. Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
Hope you heal soon, and my condolences. Thank you for all the work you do to raise our consciousness.
I went and saw calamity Jane in a musical retrospective in cinema, And HOT DANG was it a surprise and disturbing at that. The Kate Brown "woman's touch" number was the only thing I knew about it and it was so horrendously racist
14:13 always hits me in the heart. That scene is so pure and warm and beautiful. I love it
Thank you, Zackariah was great film, I just watched it due to you. 💜👍🏻🏳🌈
Lined up, Zorro, the gay blade for later now too. Looks fun. Cheers!
This was also great, by the way.
What a treat.
It was gay & joyful.!
I do appreciate how intellectually humble you are despite knowing almost everything. Keep up the excellent work! I'm glad the algorithm showed me you!
my favorite queer cowboy movie is the brazilian movie "um pistoleiro chamado papaco" (a gunslinger called papaco (which would translate to something like "eatass")), it's a pornochanchada, which is a genre created in the 70s during the brazilian dictatorship that connects porn with humour and satire (it has a lot in common with burlesque) and has a lot to do with the sexual liberation movement
the movie became a meme more than ten years ago and is a satire of django (1966) and it's famous for having a lot of iconic lines like:
"what are you carrying in that coffing?"
"a lot of shit"
"and who did it?"
"i bet it wasn't your mother's ass"
*then papaco proceeds to kill four dudes and when their wife asks if she can go with him now that he killed all her husbands he makes it implicit that he prefers men
sex exploitation is the English speaking form of porno chanchada (with doesn't literally translates to that, rather it's the similar film genre)
@@natewlia it's nice to know, never heard about it before!!
I still remember cry-laughing watching this scene. Thank you, I wouldn't have made the connection.
I havent even watched Zachariah but seeing you talk about it made me cry a lil?? And now I gotta find this movie.
I know this video can only mention so many movies, but MAN if Desert Hearts (1985) isn't such a guilty pleasure for me. maybe just because Patricia Charbonneau looked like an other-era KStew and because it didn't beat me over the head with homophobia. still a very pretty and atmospheric movie for anyone wanting some good ol' Nevadan lesbian ranchers (yeehaw)
Hi Kaz, thank you for the great video as always! I wish you the best of health and want to offer my condolences
Have you ever done or thought of doing an essay on the representation of gay gangsters or criminals in film? Specifically, something like "Burnt Money"??? Amazing film, based in part on a true event.
You’re one of my favorite creators ! Hope you’re feeling better !
I finally saw Johnny Guitar after really only knowing it through Godard using the lie to me scene in his montage films. It's absolutely stellar and people should check it out.
This channel has been teaching me soo much about history. Thank you for sharing, hope you get better soon!
I just wanted to say I really love your videos! the topics are always very interesting and entertaining
yay I've been so anticipating a new video from you! :) and your outfit is sharp as always!
What a fascinating video! I've never really watched any westerns, but I feel like I have a list of recommendations now.
I‘m a student of German Literature and in this year‘s seminar, we are reading about how war is described in literature before WW2. There’s lots of homosexual subtext in these novels and poems, too… and a weird sexualization of weapons.
I loved your analysis on "Red River", one of my favorite Westerns since Monty beats up John Wayne.
Also as a side note Monty also had relationships with women too, i.e., Libby Holman , Judy Balaban, and Phyllis Thaxter. While we don't know how he would label himself, his relationships with both men and women were important. His brother Brooks said he might've been bisexual. I recommend to anyone "Making Montgomery Clift", made by his nephew and how it dismantles rumors about Monty, which was not uncommon for many other queer Hollywood stars to have rumors thrown at them.
Hello and good afternoon, I hope that you are having a splendid day. The notification of a new video from you just made my day. Thank you.
After binging your content recently, I was extremely excited for this.
sorry about your loss kaz :( hope you recover quickly & feel better !!
Wonderful! What a great job! I would be interested in knowing how Lust In the Dust mixes into all of this, especially as a bridge between Zorro and Brokeback. In regards to the Lavender Scare, be sure to check out the just released book Secret City about Gay Washington D.C.
Thank you for your channel, your candid delivery, and all your research. You're much appreciated.
Yay, this is the content I love to learn. Thank you, Kaz Rowe.
I really adore your diction! Your analysis are always so complete, fair and nuanced. Very enjoyable!