Read Online Three Ex Presidents and James Franco by John Buchanan - Free Book Online
Authors: John Buchanan
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won't work. It will scare people off."
Five minutes later we were driving away from Wheatland. Free men. Jake still jubilant, me a little rattled. I wondered if Buchanan's ghost had indeed seen us, and if he approved of Jake.
32. As we drove on, and after Jake 's loud hoots to celebrate his victory over the backward bigoted man had died down, I mentioned the picture of Lincoln which I'd noticed. Jake didn't seem fazed by this, suggesting Buchanan had had a crush on him. The long beard and the height of Lincoln might have been considered very attractive at the time.
I didn't buy this explanation. Surely an ex-President wants nothing more than to be remembered well in history. An admiration of Lincoln seemed to suggest to me a sadness on Buchanan's part. A disappointment that he could not achieve the success of his illustrious successor. A fatalistic acceptance.
"Perhaps they were boyfriends," Jake joked. "Abe spent a few years sharing a bed with a man. He hated women. He used to write loving letters to his male friends."
"Lincoln was gay too?" I tried to sound sarcastic, but ended up sounding extremely interested.
"Who knows. It’s like the argument people have about ancient Greeks. They acted gay. But they didn't know what homosexuality was. So we often say they weren't gay. Back around the civil war they probably didn't know what it was either. Maybe Lincoln did things that we'd called a bit gay now. And he wouldn't do them now because of that. But at the time it was just the way he was."
"So you think there's a chance?"
"Of course I do. I think there's a chance anyone is gay." Jake said. "Though that kind of thinking doesn't get you anywhere. If anyone can be gay, what does being gay mean? What does that make you and me?"
"Open and honest I suppose."
"Ever slept with a girl?"
"Sure, in school." I lied.
"Does that make you bisexual or straight?"
"No. Just stupid."
"Well if we're going to let you get away with such macho straight behaviour, we can forgive straight people a few feminine traits."
"I think you don't like the idea that we're all a shade of grey." I said. "It offends you somehow. You think it denigrates your being gay if everyone is bisexual."
"No.” Jake said. “I just think its not very useful talk. If everyone is a shade of grey, if everyone is bisexual, then what’s the need for terms like gay and straight?"
"Exactly. That’s what a lot of people would like to see, an end to those definitions. We can go back to Greek times when everyone slept with the people they loved and that was considered normal."
"Fine." Jake said. "Bring it on. But until such time forgive me for believing we won't roll back two and a half thousand years of western history tomorrow. Saying everyone is bisexual is just too close to saying gay and straight are the same thing. But they're not the same thing. And we know they're not the same thing."
"I think that’s a healthy way of thinking." I said. "Too many people try to segregate the two as though homosexuality is a new gender. Surely saying we're all the same is exactly what every gay man should be doing. We should encourage that thinking."
"And what if it is genetic?” Jake asked. “It could be that this recessive gay gene is in us all. That’s why we're all bisexual. You have this vision of a world where everyone is bisexual and we all
Five minutes later we were driving away from Wheatland. Free men. Jake still jubilant, me a little rattled. I wondered if Buchanan's ghost had indeed seen us, and if he approved of Jake.
32. As we drove on, and after Jake 's loud hoots to celebrate his victory over the backward bigoted man had died down, I mentioned the picture of Lincoln which I'd noticed. Jake didn't seem fazed by this, suggesting Buchanan had had a crush on him. The long beard and the height of Lincoln might have been considered very attractive at the time.
I didn't buy this explanation. Surely an ex-President wants nothing more than to be remembered well in history. An admiration of Lincoln seemed to suggest to me a sadness on Buchanan's part. A disappointment that he could not achieve the success of his illustrious successor. A fatalistic acceptance.
"Perhaps they were boyfriends," Jake joked. "Abe spent a few years sharing a bed with a man. He hated women. He used to write loving letters to his male friends."
"Lincoln was gay too?" I tried to sound sarcastic, but ended up sounding extremely interested.
"Who knows. It’s like the argument people have about ancient Greeks. They acted gay. But they didn't know what homosexuality was. So we often say they weren't gay. Back around the civil war they probably didn't know what it was either. Maybe Lincoln did things that we'd called a bit gay now. And he wouldn't do them now because of that. But at the time it was just the way he was."
"So you think there's a chance?"
"Of course I do. I think there's a chance anyone is gay." Jake said. "Though that kind of thinking doesn't get you anywhere. If anyone can be gay, what does being gay mean? What does that make you and me?"
"Open and honest I suppose."
"Ever slept with a girl?"
"Sure, in school." I lied.
"Does that make you bisexual or straight?"
"No. Just stupid."
"Well if we're going to let you get away with such macho straight behaviour, we can forgive straight people a few feminine traits."
"I think you don't like the idea that we're all a shade of grey." I said. "It offends you somehow. You think it denigrates your being gay if everyone is bisexual."
"No.” Jake said. “I just think its not very useful talk. If everyone is a shade of grey, if everyone is bisexual, then what’s the need for terms like gay and straight?"
"Exactly. That’s what a lot of people would like to see, an end to those definitions. We can go back to Greek times when everyone slept with the people they loved and that was considered normal."
"Fine." Jake said. "Bring it on. But until such time forgive me for believing we won't roll back two and a half thousand years of western history tomorrow. Saying everyone is bisexual is just too close to saying gay and straight are the same thing. But they're not the same thing. And we know they're not the same thing."
"I think that’s a healthy way of thinking." I said. "Too many people try to segregate the two as though homosexuality is a new gender. Surely saying we're all the same is exactly what every gay man should be doing. We should encourage that thinking."
"And what if it is genetic?” Jake asked. “It could be that this recessive gay gene is in us all. That’s why we're all bisexual. You have this vision of a world where everyone is bisexual and we all
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