Have a question about gay male entertainment? Ask the Monkey!

Q: One of those areas that still seems very taboo on TV is younger gay guys. I am particularly disappointed in the young boy in Swingtown, Rick, who the show seemed to hint was gay and in love with his best friend, but has now been completely de-gayed. Add to this the de-gaying of gay highschooler Zach on Heroes, and the complete asexuality of Justin on Ugly Betty except when he is making out with girls to please his dead father. Is there any way to know if Justin will be allowed to kiss boys before he graduates from high school, or if the creators of Swingtown were pressured to de-gay Rick? – Joey, Portland, OR

Swingtown's "Rick" & Ugly Betty's "Justin"

A: The Monkey agrees with you in part: in this country, there is nothing more taboo than an honest exploration of teen sexuality, especially teen homosexuality.

But the Monkey disagrees with you about the younger gay teens on Swingtown and Ugly Betty, which he finds extremely interesting and very realistic. Swingtown’s Rick (Nick Bensen) is only fourteen years old. Rather than de-gay the character, the series seems to be presenting him as someone who is trying very hard to be straight — the first step in his coming to terms with his homosexuality, and his obvious feelings for his straight best friend B. J. Trust the Monkey on this: this is the way things were back in the 1970s, which is when the series is set. In any event, the Monkey has it on good authority that the character hasn’t been de-gayed, and we’ll see more of the gay teen storyline if the series is renewed.

Meanwhile, Ugly Betty’s Justin is even younger — only thirteen years old last season. And while the character has many stereotypically “gay” characteristics, he hasn’t ever been identified as gay on the show. But presumably he will be eventually. Creator Silvio Horta, who is gay himself, finally outed Justin in a recent AfterElton.com interview: “It really just popped into my head. I tried five different types of kids, and they all felt the same. Then suddenly, I thought — What if you had a little gay kid? I wrote him that way, and it was like: This is fun! This is interesting and different.”

Yes, Justin did get a girlfriend in order to imitate his father, but isn’t that exactly the kind of thing young gay teenagers do to gain respect, especially in more traditional cultures?

Q: When I picked my daughter up from kindergarten today, I heard the teacher call a child over whose name was "Buffy". It made me wonder ... how popular has that name become since Buffy the Vampire Slayer began airing? -- Danny, Elmira, NY

Sarah Michelle Gellar as "Buffy"

A: Not very. “Buffy,” which may have once been short for Elizabeth, was briefly mildly popular in the 1960s and 70s. But in 1977, it fell off the list of the Social Security Administration’s list of the 1000 most popular names for children and, cult television show or not, it has stayed off ever since.

But interestingly, “Xena” is now the 18^th most popular name for girls (just kidding).

Q: I've been hearing and reading a lot about the idea that Jesus was gay. Have there been any films, or TV shows for that matter, that have dealt with that idea? Thanks! -- Barry, London

A: Back in the 80s, there was a rumor in Christian circles that Hollywood was making a movie about a “gay Jesus.” Over a million people signed a petition, and when word got out that the state of Illinois was involved, thousands of people bombarded the state Attorney General with calls and letters. It got so bad that advice columnist Ann Landers, due to the wide reach of her column, was implored to set the record straight, which she did: there was never any such movie planned or made.

In this era of the Internet, the rumor has resurfaced, but there is still no such movie or TV show planned.

That said, gay playwright Terrence McNally did write a play that opened in 1998, Corpus Christi, where Jesus and his apostles are all portrayed as gay men (and McNally received death threats as a result). But the play was not suggesting that the historical Jesus was, in fact, gay; McNally was merely interpreting the story of Jesus from a particular point-of-view, trying to give it modern-day relevance.

Next page! So was Jesus gay? And Charlie's Angels was definitely gay, gay, GAY!