#jppitoc

[realtalkwithjp]

Be Kind, Rewind

In the spirit of pride month, I figured I’d tell a story. A story that takes me back to a time when being gay was nowhere near the acceptance it celebrates today. I grew up not ever seeing men kiss on the TV screen or the movie screen. It just wasn’t done. Imagine never seeing something as normal as a kiss that represents you. Imagine only seeing what society wanted you to see. It definitely made me feel unworthy and not accepted—an abnormality, if you will.

It was a very typical day in the small town I grew up in. I called my friend to ask her if she wanted to grab lunch and bring me to the video store. She agreed. We had several video stores, but I assumed our sole Blockbuster Video store would have it over the small mom and pop video stores. I was wrong. The clerk behind the counter had never heard of the movie. I had only ever been to Blockbuster Video, but we had a Hollywood Video, so we decided to check out there. They had it. I had never rented a video from there, so I had to open an account. Eventually, I ended up working there, dated two coworkers, and moved up the latter to manager, but that is for a different blog entry. Actually, that story would fill several chapters of an exciting memoir.

The movie I’m talking about was my first entry into gay cinema. It was a movie released in 1999 called Trick. It starred Christian Campbell, J.P. Pitoc, Tori Spelling, and the delightful Miss Coco Peru (Clinton Leupp). The plot of the film is a familar story for most gay men. Actually, it’s a familiar story for most people in general. It told a story of a musical theater writer who meets up with a Go-Go boy. These two men try looking for a place to hook up. That’s it. That’s the gist of the story. Everywhere they attempt, they’re thwarted by obstacles such as a room mate at home in their studio apartment, a drag queen in a bar bathroom who stirs up trouble, and a best friend who deosn’t catch the hint being thrown her direction that they want to be left alone. It’s a fascinating film that will always be dear to me because it was during the beginning of my journey as a gay man. It’s where my fascination of wanting to live in New York began, or any big city like it. Jim Fall, the director, announced a sequel. It was supposed to come out this year, but they haven’t started filming yet, so I doubt it gets a 2019 release date.

That’ s the story i wanted to tell. The story about a film that holds a significant place in my memory during an exciting time in my life. How about you? What was your first gay film and how did it shape you?

Happy Pride!

-JP

[therealmisscocoperu]

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