I'm already queuing up for what I might term "Bears in War: The Movie."
No, not drool-icious Brendan Gleesen in Troy,
but The Baghdad Blog,
a film to be adapted from the sensational wartime online diary
(published this year by Grove Press) of bear Salam Pax.
The balding, gay, 30-year-old Iraqi furball Pax wrote his
Weblog, Dear Raed, to a Jordanian friend, describing the war
from downtown Baghdad, and has earned global fame and a hot
new movie deal, thus likely becoming the world's most eligible bear.
At the height of the war, Pax's extended family sought refuge from
the bombing at his home in western Baghdad, admittedly risking their
safety by erecting a satellite dish to transmit his blog. The
e-journal became an Internet sensation during the Iraq war,
featuring stark yet droll descriptions of the horrors and hardships of
Iraqi citizens.
Pax thoughtfully recalls Iraqi gay life under Saddam's brutal
reign, when going out to fraternize with foreigners or even
friends could cost your life: "[Under Saddam] you never know
what the punishment for anything is, you just disappear. And
your family's told it's better not to ask. You might get the
person in a bodybag after a year, you might never see them
again, or you might see them after a month. . . . When my
[boy]friend, Hassanain, disappeared, my parents were
saying 'You're not going to that place any more, you're
not calling him any more, you're staying put at home for
the next week.' Just being associated with someone who
disappeared was a bad mark."
Today, although Iraqi society remains highly homophobic, his
dilemmas are less life-threatening - such as choosing the
right lead actor in Salam Pax, the movie. "George Clooney . . .
of course." We should be so lucky.
Salam Pax. Photo: Kate Geraghty
* * *
Last column finished with a distinctively bearish bridegroom
preparing for his wedding on the cover of The New Yorker.
Since then, a handful of bear couples have reported online
to SpunkDaddy getting hitched in California, New York,
Oregon, and probably elsewhere, too.
Exclusive here at Bear Stew: at last, gay bears legally married
in Massachusetts! Among the dozens of Bay State couples wed
the historic morning of Monday, May 17th, I interviewed two
handsome husbears - Chuck Walker and his partner of two years,
Mike Reed, from Woods Hole, Mass. This woofy couple emerged radiantly
from town hall, wearing complementary fur-revealing open-neck
shirts handsewn by Chuck, holding their license papers.
"I've got goosebumps," Chuck said, and indeed we could see
the excited flesh on his hairy arms.
As a couple living together, Mike and Chuck exemplify the need
for same-sex civil marriage. A self-employed builder, Mike
can now gain access to less expensive healthcare through
Chuck's workplace insurance. An example of the difference
in cost to their household, they explained, was their costs
for the pre-nup bloodwork: five dollars for Chuck, but for
Mike, more than $100.
Mike expressed trepidation that "the powers-that-be will strip
us of our rights." Earlier, state troopers in bright orange jackets
and local police walked prominently through the gathering crowd,
their stolid presence assuring rather than threatening. But for
now, among the scattering of couples in front of Town Hall
receiving blessings from dozens of cheering well-wishers, chatting
with the international and local media, both Chuck and Mike felt
safe that their dreams to be married will be realized. They were
prepared to wait the three days until Thursday, May 20th, when
relatives arrived in Ptown for a simple ceremony with a local
Justice presiding. Their immediate plans were to "get breakfast,
explore the town," and, upon return to Woods Hole, dig into
"some home reno" on the house.
Mike Reed and Chuck Walker. Photo: R. Suresha
Your correspondent SpunkDaddy is tickled purple to report that in
April, on not one but both furry knees, I proposed to my main
squeeze, Daddybear Incarnate Dr Rocco - truly the most wonderful
man on God's Woofy Earth. Lucky for both of us, he agreed to tie
my knot in a private ceremony in Ptown, where we met, on our
anniversary this October. Of course, he has pledged to uphold
the macho queer family values we hold firm here at Bear Stew.
To our legally (and otherwise) married bearguys and all GLBTQ
newlyweds everywhere, we wish you unending happiness in your
new lives together.
Until next time, grrrfolks!
This column first appeared in American Bear magazine #62, Aug/Sep 2004.
Copyright © 2004 by Ron Suresha. All rights reserved.
Send hot hirsute news to:
bearstuff@suresha.com
