Sci-Fi Sex-Ed

Gay Guy,

Great posts on the movies and moments which led you to "know."

For me, I think there were fewer lightbulb moments. But, in particular, I must thank the regional UHF programming executive who scheduled Jane Fonda's Barbarella for a Saturday afternoon sometime in 1979. He has no idea of the lasting damage he has done to me and, I'm sure, many others.

Barbarella's zero-G costume changes... Barbarella smoking the man-bong... Barbarella tortured in the Excessive Machine...

On that Saturday afternoon, I was wondering why an 11-year-old boy can't just have the whole house to himself for a while! Jeepers!

If my father had been part of a live Apollo moon landing, I would not have changed the channel. I knew I had stumbled upon something I was not ready for, and I was paralyzed. My level of fascination was matched only by my sense of dread that I would be found out at any moment (In those days, TVs were centrally located in high traffic areas). I probably only had 15 or 20 minutes with Barbarella, but it was more than enough.

So yeah, I "knew" I was straight before I met Barbarella. But she answered many questions, and raised a few more. It was the worst sex-ed curriculum ever created. I hear Robert Rodriquez (Desperado, Sin City) is planning a remake. Maybe I'll get answers there.

If you haven't seen it, the original is incredibly bad, visually trippy, and campy out the wazoo. So maybe something for both sides here... if you have the house to yourself.

I'll never watch it again. It could never measure up to what I remember.

--Straight Guy