A gay cowboy refers to an individual belonging to the subculture within the gay community of homosexual men who dress and behave like cowboys. This movement, which emerged mainly in the Western United States and Mexico, has spread throughout North America.
A gay cowboy is a man who has been involved with cowboy culture and wants to be part of it, and could be someone from a rural area who lives there, as well as a migrant to urban areas due to the rural exodus, but who wants to maintain some habits and customs of country life. The main distinctive feature of these men is through their clothing, such as blue jeans with large buckle belts, plaid shirts, riding boots and cowboy hats, among other elements of western fashion. Regarding behavior, it tends to preserve attitudes of masculinity within the LGBT community. They claim their own sexual orientation as gay males in an environment that can be sexist, with homophobic and prejudiced attitudes towards homosexuality, where effeminate men are socially less tolerated. [1]
Initially, Mexican immigrants in the United States learned from gay American cowboys to develop their own gay cowboy identity, later replicating in Mexico with their own cultural elements, such as ranchera music, traditional Mexican cuisine, etc. [2]
The film Brokeback Mountain (2005) showed the lives of two American cowboys who had a homosexual relationship in the past and later met again, both married to women. [3] Other films with themes related to cowboy culture and gay men in ranching activities are Strange Way of Life (2023), Cowboys (2020), Power of The Dog (2021) and Dashing in December (2020). [4]
Orville Peck, an openly gay country rock singer, wears a Lone Ranger-style mask to remain anonymous. [5] The song "Ram Ranch" by Grant MacDonald has explicit spoken word lyrics with a heavy metal melody about a gay cowboy orgy.[ citation needed ]
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) movements are social movements that advocate for LGBT people in society. Although there is not a primary or an overarching central organization that represents all LGBT people and their interests, numerous LGBT rights organizations are active worldwide. The first organization to promote LGBT rights was the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee, founded in 1897 in Berlin.
Sexuality and gender identity-based cultures are subcultures and communities composed of people who have shared experiences, backgrounds, or interests due to common sexual or gender identities. Among the first to argue that members of sexual minorities can also constitute cultural minorities were Adolf Brand, Magnus Hirschfeld, and Leontine Sagan in Germany. These pioneers were later followed by the Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilitis in the United States.
Societal attitudes toward homosexuality vary greatly across different cultures and historical periods, as do attitudes toward sexual desire, activity and relationships in general. All cultures have their own values regarding appropriate and inappropriate sexuality; some sanction same-sex love and sexuality, while others may disapprove of such activities in part. As with heterosexual behaviour, different sets of prescriptions and proscriptions may be given to individuals according to their gender, age, social status or social class.
Down-low is an African-American slang term specifically used within the African-American community that typically refers to a sexual subculture of Black men who usually identify as heterosexual but actively seek sexual encounters and relations with other men, practice gay cruising, and frequently don a specific hip-hop attire during these activities. They generally avoid disclosing their same-sex sexual activities, even if they have female sexual partner(s), they are married to a woman, or they are single. The term is also used to refer to a related sexual identity. Down-low has been viewed as "a type of impression management that some of the informants use to present themselves in a manner that is consistent with perceived norms about masculine attribute, attitudes, and behavior".
Gay men are male homosexuals. Some bisexual and homoromantic men may dually identify as gay and a number of gay men also identify as queer. Historic terminology for gay men has included inverts and uranians.
Brokeback Mountain is a 2005 American neo-Western romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee and produced by Diana Ossana and James Schamus. Adapted from the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx, the screenplay was written by Ossana and Larry McMurtry. The film stars Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, and Michelle Williams. Its plot depicts the complex romantic relationship between two American cowboys, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, in the American West from 1963 to 1983.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people in Morocco face significant challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights in Cuba have significantly varied throughout modern history. Cuba is now considered generally progressive, with vast improvements in the 21st century for such rights. Following the 2022 Cuban Family Code referendum, there is legal recognition of the right to marriage, unions between people of the same sex, same-sex adoption and non-commercial surrogacy as part of one of the most progressive Family Codes in Latin America. Until the 1990s, the LGBT community was marginalized on the basis of heteronormativity, traditional gender roles, politics and strict criteria for moralism. It was not until the 21st century that the attitudes and acceptance towards LGBT people changed to be more tolerant.
"Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other" is a 1981 song by Latin country musician Ned Sublette featuring a "lilting West Texas waltz", widely known as the "gay cowboy song". The song satirizes stereotypes associated with cowboys and gay men, with lyrics relating western wear to leather subculture: "What did you think all them saddles and boots was about?"
Ennis Del Mar is the fictional main character of the short story "Brokeback Mountain" by Annie Proulx, the 2005 Academy Award-winning film adaptation of the same name directed by Ang Lee, and a 2023 play by Ashley Robinson also adapted from the short story. Ennis's story is depicted by his complex sexual and romantic relationship with Jack Twist in the American West, over two decades from 1963 to 1983. In the film, he is portrayed by Heath Ledger, who won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor and the Best International Actor Award from the Australian Film Institute and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, BAFTA Award for Best Actor, Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama for his performance. In the play, he is portrayed by Lucas Hedges.
Jack Twist is a fictional character in the short novel "Brokeback Mountain," by Annie Proulx, and the 2005 film adaptation of the same name where he is portrayed by American actor Jake Gyllenhaal. Jack's story primarily follows the complex sexual and romantic relationship he has with Ennis Del Mar in the American West from 1963 to 1983.
Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who identify or are perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, hatred or antipathy, may be based on irrational fear and may sometimes be attributed to religious beliefs.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Kazakhstan face significant challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female kinds of same-sex sexual activity are legal in Kazakhstan, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available to opposite-sex married couples.
New Zealand society is generally accepting of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) peoples. The LGBT-friendly environment is epitomised by the fact that there are several members of Parliament who belong to the LGBT community, LGBT rights are protected by the Human Rights Act, and same-sex couples are able to marry as of 2013. Sex between men was decriminalised in 1986. New Zealand has an active LGBT community, with well-attended annual gay pride festivals in most cities.
A mixed-orientation marriage is a marriage between partners of differing sexual orientations. The broader term is mixed-orientation relationship, sometimes shortened to MOR or MORE.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in Guatemala face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female forms of same-sex sexual activity are legal in Guatemala.
Gay media refers to media that predominantly targets a gay, lesbian or LGBTQ+ allied audience. The primary target market for gay media may also more broadly be considered to include members of an LGBTQ+ community. Secondary targets are LGBTQ+ allies, and in some instances those who oppose gay rights may be targeted as a form of activism to change their minds. There are many types of gay media, and the type is determined by the purpose of the media presented. Gay or queer media can also be defined as web sites, films, magazines and other cultural products that were created by queer individuals, or groups that are typically out, meaning that they are public or open about their identity. Gay creators do not always include gay themes or issues in their productions but there is usually at least subtle references to queerness or acceptance in these media.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer+(LGBTQ+)music is music that focuses on the experiences of gender and sexual minorities as a product of the broad gay liberation movement.
Discrimination against gay men, sometimes called gayphobia, is a form of homophobic prejudice, hatred, or bias specifically directed toward gay men, male homosexuality, or men who are perceived to be gay. This discrimination is closely related to femmephobia, which is the dislike of, or hostility toward, individuals who present as feminine, including gay and effeminate men.
The following outline offers an overview and guide to LGBT topics.
Media related to Gay cowboys at Wikimedia Commons