The "Not Gays" and Boys Literature

Why can't boys just be boys? Why is it that every interaction between people that could be misconstrued as being sexual needs a qualifier (and how long has it been this way)? How many boys have had an invisible wall separating them from their friends due to allegations of same-sex attraction? If two friends cannot truly express their innermost feelings without fear of social repercussion, could it be said that what their friendship could have been was diminished in the process? There are a lot of social and ethical phenomenon that could explain this lack of intimacy between boys that was present in the past, but one idea I wanted to talk about was Mike Stoklasa's theory of the "Not-Gays," as he explains in his review of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure & Bogus Journey (23:14 minute mark for context):

"The Not-Gays is a theory created by Mike Stoklasa in which filmmakers shove in a pointless romantic interest out of needless fear the audience will otherwise think the protagonist is gay."

In the case of boys' adventure stories, this wasn't always the case. Below is an example of what I'm talking about - a simple scene where two young boys, Corentin and Kim share the same bed and sleep together casually naked.

Does this scene need a qualifier? Can the reader understand using previous context from the narrative of the Corentin comic that sharing the same bed doesn't imply anything about sexuality? Rather, it should be understood that these two boys trust, love, and care for each other so much that occupying the same bed, letting their personal space coalesce, having their naked bodies and sensitive parts be seen and touched - is just another normal expression of their friendship. In art, literature, and historical periods where collective agency was built through male camaraderie - it was generally understood that men needed to rely on each other. In an anthropological or philosophical context - the ancient concept of the "soul sibling" or "blood brother" (as was used in certain rituals) meant that boys were bound to each other not in a sexual way, but in a higher, more passionate form of love that is more enduring and lasting than carnal desire - fraternal love. To be a boy and to kiss your soul sibling, to bathe with your soul sibling, to be naked with your soul sibling, was to be with the other who made you whole. 

What the "Not Gays" has done is remove this special type of intimacy between our boys. At a certain point in time, this intimate bond between our boys was either lost or distorted to mean something much more perverse than what it initially meant. In the case of literature and film, boys can't express any vulnerability or affection for each other - now they must either be the alpha-male or womanizer; from the toxic masculinity of Jack Merridew from The Lord of the Flies to the female-gaze-oriented, hypermasculine Jacob Black from the Twilight series. Essentially, if you're a boy and straight - you must prove your sexuality at an incredibly vulnerable age. Doesn't this seem weird to anyone else? Once again, I must reiterate that this is a relatively new societal problem. I've talked in another post about how Martin and Keith sharing the same sleeping bag would've been considered normal (even healthy) a century ago. Communal sleep ("bedsharing") was the natural way of sleeping for families and friends, as personal space and personal privacy really wouldn't have been been considered as everything from food, shelter, and other resources had to be shared. Along with this, central heating had not been invented and beds were a luxury for the wealthy until 16-17th century. 

Think of all the paintings you've seen from Joaquín Sorolla or Norman Rockwell of boys just being boys. The "Not Gays" puts an end to what little freedom boys have by stifling what comes natural to them. Roughplay, casual nakedness, playful competition through games and sports, and a sense of curiosity are the essence of boyhood, and this essence comes in various boyhood rituals, be it wrestling, playful banter, bathing together, etc. Putting these expressions to an end puts an end to boyhood, thus we see the modern boy alone and isolated in his bedroom watching streamers on the Internet to get the smallest crumb of friendship he can get instead of forming real, meaningful friendships.