Customer Reviews

The Butch Factor

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Gay and bisexual men long have used "butch" and "straight-acting" to judge the perceived masculinity, or lack thereof, of other men and their own masculinity. Such terms have provoked debate within the LGBT community; however, not everyone uses those terms...at least, not to mean the same things.
The Butch Factor delves into this ongoing struggle to identify what makes one more or less of "a man." Filmmaker Christopher Hines scoured the United States for examples of men who represent the masculine end of the gay spectrum. He found police officers, rodeo cowboys, actors and athletes who define themselves as more straight-acting and less effeminate than other gay men. They aren't all anti-femme, and their masculinity seems natural rather than an act.
Hines also interviewed a handful of less-masculine gay men for perspective and balance. For them, their effeminate characteristics are innate and not something they consciously adopted. They are some of the strongest characters in the film because they overcame the abuse they suffered as children for being gay while their more straight-acting counterparts could hide it. The Butch Factor ultimately reveals that long-standing social mores and gender stereotypes are more to blame for the prevailing desire for more masculine traits in a partner, even among gay men. While the movie doesn't settle many arguments, it is an interesting exploration of this enduring debate.

I enjoyed seeing a film that addressed a cross section of our community. We neither look the same nor play the same...the media by and large, doesn't cover this side of the gay male life.

What does it mean to be a man and queer? What is masculinity? For many males in the queer community, these are questions that often left unanswered or at best, left undefined, abstract. They persist because they are important. They create identity.

'The Butch Factor' attempts to explore these questions through interviews of gay men of various persuasions including athletes, drag queens, bears, and others as well as well as psychologists, historians, and authors. They share with us their struggles and insights into the what it masculinity means as a gay man. Some may say these are mere surveys of gay male stereotypes, but truly, it allows for a wide spectrum of identity. All are welcomed into the table of exploration.

Films like this are important because the chronicles the changing images of gender. Our culture's concepts of masculinity are in constant flux, and this is especially important to note within the queer community where, despite being outside of cultural norms, can settle into an unhealthy complacency in regards to acceptable forms of masculinity. Furthermore, it is an important reminder that there are myriad ways to hold the identities of queer and man simultaneously.

'The Butch Factor' is a beautiful film and highly relevant in this time of deep change. The minor flaw this film has is fails to show any sort of community for effeminate gay men while showing bear and gay athlete communities. Still, the film is important as it puts to rest many of the assumptions society has about the gay male identity and illuminates both their hardships and their triumphs in their struggle for identity and acceptance. Highly recommended.

What a depressing movie! In the gay world it depicts, you're either an indistinguishable half-naked, posturing body in a horde of others who look and act just like you, or you're completely alone with at most one other freak who can stand to look at you, but--in EVERY case--all that matters is what you look like. The great revelation in this movie apparently is that it's finally OKAY to be a jock and gay, or middle-aged and hairy with a beer belly and gay, or grossly musclebound and gay, as long as you can find hundreds of others just like you who like to hang out with their shirts off and either dance or play contact sports. OR you can be a drag queen, or a real-live gay rodeo cowboy, as long as you keep with your own kind. The skinny girly boys still have to be lonely, and evidently the only sane gay man on earth stays that way by avoiding gay society altogether. It's a disgusting confirmation of all the sick old gay stereotypes. The only breath of fresh air is the lone guy who refuses to play the game, and he gets shown repeatedly ALONE, staring off forlornly into space, just like the nelly boys. As a reasonably sane gay man who fits into none of the "butch" groups--or ANY group I am aware of--I absolutely hated this movie.

there was very little to this doc. that i did not already know, but it was done in an interesting way and the scenery was nice and i am not sorry i bought it.

I watched this film with real pleasure. The gay life styles, presented here, vary and are perfect proof that being gay is not all about shops, discos, easy sex etc.
I suggest watching this one to all people who find it difficult to tolerate gays/les/...Maybe it will open your eyes and minds.
TWO THUMBS UP.

To approach this DVD you really have to dispense with all the sterotypes of gay men you have ever heard or seen.
This DVD shows another side of gay men which is very really explored.
These men do not fit the usual mold, and for this they shoud be very proud of themselves, but at the same time there seems to be a restrained acceptance of 'self'.
It was somtimes liked watched gay men acting straight, whatever that means these days.
Society has come along so far to quickly sometimes, and pushed homosexuality back into another closet.
The extra inverview with David Kopay is well worth the price alone.