Fridae

Bret Hinsch is a 39-year-old associate professor of history at National Chung Cheng University in Taiwan. Born in Dallas, Texas, Bret has been living in Taiwan for 10 years and has been with his partner for 16.

TheYale, Harvard and Nanjing University educated American currently teaches ancient Chinese history and is also the author of Passions of the Cut Sleeve: The Male Homosexual Tradition in China. He has also just published a new book, Women in Early Imperial China whom he thinks Asian lesbians might be very interested in.

About Bret

æ: What's on (or in) your nightstand or desk right now?

bret: Wisecracker: The Life and Times of William Haines, Hollywood's First Openly Gay Star by William J. Mann. It's an amazing story about the wild gay life in 1920s Hollywood.

During the silent film era, many movie stars were openly gay. Billy Haines, the biggest male star of 1930, lived with his lover and they were one of the most popular couples in the movie world. But when the Depression started, America suddenly swung to the right and Hollywood gay life was driven underground.

A few stars (like Cary Grant) went back into the closet. Most gay actors had their careers destroyed. Billy Haines refused to renounce his lover and get married, so he left the movie business and embarked on a second career as a very successful interior designer. He and his lover stayed together for 40 years. Despite the happy ending, this story is a reminder to gay people everywhere that clocks can be turned back.

æ: What did you want to be when you were growing up?

bret: I wanted to be a biologist. I gave up that dream when I found out it requires lots of math. I ended up studying Chinese history because I happened to take a great class on Chinese philosophy my freshman year in college. I loved it so much that I started studying Chinese. It was a total coincidence that I happened to take a class that changed my life. Sometimes we make the most important decisions in life for the most trivial reasons.

æ: Do you believe in monogamous or open relationships? Are you in one?

bret: I've been together with my lover Allen for 16 years. It hasn't always been easy - people change a lot in 16 years and we're no exception. The secret is to try to grow together. Keep setting new goals in life that take your partner into account. Keep a core of common interests and values. Otherwise over time you'll end up turning into two strangers.

æ: What's your favourite TV series/ movie or book?

bret: I bought the first season of the American series Queer as Folk from Amazon on DVD and now I'm a complete addict. It's a lot of fun - a well-made, very sexy soap opera that deals with important gay issues like homophobia, drugs, family, and relationships.

---

Being gay/coming out

æ: Are you out to family and friends? If yes, could you tell us something about your coming out experience? Is it an important factor in your life?

bret: I came out to my family when I was 18 years old. Coming out was tense - my parents are conservative Texas republicans and were kind of shocked at first. But they quickly got used to the idea. Now things are great, and they get along very well with my lover. Whenever my mom calls, I think she has more fun talking to him than to me!

æ: Have you ever encountered prejudice because of your gender/ sexuality at work or in your personal life? How did or are you dealing with it?

bret: When I was a grad student living in Boston someone threw a rock through my bedroom window. The day before, one of the neighbors had seen me embracing my lover. (Our windows faced each other across an alley). He didn't look too pleased to see two men hugging. I'm sure he was the one who threw that rock. But that's the only overt prejudice I've ever experienced. Otherwise I've been very lucky.

æ: In the context of being gay or lesbian, do you have any personal role models/inspirations?

bret: When I was in college, my professor John Boswell was gay and proud. His example had a profound influence on me. He was a superb teacher - smart, witty, dedicated, and a very warm human being. It showed me that an openly gay man could succeed in the academic world and change his students' lives.

æ: What advice would you give to someone who is trying to come to terms with his or her sexuality?

bret: Live life by your own principles, not according to other people's prejudices. Otherwise you'll never be happy.

æ: What do you think is the most important issue facing the gay community today?

bret: For countries that still have sodomy laws, that's obviously the most important issue. No matter how successful you are, you'll never be safe as long as the government thinks you're a criminal.

Otherwise family is the biggest issue in Asia. Family members often try to keep gay people from openly expressing their sexuality. I think that once there are more positive portrayals of gay people in the Asian mass media, attitudes among mainstream society will start to change and families will turn into a source of support instead of oppression.

Apr�s Interview

æ: Tell us something about your first sexual experience or the first time you fell in love?

bret: My first real love was 16 years ago. We're still together.

æ: What is your favourite fantasy?

bret: A wild party at Madonna's Miami mansion. Of course she would have to invite Antonio Banderas and all of her dancers!

æ: Which is sexier, mind or meat? And why?

bret: Meat is a temporary illusion. In the long run, mind is all that matters. It's who you really are.