Gilligan’s Island and the Birth of America’s Homosexual “Bear” Scene

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The power that television programs had on the public psyche in the late 1960s and early 1970s is often forgotten in this era of internet dominance. Those were violent and confusing times. Racial problems and urban riots, dangerous war protests and political conspiracies made many question their faith and their understanding of American democracy. Shows like Little House on the Prairie, Gunsmoke, the Waltons, the Streets of San Francisco and CHiPs put these issues into context. Most importantly, they reaffirmed the necessity of the traditional family. The three national networks embraced moral responsibility when it came to programming and the best shows benefited from their dedication with a longevity that would be unheard of today. In turn, this gave individual shows the ability to spread positive Christian messages to wide and devoted audiences.

Certainly there were exceptions to this conscientious approach, but even the comedies from this period (the Brady Bunch, Diff’rent Strokes and Happy Days come to mind) were based on an ethical family structure that did not contradict the teachings of Christianity. Yet one show quietly took a different tact. The seeds of dissent that it so recklessly planted would only come to fruition years later.

Gilligan’s Island appeared to many as nothing more than a madcap and improbable sitcom when it was first televised. Originally airing from 1964 to 1967, it gained a far greater following in reruns in the after school hours of the 1970s. It sketched the idyllic fantasy life of seven castaways on a remote tropical island. They were not bound by any family structure. As an alternative, it offered characters living in a commune-style setting with shared labor and close-quartered same-sex habitation. For its young male viewers, this was a welcome escape from the harsh realities percolating outside their homes. Instead of schoolwork and sports, many curious boys were led to daydream about bunking in huts and lying around sandy beaches on sunny afternoons.

The characters themselves undermined the strong masculine role models on other shows, with Gilligan in particular presenting the antithesis of the responsible and strong-willed hero. Captain Jonas Grumby, also known as “the Skipper,” was the bumbling pater familias of this socialist living space. His role in dominating Gilligan both in the bedroom and on the beach seethed with unnecessary undertones. The two vivacious females, Ginger and Mary Ann, shared their small home so intimately that any facile suggestion of heterosexual love with the male cast members went unrequited. Traditional marriage, even between Thurston and Lovey Howell, was never a major element of the plots. Rather Mr. Howell exhibited all the signs of an indulgent bon vivant, a debauched libertine who merely accompanied his female companion as a comedic foil in their various escapades. Lovey herself was an exaggerated feminine creation, primped in elaborate gowns and deeply covered in makeup. It would not be hard to see this flamboyant character as little more than a secret nod to the cross-dressing elements of the homosexual community of the time.

The true impact of this show came to the fore with the arrival of America’s homosexual “Bear” subculture in the ensuing years. So named because these are large men who exude that raw wilderness smell, bears are experienced sodomites who celebrate their hairiness, weight and ability to “rough it” in natural settings. They enjoy dressing up in a rugged style that mimics masculinity. Bears have become the butt of much jest in contemporary culture, but a clearheaded view of their lifestyle will show there is nothing humorous in their habits.

The Skipper is the idealized role model of today’s gay male bear. Authoritative in his burly frame, he exudes the musk of a man who has fully experienced the world’s salacious ports of call. From swarmy bars a stone’s throw from the docks to long nights cramped below decks with his brawny, bare-chested crew, the Skipper has the persona of a scruffy, briny and not particularly well-bathed man. As was popular in homosexual circles at the time, he dons the cap of a sailor. One is reminded of the gay rock band The Village People, also successful during this era, which featured an overly libidinous sailor who performed in full regalia to the delight of many homosexual fans. Taken altogether, this helped create the mythic image of the promiscuous seaman and spurred the issues of same-sex relations that still plague our naval forces to this day.

Gilligan, also know as the Skipper’s “Little Buddy,” would be classified as a “Cub” in gay vernacular. A cub is slight of frame and a bit dimwitted. He is submissive to his master, both intellectually and physically. In practice, he is the feminine homemaker and recipient of sodomy during erotic intercourse. Gilligan’s lithe, hairless body fits perfectly against the Skipper’s hairy barrel chest. His goofy antics give his master ample opportunity to take control, to keep this boy’s juvenile nature in check with harsh commands and brute force. Clearly, Gilligan played his role as “First Mate” to Skipper to a T. It is not surprising, then, to see that each episode of Gilligan’s Island concluded with these two men retiring to the hushed privacy of their conjugal hut, far from the eyes of normal society, fumbling against each other with curious intent as the studio lights fade, suggesting the darkest exile of human indecency where any sort of sweaty violation might follow. Yet the show always quickly cut away from this sensual wonderland with a saccharine soundtrack in a simplistic attempt to reassure its heterosexual viewers that nothing untoward was intended.

The creators of Gilligan’s Island appear to be complicit in this salacious subtext, which is unsurprising considering the long influence of homosexuals in Hollywood’s media industry. Russell Johnson, the actor who played the Professor (and per the show’s biography was also a “scoutmaster”), even had a son in real life who was a prominent AIDs activist at the time. The homosexual agenda of the series has not gone unnoticed by media experts. Historian Matt Crowley has even written that, “Gilligan sleeping above the Skipper allows for the ‘comedic device’ of Gilligan periodically falling down on top of Skipper. Falling onto Skipper’s ‘big bone.’ However, some claim that Gilligan should be depicted sleeping in the lower hammock, as he was obviously the ‘bottom’ in the relationship. The issue remains a bone of contention among analysts.” Homosexual message boards discuss this topic openly and often. It’s unclear whether the boys maturing at the time where led into the same-sex lifestyle by the show, or if they were already suffering from the affliction due to maternal missteps and the locker room enticements of older schoolmates. It is apparent, however, that Gilligan’s Island had an intractable influence on the creation of America’s contemporary homosexual bear “culture.”

The unfortunate result can be readily seen in the boys who spent their delicate years during this show’s run. They are now men in their 30s, 40s and 50s. Not coincidentally, this demographic overlaps with America’s homosexual bear population. Today, they still hold dear to this queer fantasia of a Gilligan’s Island-style lifestyle.

Gay groups regularly stage “Bear Cruises” and “Bear Weekends” where outrageous simulations of this Gilligan-Skipper-type intimacy are faithfully reenacted. It is not uncommon for bears to dream of getting “lost at sea” and ending up at tropical vacation spots. They prefer remote locales with reed-covered huts and sandy pathways rather than sophisticated resort hotels. Small rustic bungalows with little electricity excite them. From Costa Rica to Fire Island, from Brazil to Spain, these bears seek out seclusion for their sexual explorations. Such isolation from concerned neighbors is so crucial for their loudest and most brutal sexual acts. They will delight in locally produced fruit concoctions and “fresh from the sea” meals. They spend the days bronzing their luxuriant bodies and drinking inexpensive beers, steeling themselves for the barbarity of nightfall.

When darkness comes, these places become bestial, carnal paradises. These men will sneak off behind palm trees to unleash their wildest natures. Phalluses will be exposed with prideful beckonings. Windy shorelines below the starlight encourage like-minded vacationers to join the intense action. The murkiness allows for surprise sodomistic encounters. Animalistic roars cut through the noise of waves crashing. Broad leaves are plentiful to scrape clean the crusting remnants of a fruitful encounter, preparing the bear for the next cub who unwittingly wanders too close to his meaty paws. The bushes grow heavy with hormonal pungency. Some island man, muscled and brown from his days fighting the surf, may mistakenly stumble upon the scene. Sadly, orgies of international implications often follow. This activity may occur over several nights, until the bear is satisfied with his hunt. His seed prodigiously spread, he then retreats to hibernate in the warm confines of a big city until his next excursion to the fervid Gilliganesque islands of homosexual desire.

After a groundbreaking report on the TV show Glee was released on the internet last year, many Christian groups including the American Family Association condemned that series for its role in promoting the homosexual agenda to young children today. Clearly, looking back on older programs we can see the long-term effects that morally maladjusted media creations can have on our nation’s youth. For concerned Christians everywhere, Gilligan’s Island should be taken as one of the most notorious case studies of this type of danger. It is a vital lesson to hold dear as we battle the next generation of immoral programs so intent on slipping dangerous messages of perversion and unrepentant sodomy into our homes.

About The Author
Stephenson Billings is an Investigative Journalist, Motivational Children's Party Entertainer and Antique Soda Bottle Collector all in one special, blessed package! Facebook me here or Fanmail me: StephensonBillings@yahoo.com !