UK online gay dating service, gay-PARSHIP.co.uk., recently polled it's members to find out which male celebrity over the age of 50 was the most popular gay icon. Here are the poll rankings:Pierce Brosnan: 33%
Bruce Willis: 25%
Richard Gere: 14%
Harrison Ford came fourth; Mel Gibson - of all people - came fifth.
Pierce Brosnan, made a surprising appearance at the top of the list. At 55, Brosnan is still attractive, but I had no idea he was a gay icon of any sort, at least not amongst my circle of gay friends and colleagues. And Bruce Willis? Maybe its just the shaved-head look but Bruce hasn't given me any wet dreams lately (or ever). Richard Gere is well-known for his AIDS activism and for being pro-gay, so is being relegated to third place just a reflection of the fact that he's in a career lull, unlike Brosnan who is currently starring in the hit movie musical Mamma Mia? I confess to being a Harrison Ford fan from way back and for a guy well-past 60, he's pretty damn hunky. He's also been in one of the summer's most high profile movies, Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull. Mel Gibson's well-documented history of homophobia makes his inclusion on this list the equivalent of a slap in the face. There is no excuse for that faux pas.
When I think of sexy men over fifty that get my blood pumping, I think of one of my favourite hunk actors 52-year old John Wesley Shipp (As The World Turns, Dawson's Creek). Hell, even 74-year-old Shogun star and out actor Richard Chamberlain is still a handsome man.
Polls like these shouldn't be taken too seriously, but still the results are disappointing. The rankings reflect current pop-culture status; it definitely helped to be in an international hit movie at or near the time of the poll. The results are also a sad reflection of how little we know our own kind - especially when past a 'certain age'. Not one of the men selected is an out gay celebrity. Pity.
