Presumably after seeing how well teen fantasy novels like Twilight and The Hunger Games have done at the box office, Sony decided to try to milk the cash cow that is the 16 to 24 demographic by adapting the Mortal Instruments series to the big screen, starting with the first book, City of Bones.

There's just one teensy little asterisk on this: Alec Lightwood. Alec (set to be played by Kevin Zegers in the movie) is one of the protagonists in the series, and his homosexuality is a pretty big plot line in the overall narrative. The problem here is that, judging by Zeger's interview with io9, his character might be getting de-gayed in the transition from paper to celluloid.

"You know, it's not something that's really addressed totally. There's kind of the subtext of people assuming that [Alec] is. But it's not something that we really focused on in the first movie, just because there's so many traits that he has. It wasn't a focus, really."

But he says that they still "played around" with the idea that Alec has feelings for Jace (Jamie Campbell Bower), and that there's a hint of a love triangle between Alec, Jace and Clary (Lily Collins). "It's definitely in there," says Zegers. "We didn't hit anything straight on the nose. It doesn't have to be. But there's a lot of subtle things that go on between the three of us, that the audience can make up their own mind about."

As for whether we'll get to see Alec get a love interest of his own if there are sequels, Zegers says: "Of course. It's a huge part of the progression of the character. So I hope so. It's what the fans seem to love about the character, is his love story." So if they actually make more movies, he definitely hopes they explore that aspect. 

So basically, they're just going to keep the gay thing under wraps, unless it makes enough to warrant continuation of the series, at which point it's a firm "maybe." Do not wuss out on this one, Sony. If the books are popular enough to warrant an adaptation, don't you think that means that enough people are willing to get behind a strong gay protagonist so you don't have to keep him in the closet?

The good news is that mainstream movies are slowly getting better about including well-rounded, fully realized gay characters in movies. The bad news is that there are still a lot of movies that treat being queer as a punch line, and even more that use gay panic as a way of grossing out the audience.

In a speech at the LA Gay and Lesbian Center, Sony co-chair Amy Pascal urged her colleagues to avoid falling into the easy trap of using gay stereotypes for a cheap laugh, pointing out that it sends a severely mixed message to LGBT youth who, quite frankly, probably have enough shit to deal with without Jim Carrey freaking out because he kissed a trans woman.

"How about next time, when any of us are reading a script and it says words like fag, or faggot – homo – dyke – take a pencil and just cross it out. Just don't do it."

Her prepared speech was informed, sweeping, compassionate, and clear. She began her talk by recognizing visual media's power to entrench values, particularly to children and young adults.

"I'm talking about kids who are gay and I'm talking about kids who aren't gay. One group needs affirmation and the other group needs education. And, if I'm being honest, neither of those issues are high on any movie studio or TV network's agenda." 

Granted, this butts up against freedom of speech, but to be honest here, no one really needs to use the word "faggot" any more than a bullied gay kid needs to not hear it. Not using the other F-bomb isn't really a huge loss for anyone. If anything, it's a crutch word, and the sooner we stop using it for shock-value, the better. 

Some of you might remember this: a couple years ago, Bruce LaBruce's LA Zombie was banned from the Melbourne International Film Festival due to its gay adult content. Which is kind of weird because when you consider how many animals in Australia are actively trying to kill you at all times, you'd figure imaginary gay zombies would probably figure somewhere pretty low on the list.

Remember that now? Good. Because this year's Sydney Underground Film Festival features a movie called Donkey Love, which is about -- you guessed it -- donkey love. As in, men who fuck donkeys. Yes, this is happening.

A film festival in Australia allowed the screening of a documentary about bestiality, two years after another film festival banned the screening of a movie about gay sex due to offensive content. On Sept. 8, the Sydney Underground Film Festival (SUFF) screened "Donkey Love," a documentary that purports to reveal sexual relations between Colombian men and their donkeys, a practice that allegedly prepares men for sex with women and "prevents them from becoming homosexuals." [via HuffPo]

Wait, so one movie that features gay sex is bad, but the other movie that features hardcore man-on-donkey sex is totally fine? Once again, just to reiterate, because this is the fucking craziest, most bass-ackwards bullshit I've ever heard: you think it's better for a man to fuck a donkey than it is for him to fuck another consenting adult human male.

What.

The.

Living.

Fuck. 

Before we go any further: SPOILER ALERT. I mean it. If, like me, you were planning on going to see ParaNorman tomorrow and you don't want to have anything ruined, now would be an awesome time to just put this off until after you see the movie.

Anyway, if you're still reading, apparently the stop-motion kids movie ParaNorman -- ONCE AGAIN, SPOILER ALERTS: READ AT YOUR OWN RISK -- has a gay character, a stereotypical muscle jock who happens to have a boyfriend. From what I hear, the guy's likeable, doesn't bully or harm any of the other characters, and is generally a pretty sweet guy.

But of course, Nancy French from Patheos knows full well that "likeable" and "harmless" are just tricks the dirty homos use to trick kids into . . . I don't know, turn gay, I guess? This is a very special kind of crazy the likes of which we can't comprehend. Regardless, listen to her diatribe and see if you can make sense of it.

However, the second scene involves one of the subplots. Norman’s sister has a crush on a kid she tries desperately to impress throughout the movie. After she fails to turn his head, she finally asks him out. 

“Sure,” he responds. “You’re gonna love my boyfriend. He’s like a total chick-flick nut.”

My friend saw the film in a “red state” and she reported that “you could hear the gasps in the theatre from parents” at the unexpected line. “I should have known something was up when the theatre manager made a huge disclaimer and offered refunds if we did not like the movie,” she wrote.

This line might not raise parental eyebrows in larger cities, but I thought I’d let parents know about this sexual orientation “reveal” at the end in case you want to avoid these types of conversations in the car on the way home.

Yes, you could have a logical, rational discussion with your kids about how some people are different, or you could make everyone else live a lie because you can't be bothered to parent your freaking kids. I don't know about you guys, but that second option sounds mighty tantalizing.

Also, did anyone else notice that Miss Nancy French had no problem with the character in question until she found out he was gay? Look, honey, if you're willing to completely disregard a person's character because all you can think about is the fact that he's gay, that's your goddamn problem.

If you're looking for a movie date this weekend, and you're in the mood for something with a gay focus to it, BearCity 2: The Proposal premieres this Friday at the Carlton Cinema, and it boasts some pretty big names and a decent pedigree backing it!

Kathy Najimy plays den mother to the returning cast of bears, boys and cubs, for a Bear Week bachelor party in Provincetown ! Take a trip down the aisle with Roger (Gerald McCullouch) and Tyler (Joe Conti) to one of the most magical beach towns on earth in this romantic comedy for all.

Kevin Smith, Dan Choi, Frank DiCaro, Mike Ruiz and Varla Jean Merman, lend their support to our lovable gang as they navigate through a foam party, ex-boyfriends and 3,000 sexy men.  

Meanwhile, Richard Riehle (Bridesmaids) as father of the groom, learns a whole new meaning to the word "Daddy!"  

BearCity 2: The Proposal, the sequel to the award-winning breakout hit BearCity (2010) is a romp full of fur, fun and family as the bears realize that marriage is much more than just the freedom to say "I do."  

The film opens on Friday, August 31st at Carlton Cinema in Toronto and stars Gerald McCullouch ("CSI"), Joe Conti (BearCity), Stephen Guarino ("Happy Endings"), Brian Keane (Urbania), Gregory Gunter ("The Onion News Network"), James Martinez ("Breaking Bad"),  Susan Mosher (The Wedding Planner),  Jason Stuart ("Entourage"), Richard Riehle (Bridesmaids) and Kathy Najimy (Sister Act).  The film is written and directed by Doug Langway (BearCity).

Well, it's always nice to see fully realized gay characters, rather than the neutered gay best friends or hapless gym bunnies. Plus, it's the Carlton Cinema. Seriously, tickets are like five bucks on Tuesday. FIVE BUCKS. That's not too shabby.