My Biggest Queer Crushes Are Always Relationship Crushes
From “Stand by Me” to “Call Me by Your Name” and “Sense8,” I can’t help but fall in love with love
When James Finn prompted me to write about my favorite movie crush, I knew instantly where it all started — Stand by Me. And then came Call My by Your Name and Sense8.
It was apparent my crushes weren’t on individual characters, but instead on what their relationships represented.
Stand by Me
Stand by Me was the most significant film of my childhood. It follows four boys on their search for a dead body. Like any good story, it’s journey that matters more than the destination.
Stand By Me is told through the eyes of Gordie Lachance (played by Wil Wheaton), as he reminisces about his childhood and friendship with Chris Chambers (River Phoenix).
Some may guess my crush was on River Phoenix —the poster-boy who already had a presence like James Dean. But it was Wil Wheaton and the character of Gordie Lachance I was most drawn to.
Gordie was a quiet kid who liked to make stories. His older brother, who had been his hero, had died the previous summer. His father had essentially rejected Gordie, making his life miserable.
