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Michael Musto

A 27-Year-Old Twink Tells All

A 27-Year-Old Twink Tells All

cruz
ABC News/YouTube

Also: Marc Jacobs is on Team Lana Wachowski (rather than Caitlyn Jenner's).

Desperate to debunk a stereotype, I recently put out a Facebook post asking friends if they know of a gay twink who's actually smart, not always giddy, and doesn't only care about pop divas. At first, the responses were nil, followed by a sardonic, "Crickets," and a damning: "Good luck with that." But then people actually started messaging me, giving some solid recommendations that put the "think" back in "twink." They were people who claimed to know--or to be--well-rounded twinks who had that familiar cute look, but not the airheaded demeanor we too often associate with that genre of gay. There were twinks who worked for charity, fought HIV, devoted themselves to family, and did all sorts of things beyond just being smooth and frothy.

For my subject, I landed on someone promoter/writer Justin Luke alerted me to. He's Isaiah Cruz, a 27-year-old native New Yorker who studied creative writing and journalism at Hunter College and who works as a writer for a high-profile publicist. Isaiah is also dabbling in fiction writing, working on "a dark fantasy story with magic." And yes, he's been known to go to bars, but he's hardly defined by that as a way of life. Here's my conversation with the twink with a difference.

Musto: Hi, Isaiah. Do you identify as a twink?

Isaiah Cruz: For a while, I didn't like the word "twink" because of what I associated with it, but everyone else tells me I qualify for it as a demographic, so I guess I do.

What was associated with the word that you didn't like?

The perceived notion that I got initially was "younger, hairless, kind of vapid, not really intelligent, and just good as a bottom." Just a one-sided archetype, and I didn't like it at all. But as I'm learning and growing, I'm like, "OK, this is what you make it." The first time I got on Grindr, I didn't want to pick "twink" as a category, but there was no other category I fell into, so I begrudgingly put it. But now it's like, "All right, there are worse things to be associated with, I guess."

So you're now ready to embrace the fact that a twink doesn't have to be one type of person?

I very much think that all the categories don't have to be one type--twinks, especially.

Do you think of yourself as an intellectual?
Yes. I love learning, bettering myself and doing things that involve knowledge of this world.

And you go to bars.

I do. I think it's more about trying to cut loose. It's nice to be able to go somewhere where you don't have to worry about your sexuality. You make good friends. I know there's a lot of backlash to the gay bar scene, but I hold a job, I stay responsible, and I don't let it overtake my life.

You mentioned that you resented the "bottom" stereotype for twinks. Are you versatile?

I'm 100% versatile. My last two relationships, I was predominantly the top, and since I've been single, I'm getting more into the bottoming side. The relationships spanned five years, and all that time, my bottoming side had been neglected. I didn't want to lose it. I wanted to get into it. It's fun because it's a different mentality.

How about the cliche that twinks only care about one-named pop divas?

I think that is a stereotype. I think for a lot of the young 20s group, that's prevalent, and I don't think it's bad to know about it. It's entertainment, it's pop culture. But you should also know what's going on in the election, in Benghazi...there are so many other things in the world to be interested in than just divas and pop culture.

cruz

Are you an avid reader?

Yes. I read everything: fantasy, mystery, mostly fiction, plus autobiography. And I'm a huge Shakespeare buff. I love classics. One of my favorite authors is Paulo Coehlo, who wrote The Alchemist. I keep up with what he's doing. The glorious thing with social media is they suggest things--"If you like this, you'll like this"--so that broadens my scope.

But aside from keeping up with your favorite authors, how do you stay in touch with things like international politics?

I'm a fan of Rachel Maddow and I watch The Daily Show. I keep up with the fun presentation of politics. I get HuffPo and social media. A lot of my friends are more politically minded, so I'll click on their things on social networks. I do try to keep a broad range of interests and keep up with what's going on.

OK, we've established that you're a twink, but with substance. So, nowadays, if someone said "twink" when they met you, how would you react?

The power of the word "twink" is in what you mean by it. If someone says, "You're a cute twink," does that mean I don't have a lot of body hair and might be a little more bottom-oriented? I wouldn't be offended by that, but what's offensive is if someone uses the term "stupid twink." Like you're shallow and vapid. It depends on who's saying it and how--like most words and slurs.

So you can say with certainty that not all twinks are as slight of mind as they are of body?

Absolutely. It's much like Republicans--the louder ones get the stereotype.

You mean not all Republicans are like Donald Trump?

Or Sarah Palin. But the loudest members become the stereotype for the group, and the same thing has happened to twinks. There's offenses on both sides--twinks and the ones who assume that's what all of them are like. Reversing the twink stereotype would be tops or power tops who don't view the slimmer boy as a sex toy.

Do you think twinks are here forever?

Hmm. I think there will not be a shortage of young, smooth, slim guys in New York City or elsewhere, so I don't think the demographic will change. Will there be a name change in a few years? Maybe. But I think we're around for a while.

Phillipe Blond with his Rootstein mannequins

MASCULINE FEMININE

Cerebral twinks came out in force to start Fashion Week with the Rootstein party celebrating the male and female Phillipe Blond mannequins, based on the dual moods of the famed half of the design duo the Blonds. The mannequins--which will be in major department stores--are gorgeously sculpted, and at the event were brilliantly adorned with the Blonds' most head spinning creations. Positioned in the middle of them--I think--was the real Phillipe Blond, who told me he was loving this, "though I feel a little guilty not being home getting ready for our fashion show on the 16th." The show's theme will be Egyptian disco, so being a momentary queen of de Nile was fine with me.

The same publicity duo, Mao PR, brought out the well-heeled throngs for their party celebrating Gloss: The World of Chris Von Wangenheimby Mauricio and Roger Padilha. Not only is the deluxe coffee table book a homage to Von Wangenheim's voyeuristic '70s images, but the bash happened to be hosted by Marc Jacobs (for Bookmarc), so floods of people came to the '90s club the Tunnel to revive the era of Studio 54 with all manner of sylph-like bodies, bugle beads, fake fur, and even roller blades.

Amid a crowd that included saucy TV stars Laverne Cox, Lea DeLaria, Wendy Williams, and Kelly Bensimon, I tracked down Marc Jacobs on a banquette and asked if he's a fan of Chris Von Wagenheim. Yes, the designer said, "The first thing of his that I was aware of were his Dior ads, which I loved. And I love Mauricio and Roger." "Is it true," "I smirked, "that the three of you are having an affair?" "Not that I know of," Jacobs laughed. "That doesn't mean it isn't true." (I didn't even bring up Marc's apparent new BFF, Bianca Del Rio.) And finally, I got to the important point: What are Marc's thoughts on Caitlyn Jenner now that she admitted she used to be against gay marriage? "I'm not going there," he responded. "I'm much more about Lana Wachowski than Caitlyn!" And somehow that made such sense that I felt he didn't need to elaborate--especially when DJ Honey Dijon was playing hard-driving disco classics and I looked so very fine.

Fashion Week continued with worthwhile shows by the experimental Academy of Art University and the sexily exotic Marco Marco. (The latter one was marred by a power-mad bleached blond queen demanding that nine people leave the front row to make way for Lady Gaga, who was nowhere for miles. No one budged anyway, and the show--attended by fun celebs like Lance Bass, Michael Urie, and Nick Adams--rocked with models like Milk, Rhea Litre, and various tattooed dudes with facial hair making temperatures rise in various states of gender-ification.)

And then I finally got to the anti-Fashion Week--this past weekend's Bushwig, an annual drag fest held in an outdoor space in Brooklyn's burgeoning Bushwick nabe. Despite drizzles, the show carried on (thanks to a tent), with an array of unselfconsciously eye-catching gender fuck drag and Beales-like inspiration on display. It was great to see my living-large pals like Merrie Cherry, Alotta McGriddles, and Ari Kiki (whom I've dubbed Ariana Muy Grande), as well as new-to-me types, like JoJo and West Vagina, all managing to draw attention from the naked queen prancing around the grass as if shot out of Radical Faeries cannon lodged at Burning Man.

TAP YOUR TROUBLES AWAY

The fashion on Broadway these days is all about heady, historical musicals made relevant with contempo sounds, a la Hamilton, which is trouncing all the competition and making the stage musical seem new again. But there's still room for retro fluff, I'm sure. Alas, On The Town wasn't the ticket--it limped along for months, until recently bowing out with two smash weeks featuring ballet star Misty Copeland. (That must have given the producers the bittersweet realization, "Maybe we should have had a star from the beginning.") And now comes Dames at Sea, the Broadway revival of the 1960s musical spoofing 1930s-style high-kicking antics on a ship. Can it make it? Well, it'll be a hard sell, since there are no stars except for the mother from Matilda and the father from A Christmas Story. But I just came from a press event and the cast works their guts out belting and tapping and shticking, and it looks pretty bubble-icious. Also, there are only six people in the cast, so the expenses will be almost as low as that of a mannequin showroom. Start clearing nine seats in the front row for celebs and their entourages.

Iyanla

COME OUT, COME OUT, WHEREVER YOU ARE

On a more sobering note: Iyanla: Fix My Life returns to OWN on September 19 at 9 PM /8PM Central, and it starts with a gay bang. On the opening episode, two gay pastors come out, which prompted me to reach out to the self-help guru/host and ask for some exclusive insight into what went down. Here's how Iyanla Vanzant responded:

"Pastors Derek and Mitchell spent years hiding their identities as gay men. My intention was to empower both men to live their truth, stepping out of the darkness of lives spent in secrecy into the light of acceptance, honesty and happiness.

"Coming out is a difficult process. Coming out to your church can seem impossible. Working with Derek and Mitchell, it was evident how years of sidestepping the truth had caused so much damage on the inside and outside. Helping both men was emotional and challenging, but ultimately rewarding, as everyone finished in a much better place.

"I was moved by Derek and Mitchell's story when they first reached out for my help. I think it was brave of them to share their personal stories and was pleased that they were ready to 'do the work,' as I like to say. I cannot speak on behalf of them, but I think the steps we took together helped them understand that being true to themselves and living honestly is the only way to live, even in the face of adversity. And while there will always be naysayers out there, being yourself as out gay man will go a lot further in changing minds, than a life spent in the shadows."

You hear that, twinks?

30 Years of Out100Out / Advocate Magazine - Jonathan Groff and Wayne Brady

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Michael Musto