A year of Licence to Queer!
What better way to celebrate LTQ’s first anniversary than by planning Bond 26 - with a Bond boy at its centre! I’m giving away a copy of the new book The James Bond Lexicon to the person who comes up the best actor, character name and meet cute.
Imagine this: following No Time To Die, the producers finally find the courage to cast the first ever Bond boy.
You have until 7am GMT on Monday 12th April to post your idea on Instagram or Twitter. Shortly after then, I’ll pick the winner and be in touch. I will also be publishing all of the best ideas in a special article on www.licencetoqueer.com
A Bond boy?
This suggestion is not as outlandish as it might first appear. Bear with me.
There was a openly gay male ally planned for Dalton’s third film back in the early 90s and more recently we’ve had Moneypenny-style flirtatious banter between Bond and Q, especially in the last Bond movie, Spectre. And to anyone who reads between the lines of Fleming’s books, it’s clear that Felix Leiter and Bond are more than just good friends. At the very least, friends with benefits. In all seriousness, ‘gay’ and ‘bisexual’ are discreet identities and I’m not suggesting we make Bond ‘gay’. But science - yes, science! - has shown that most people feel at least some same sex attraction from time to time.
So let’s dispense with the hints. Let’s be bold and give Bond the boyfriend he deserves.
I say ‘boyfriend’ but - we’re still sticking with the formula. There’s no need to have him stick around after the end credits. Bond will probably love and leave him as he has done all of those women.
But for a brief time, maybe for an hour or two, he’ll provide a sweet distraction.
So, what I would like from you lovely people is three things:
1. The name of a male actor who should play the first Bond boy on screen. They don’t have to be gay or bisexual in real-life. Yes, it’s great when queer actors play queer characters, and the industry really needs to ramp up its efforts with this. But confining ourselves merely to out gay actors limits the field somewhat at the present time. Oh, and they must be alive. And by ‘male’ actor I of course include trans men because (and this should go without saying) they’re men!
2. The character’s name. You can stay on the classy end of the spectrum if you want or you can be a bit more… playful. Nothing obscene please but this is a Bond character so a little innuendo might be a good way to go. Keep it PG and don’t cross the line but there’s nothing to stop you getting close to the line (*cough* Dr Goodhead *cough*).
3. How he and Bond meet. Does he come out of the ocean like Honey Ryder or Jinx? Does he make Bond’s acquaintance at a party like Wai Lin in Tomorrow Never Dies? Or bump into him at a wedding like Pam Bouvier? Maybe he’s another agent, like Anya Amasova, working against him initially but, ultimately, ending up playing for the same team. You know what I mean. ;)
So: a male actor, a character name and a meet cute. Three things. You can just write it like out as text or include images.
Share your ideas on Instagram or Twitter, replying to any of my posts about the first anniversary of Licence To Queer or making your own post and using the hashtag #LTQ001. That’s a one, not a seven because of the whole one year anniversary thing.
One last thing, Licence to Queer fans: this is just a bit of fun but I thought it would be nice to share the love for this new book, the James Bond Lexicon, which combines two of my favourite things: James Bond and words. It’s a brilliant volume, a real labour of love by its creators, which I know I will be returning to for years to come. The only thing is - I have two of them! Yes, I ordered two by mistake. So the person who comes up with the best Bond boy idea will be receiving this in the post.
Terms and conditions
You can enter as many times as you like. NOT in the Moonraker sense.
I (David Lowbridge-Ellis) will choose the winner. I promise not to go just for the man I personally find attractive. Promise.
No cash alternative.
I will notify the winner within the week
You should receive your copy of the book within a week of me notifying you, probably sooner (Royal Mail permitting!)
I plan to publish all the best entries on this website but let me know if you don’t want yours included or, should you be the winner, if you do not wish to be identified as such.
