What Turned Me Gay (again, not really)

Jon-Erik Hexum made me gay. Well, not personally. I never met him. And, frankly, I was already consciously attracted to guys by the time I first saw him on television. But he’s got to take some of the credit for sparking the sexual imaginations of many of us gay boys at that time.

I was just about the age of young Meeno Peluce when he starred opposite Hexum in the very short-run television show Voyagers. So I was the target audience (in more than one way, I’m sure). Peluce’s character was the nerdy kid who Jon-Erik’s character came to rely on as he traveled through time, getting the both of them into all sorts of adventures. Jon-Erik didn’t really know how to use that little pocket-watch/time traveling device, so Meeno had to operate it for him. Meeno was the brains and Jon-Erik was the brawn (and I mean brawn!).

Jon-Erik protected the kid and clearly grew to love him. A notorious womanizer, Jon-Erik’s character had to forgo his sexual conquests to hang out with his dependent ward. He ALWAYS had his shirt open, showing his beautifully hairy chest, and not infrequently he appeared shirtless and sweaty (mmmm….). Those eyes… that smile… that BODY! Oh, how I wanted a hunky time-traveler to stumble into my bedroom and carry me off to accompany him on his shirtless adventures!

After Voyagers went off the air, I kept my eyes peeled for more of Jon-Erik. When he landed a new series, Cover Up, I was tuned in eagerly anticipating more of his thrilling hotness. I remember when I heard the news that he had died in a freak accident on the set of Cover Up. I actively grieved. It was like someone I knew and loved had died. My family had no idea what I was experiencing, but I had so identified with the kid from Voyagers, so pictured myself with Jon-Erik as my companion, protector, and I his loving ward – I was devastated.

There are a lot of fan sites devoted to Jon-Erik, with more than a few of us gay boys testifying to our adoration of the magnetic hunk. The tribute group to Jon-Erik Hexum has a stunningly large catalogue of images of him. His life was tragically cut far too short, but he remains always and lovingly in my memory as the gorgeous, sexy, bright blue-eyed, 27 year old hunk that made me very happy to be a gay boy.