MovieChat Forums > King of the Hill (1997) Discussion > Hank's encounters with gays

Hank's encounters with gays

posted 8 years ago by Tresix
16 replies | jump to latest

I'm not including just episodes that have a gay person in them, I'm talking those with whom Hank has some sort of interaction:

-"Peggy's Turtle Song": Emily (Ani Difranco), Peggy's lesbian guitar teacher.
-"Pregnant Paws": the two gay men Hank meets in the park (he thinks they're brothers).
-"A Beer Can Named Desire" & "Blood and Sauce": Gilbert (David Herman), Bill's cousin from Louisiana.
-"My Own Private Rodeo": Bug Gribble (David Herman), Dale's rodeo cowboy father.
-"It Ain't Over 'Til the Fat Neighbor Sings": Kris (David Herman), Harmoniholic groupie.
-"The Peggy Horror Picture Show": Carolyn (Michael Jamin), drag performer.
-"Strangeness on a Train": Bob Jenkins (David Herman) and Lawrence Robbins (Henry Gibson), Peggy's former coworkers from the Arlen Spectator (they don't really say they're gay, but I have my suspicions).

Annoying the world since 1960!

[–] joewhiteyipee 8 years ago

I think Hank would be tolerant of homosexuals. They're unfamiliar to him, so he clearly does not think about them. But given the chance, I could see him be friends with one.

[–] Tresix 8 years ago

About the only one on my list that Hank seemed to have some tolerance for was Bug. Maybe because he was both the father of one of his friends and because he was a cowboy.

Annoying the world since 1960!

[–] joewhiteyipee 8 years ago

What I thought was interesting though about Hank at that gay rodeo was that he seemed to be the most respectful of them (and by far the most mature). Of course, I'm sure the very idea of homosexual sex would repulse him, and he could probably never be GREAT friends with a gay guy, but he would be tolerant.

One of my favorite "Hank-lines" is when Bug Gribble asks Hank if he's gay, and Hank says, "No! I sell propane!"

[–] Tresix 8 years ago

The one that got me was after met the gay men he thought were brothers, then explains it to Peggy and Bobby about how it "went horribly wrong" at the gay bar.

Annoying the world since 1960!

[–] A_Melmoth 8 years ago

Doesn't necessarily mean Hank is intolerant. The "brothers" probably asked him to a (gay) bar, and maybe someone started flirting with him. With Hanks poor gaydar maybe he thought the guy just wanted to be pals, things escalated, thus "horrible wrong".

[–] Deenglow 8 years ago

To be fair, the idea of *anyone* having sex seemed to repulse the repressed Hank. I don't know how he even managed the maritals with Peggy, given what a prude he was about sex in general.

[–] ZakkWyldeMyLittlePony 8 years ago

What if Hank encountered furries? I'm talking the fan base that loves sexualized animated animals.

Brony Metalhead

[–] Tresix 8 years ago

As it was, Hank was slightly weirded out by the foot fetishist movies. He'd probably take a swing at a furry.

Annoying the world since 1960!

[–] ZakkWyldeMyLittlePony 8 years ago

I'd liked to know what Hank's reaction would be if Bobby became a furry?

[–] ZakkWyldeMyLittlePony 8 years ago

I would like to know what Hank would think if Bill and Dale became Bronies. No doubt he'd get pissed if Bobby became a Brony, but what about Dale and Bill?

Metallica, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, and My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fan

[–] ZakkWyldeMyLittlePony 8 years ago

I was also wondering what Hank would think of the Twilight Saga? Heck, what would he think if Bobby started reading the Twilight book series and took an interest in the movies?

[–] joewhiteyipee 8 years ago

I think he'd react the same way he has with Bobby's other atypical interests such as roses, dolls, stuffed animals, theater, boy bands, wigs, books/games with female protagonists, capes, etc.

Sexually, all signs point heterosexual. He just has a more non-gender specific point of view than most boys (with the exception of sex, of course)---which is probably why girls are attracted to him.

[–] joewhiteyipee 8 years ago

In that episode about Peggy's friendship with that drag queen, Bobby casually walked by, distracted by his Game-Boy, as Peggy and "she" were rehearsing for the show. However, I bet if he had actually looked up he would have instantly noticed, and later would have said something frank to his mother like, "Mom, that's a man." Of course, Hank didn't have a clue.

I'm pretty sure that Game-Boy was no coincidence. Again, Bobby just is a little more "in touch" in some ways.

[–] pioneergrrrl 8 years ago

Hank tried to be more open than his own father. So he was supportive of Bobby.

[–] HalloweenNinja (32) 5 years ago

I'm not sure if it was confirmed whether or not Emily was a lesbian, or just a feminist with an affiliation for punk culture. I know the lesbian community has a lot of overlap with feminism as a movement, but I don't really remember anything in the episode that indicated that Emily was a lesbian aside from the whole feminist angle.

As for Hank, I think Hank is not a homophobe and is chill with gay people given how he was with Bug, but Hank is fairly chaste with sex in general.

His fears over his son being effeminate probably have more to do with the fact that he grew up in the 1950's/early 1960's with Cotton as a father than with any concerns over Bobby being gay.

[–] jewoogle (2269) 4 years ago

idk i think hank would be pretty devastated if he found out bobby was a pillow biter