The Chub Chase
You mean you just want me for my body? Amy Guthrie's cover article ("Fat Chance," September 27) really hit home with me. When I moved here from Maine in 2003, I weighed in at more than 280 (42-inch waist). One of my first nights out was at Jackhammer, where I was hit on by this extremely hot guy, "Eddie." He was all over me. I kept thinking this guy could have anyone in this bar he wanted; why me? One night of passion led to several more, but in bed, he was far more interested in my flabby tits and belly than my "junk." Soon thereafter, I found his AOL profile, which read, "I only like really chubby guys." What a slap in the face. "Eddie" turned out to be even more shallow than I thought, and it was (thankfully) a short-lived romance.
At the time, I was in miserable shape and couldn't walk two blocks without losing my breath. In the ensuing four years, I bought a bike, cut down on carbs, and now weigh in at 225 (almost a 34-inch waist) with another 20 to go. Some of the guys who used to cruise me (including one pictured in the article) won't even make eye contact with me now, and I'm OK with that. I'd no more want someone to like me because I'm overweight than if I were a particular race or religion.
If obese guys are comfortable with their bodies, I think that's great; however, I wasn't. My taste in men runs to the big, burly, and hairy-chested blue-collar types (we call them "musclebears"), but I'd like to know he could at least ride his bike five miles without popping a vein. Thanks to Amy Guthrie for a well-written article!
Ron Johnson
Fort Lauderdale
There are a lot of us out there: Thank you for writing this story — for years, I thought I too was "queerest of the queer" for desiring hefty men who did not look slender and model-perfect. Now it's such a relief to know I'm not the only one who "likes a little meat on the bone!"
Philip K. Collins
Kernersville, North Carolina
Women like a little chubbiness too: I just wanted to write to say thank you for such an insightful article about Chubby Chasers. I always joke that I am a gay man trapped inside a straight woman's body, but I love chubby men too. Ironically, I am also fat. Thank you for helping me to know that I am not alone in my pursuit of chubby men and that I am normal (depending on your definition).
Allison Herbert
Pompano Beach
A feel-good message that goes long: The article was a surprising yet refreshing look into the desires of homosexual men — a topic that does not get exposure in most of the mainstream media. While reading it, even as a heterosexual woman, I found this piece empowering. The standards of beauty that Americans feel pressure to uphold are many times unattainable. Focusing on the heavier homosexual male as a desirable (sex) object affirms that beauty does come in different packages. Thank you so much for promoting equality and physically realistic appearances. Now, if only we could get something published that promoted a healthy female self-image!
Chloe Dolandis
Boca Raton
Mickey, Our Rival
We need the tourist bucks too: I agree with Gov. Crist's statement: "Let's figure out what will generate the most tax dollars and go forward" ("Wheel of Misfortune," Bob Norman, September 27). All casino table games account for 30 to 40 percent of casino revenues and just the two games being offered in the compact (blackjack and baccarat) are possibly only 10 or 15 percent, but those two table games might just bring in destination tourists to the area, using "everybody's" hotels (with a 6 percent sales tax) and a spillover to the track's casinos.
The real enemies of the tracks are the cruise to nowhere, Biloxi, the Bahamas, Internet casino, unregulated adult video arcades, and of course Disney! Florida had "untaxed full casinos" (illegal) from the 1920s through 1951, and the tracks still flourished. That's because it brought (as it will again with table games)... "tourists!"
Stan Wertheimer
Hollywood
Night Rocker
Marya turns a phrase or two: Columnist Marya Summers did a fabulous job reviewing my "Perceptual Alchemy" (Artbeat, September 13). I've found this concept difficult to explain, but Summers absolutely got it, and her ability to communicate it so clearly, objectively, and succinctly was impressive. Summers' phrase "also demonstrating that it's all in how you frame things — both literally and figuratively — " was sheer brilliance!
Sharon Huff
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea
Slimy Rats, Ahoy
He deserves a judicial spanking: Bob Norman, without question, is one of South Florida's greatest assets. He exposes more government corruption, fraud, and incompetence than anyone. His article "Judge and Jury" (September 6), exposing Judge Joel Lazarus' incompetence and Keith Wasserstrom's corruption, was so very, very accurate.
Wasserstrom personifies the slimy rat expletives we have posing as politicians in South Florida. He was among the leaders. He was guilty of all five counts he was indicted for, plus many others. Had his case been prosecuted at the federal level, where it belonged, he would have to spend many years in prison. Just what he deserves.
