Cruising (film)
| Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Cruising |
| Abbreviation(s): | |
| Creator: | William Friedkin |
| Date(s): | 1980 |
| Medium: | live-action film |
| Country of Origin: | United States |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Cruising is a 1980 film and microfandom.
Canon
Steve Burns is undercover in a gay bar in New York City for months as John Forbes to investigate a murderer who has been killing gay men in the leather/S&M scene. While he is officially dating Nancy, she appears very little and he appears to have gay sex while cruising undercover, not only for busts. More than forty minutes of graphic sex scenes were cut from the movie before its release and are now lost media.
Criticism
The movie was protested by gay rights activists leading up to its release, being criticized as misrepresenting the community. Lead actor Al Pacino donated his paycheck later.
Hate Crimes
Cruising has been cited or theorized as an inspiration for multiple hate crimes in the years following its release.
Fandom
Cruising appeared in Yuletide in 2011. Some fanfiction has also been written in the 2020s.
Shipping
The popular ship is Ted Bailey/Steve Burns. Ted is Steve's neighbor while undercover, a gay man with a boyfriend implied to be abusive. Steve fights the boyfriend, Gregory, when he returns from working out-of-town. Ted's corpse is found in the last ten minutes of the movie, seemingly without Steve learning about his death.
Example Fanworks
Fanfiction
- Invisible Man by moleskinned (2011)
- In The Ring by stamets (2020, crossover with Raging Bull)
- Who’s Afraid of Christopher Street? by Phantomato (2024)