When the final Harry Potter book was released last summer, countless fans (myself included) were counting down the minutes until it was available. I was a little surprised when my gay coworkers told me that my geeky “Potter-mania” was becoming annoying. To their chagrin, however, this only prompted me to announce a countdown report every time I passed a clock. Their judgmental eye-rolling made me wonder when exactly I had become such a huge dork. It’s cool to be a sports car fanatic, but you might as well be wearing taped-together glasses and a pocket protector once you admit to enjoying comic books, video games, or Disney memorabilia.

My love affair with Star Wars and comic books didn’t begin until my early twenties, and one of the things that got me hooked was the storytelling. In comics, it’s not necessarily just about the events that occur in each panel. The moments in between the panels — the ones that are left to your imagination — can be just as interesting. The illustrator and writer provide a basic skeleton, but your mind is free to fill in the gaps and to create a vivid imaginary world — and it doesn’t hurt when the main characters are hot guys who run around in skintight outfits, either. I’ll take Batman, Wolverine, or Spiderman over Tom of Finland any day.

Many Americans tend to think that comic books are just for kids — or slackers who still live in their parents’ basement and play Dungeons and Dragons all day. In reality, I’ve probably seen less than a dozen children shopping in the various comic book stores that I’ve visited during my ten years of collecting. And the guys that I’ve seen buying comics have always looked extremely ordinary. In France and Belgium, both children and adults read graphic novels. They are regarded as an important art form — one that’s intended to be enjoyed and appreciated by all. Japan’s version of the graphic novel, called Manga, is also enjoyed by all age groups and features stories that cover a wide spectrum of issues and genres.

An activity that falls under the umbrella of geekdom is videogaming, even though it has now become an incredibly popular and lucrative business. According to David Edison, the associate editor at Gay Gamer, the games industry generated $18 billion in revenue during 2007 – outstripping both the film industry and the music industry. When I asked David if lesbians and gays were being acknowledged in the gaming community, he said it would probably take a while before we were an everyday part of it, but that we hadn’t been excluded. “Rockstar Games recently released an updated version of Bully for the Xbox 360 which rewards you with an achievement for kissing boys 20 times. The achievement is called ‘Over the Rainbow’ and it adds 20 points to a player’s total Xbox 360 Gamerscore. That’s actually a big deal because Microsoft uses this system of achievements to help rank online gamers in competitive play. So competitive 360 owners and game completists will have to make a decision: either kiss the boys, or forfeit the achievement points!”

Another hobby that is usually considered geeky is collecting Disney memorabilia. Jeffrey Epstein and Eddie Shapiro have written a book called Queens in the Kingdom that gives a gay perspective on the Disney theme parks. There’s even an official Gay Day each year when thousands of LGBT men and women converge on the Magic Kingdom to enjoy the park attractions and private dance parties. My friend Shawn says he didn’t really grow up with Disney, but actually discovered his love for Disney animation when he was around nineteen. He explained, “It was Beauty and Beast that kick-started my interest in Disney because I was really affected by it. Disney basically created the concept of the animated family musical. Since then, my fascination with Disney animation and theme parks has evolved into a collector’s nightmare.”

As an admitted geek, one of my favorite blogs is Puntabulous. Created by Craig McAnally — a self-described dork — the site deals with a large array of nerdy topics. One of Craig’s best recurring features is an online cartoon strip he created that deals with two superheroes named Super Viagra and Vagina Girl. Craig says, “Super Viagra actually came about thanks to a spam e-mail for erectile dysfunction. They were hawking Cialis — or, as they called it, ‘Super Viagra.’ The idea of a super hero who has sex with people instead of saving them tickled my perverted fancy.” Many of the threads on the site’s discussion board trigger hot debate, such as a recent one that dared to pit Star Wars vs. Star Trek. As you might expect, this thread ended up receiving four times more comments than usual. When you go for the jugular (in this case, Star Wars and Star Trek) the nerds come out of the closet in force.

Although there are quite a few pursuits that can earn you the title of nerd, one surefire way to be inducted into geekdom’s Hall of Shame is to join the school band and become a band geek. A popular celebrity who prefers not to be identified talked about being in the marching band during his difficult high school years. “I was the drum major — the nerdy guy in front of the marching band who spins a baton and blows a whistle while wearing a sort of terrifying, overwhelming hat. Our school had no money for the arts, so we wore uniforms that had been issued back in 1978. My drum major outfit consisted of white hotpants with intensely red, flared bell-bottoms — and a short matador jacket. I don’t know how I never got into a fight in high school.”

Perhaps it’s the recent mainstreaming of gays into our society — or maybe gay men have just stopped ascribing to the shallow aesthetics put forth by gay media — but more and more gay men are embracing their inner nerds and are no longer afraid to be vocal about it. And that says a lot, because sometimes telling your friends or loved ones that you’re into Battlestar Galactica or videogames can feel like coming out of the closet all over again. But don’t worry, because there are worse things in life. And just remember: the Force is with you.