Gay Humor... Lauging At or Laughing With

Gay Guy,

Help me out here. I was watching Best in Show the other day and was laughing at many funny bits involving the gay characters. Credit to the filmmakers that the gay couple was by far the most stable in the film. But a few times I'm pretty sure I was laughing "at," not laughing "with."

What are your limits? I was raised on the game show humor of Paul Lynde and Charles Nelson Reilly, so I guess I always thought that all gays shared that sort of campy humor, and were naturally funnier than the rest of us. Three's Company had a lot a gay humor, but only fake gay characters. I'll even admit that I laughed at the In Living Color Men on Films series, which I would have to guess was not created by gay writers. Does it matter if the jokes come from my team or yours?

Just trying to be a responsible friend here. I also have a few Eminem albums, and there was a lot of anti-gay controversy about him, too. But he performed with Elton John, so I assume all is well there. But let's not make Elton John duets my permanent benchmark, OK?

Here's a deleted Best in Show scene with a little more edge:


--Straight Guy