Both GG and SG were in attendance at the "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear" on the National Mall today. Given the hundreds of thousands of others on the scene, I'm not surprised that we didn't run into each other. (The view above is GG looking north, I'm somewhere near the columns in the far background.)
We tried, but cell phones, texting, and tweeting were no gos -- not enough bandwidth for that crowd. I was blocks from the main stage and couldn't really see or hear that well. I finally got within range for the last half hour. I recorded the whole thing on my DVR at home and will need to catch up on a lot of the content... but John Stewart's main point was clear. You can't trust the noise in our current political/media environment: "If we amplify everything, we hear nothing," he said.
Stewart and Colbert are comedians first, so the tone was mostly lighthearted. The audience's signs were a study in sarcasm, irony, and absurdity. A few notables:
God Hates This Sign
You're Angry as Hell...and I'm Not Going to Take It Anymore!
Ideas I Disagree With May Still Be Constitutional
Speak Native American Or Get Out!
I'm Only Here for the Gangbang
I Made A Sign (But That Doesn't Make My Points Any More Valid Than Yours)
Homophobia is so Gay!
I've Been a Bad, Bad Penis [SG note: may or may not have been rally related]
Underpants are Oppressive! Down With Zippers! (photo above)
Any of our readers watch on TV or attend in person? Anyone providing a good sense of the numbers?
The project is collecting an incredible range of stories, told by celebs and regular folks, too. The stories are personal, authentic, and a lot of them are hard to sit through because they are so naked and raw -- and that's where their power comes from. I hope that these stories help young people through difficult times.
My fave video --I'm fickle, I have a new fave every day--is the musical message taped this week by the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles. It's a cover of "True Colors"--which has perfect lyrics for the project's message.
True Colors is still one of my favorite Cyndi Lauper tunes. It was on She's So Unusual--a great album. "Time After Time," "Money Changes Everything," "When You Were Mine." Classic.
I put some trash down the chute this morning. In the recycling bin was a paper grocery bag with at least four or five empty boxes condom boxes in it (plus some other recyclables).
Sorry the picture isn't so good, but if it's impolite enough to photograph your neighbors' trash, styling it for a photo shoot is over the top.
I'm glad that my neighbors (which unit?) are taking good care of their health or doing thoughtful family planning. I tried to calculate the number of individual condoms, but I didn't want get caught poking through the trash for details. At any rate, it indicates a lot of sex.
I hate show offs.
Or were the condoms party favors? (Where was my invite?) Trick or treat goodies?
Kleenex Mansize, for those voluminous -- yet virile -- tears that creep out during a late night screening of Brian's Song.
No. Do not need. They already invented Kleenex for men. It's called toilet paper.
Apparently, this is an actual product in the UK. I'm reluctant to dig into the question of why they thought men needed supersized tissues in the first place.
Gay Guy, Tricia Romano at Daily Beast is wondering whether gay humor needs to change. How can we (gay or straight) joke about homosexuality and still let gay teens know that they'll be accepted and not judged?
In the upcoming comedy "The Dilemma," Vince Vaughn's character jokes: "Electric cars are gay. I mean not 'homosexual' gay, but 'my parents are chaperoning the dance' gay."
Ellen DeGeneres, Anderson Cooper, and Elton John all say that's not cool. Since then, the joke has been pulled from the trailer. Here are several quotes from the article:
Vaughn responds to the controversy: "Comedy and joking about our differences breaks tension and brings us together. Drawing dividing lines over what we can and cannot joke about does exactly that; it divides us. Most importantly, where does it stop?"
Here's a quote about Dan Savage, who launched the It Get's Better campaign. Savage "says that he and his friends joke around and call each other 'faggot' and 'breeder' —- thinks maybe the line has been drawn after the gay suicides: 'That sort of rough-and-tumble sexual humor has its place, but maybe now we're waking up to the fact that it's having unintended consequences out there. There are vulnerable 14-year-olds.'"
Famously gay-friendly comic Margaret Cho says: "The use of [gay] as an adjective—to use it as a description of something is not valid to me as comedy."
We've posted a few of the "Don't Say That's So Gay" ads (1,2). I agree that we can't shortcut to gay=lame, dumb, or whatever. But context is everything, and trust can be earned. I can't walk up to a new gay guy and have the same rapport that I have with you, GG. I think we can talk and joke freely. And because you know where my heart is, you'll offer me a little leeway if a joke goes near, or slightly over, the line. Comedy and political correctness will never be an easy mix. I don't want them to be.
--Straight Guy
P.S. Just to get this straight, am I supposed to be offended if someone calls me a breeder? I need to know, because my impulse would be to offer a high five and keep walking with a little extra swagger. Because, yes, I am, and I already have. Thanks for noticing. I had no idea my mojo was THAT strong.
I get that breeding is supposed to be the thoughtless, primal side of reproduction. But your team might need to work on that comeback. Needs more sting. You're usually so much better at witty retorts than we are. Oops, I just stereotyped. Deal with it.
I had the oddest day yesterday. Cosmic odd. A day of such freakish symmetry that it could prove that God exists. Or that I am in a David Lynch movie. Or that David Lynch is God.
Act One: I was taking money from the ATM and talked with a young guy. He's just arrived from Belgium, he told me. My bank's ATM doesn't accept his card. I pointed him to the monster Bank of America across the street, which, since it's a national bank, had a better chance of accepting a foreign bank card. He launched into a long conversation with lots of eye contact and what seemed like flirting with me. Emphasis on seemed like flirting; you can never tell with European men. I think he was just lonely, a stranger in a strange city. If I were a nicer person, I would have chatted longer, but I really had to extricate myself to get on with my errands.
Act Two: In the evening, I had to staff a work event. I headed out in my black suit. Part way to my destination, a Hasidic Jewish man stopped and asked me, "Are you Jewish." I rather liked being flagged down by a stranger to be asked if I am Jewish. Only because it seems so much more interesting than being asked, "Are you a Methodist?"
I'm not verbally so good on my feet. He asked me, "Are you Jewish?" and I replied, "No. . . but thank you." Which is pretty much my answer when people in the grocery store ask me if I want to try a sample or in the department store when someone in cosmetics tries to douse me in cologne.
He explained to me that they needed a tenth Jewish man to form the minyan required for certain Jewish services and obligations. He was just taking a chance on me. I think it was my black suit.
(Reverse to) Act One and a Half: Just down the block from the Jewish man, I run into the Belgian. He thanks me for the directions to the bank and then starts to tell me about his day. By now, I'm rushing to make it to the event on time, so I had to cut him off. Like I said, I think he's lonely. He gave me his card. Now I have to figure out what to do with it.
In the last block before the location of the event, I saw another Hasidic Jewish man. I figured he was the tenth man, but I didn't stop to ask.
This would all make sense if I lived in a small town, but I live in the heart of a city.
Act Three: I hadn't talked in ages with the colleague who also staffed the event, so we had a lot of catching up to to do. He asked me if I still had any contact with a guy I had dated a while ago. The relationship ended because the guy just disappeared, which was very painful. I remember, SG, when I was trying to figure out what was going on with him, you said: "He's just not into you." You weren't being (all that) mean. You were referring to a book that attempts to help women face the facts and understand how men behave when they don't want to go any further. I don't know if you were telling me to read it, but you made your point clear. I was pretty surprised you knew that the book existed. It's written for women, but the advice works for gay men, too.
I arrived home thinking about how tough it is to get rejected. In the lobby of my building we have a bench that acts like a swap site. People leave books or other treasures for other residents to take. What book should be there for the taking. You guessed it: "He's Just Not Into You."
We're launching a new feature here at GG/SG. The new tumblr blog is a byproduct of our semi-regular AdWatch feature.
As you know, we're interested in stuff that examines, celebrates, and/or exploits gay and straight stereotypes.
We'll still put a few ads on this blog from time to time. But we wanted to have have a quick catalog for all the of the print, web, and billboard ads that we see but don't always have the time to comment on.
The tumblr format is better for quick posts on a single topic, and makes it very easy to repost photos and videos from around the web. Readers can comment, ask a question, or share an ad.
Right now, there are a some new posts featuring TV ads from IKEA and Harley Davidson. Each uses the "almost caught cheating" theme, but with a twist. Check 'em out here.
I think our readers know that we're both Glee fans. It was a hit last year and has returned to even bigger ratings this season.
My original take was that it was surprisingly sophisticated and adult. But the show is a catch-all. It's managed to be slapstick, sleazy, soap-opera-y, and sentimental. And those glee-clubbers have sold a lot of music along the way (Charting 71 singles, recently passing the Beatles, Billboard).
And, based on it's characters, storylines, and all around fabulousness, it's seen as a very gay friendly show... It won the GLAAD award for best comedy last year. Hooray for everyone.
This straight guy is always rooting for the counselor, Ms. Pillsbury, by the way.
Now, along comes GQ Magazine and decides to publish a photo feature on a few of the show's stars. Nothing unexpected for a men's magazine. But the decision to keep the adult actors in character as high school kids has the web all aflutter.
How the hell did a show about high school theater geeks come to be the biggest TV show in America? Well, T&A helps. (That's talent and ambition, you pervs.) But so does a generous helping of pot-laced brownies, girl-on-girl subtext, and choreographed dry-humping.
That tone, and the racy photos, has made Glee a target of the Parent's Television Council, who decided to publish a snarky release:
"It is disturbing that GQ, which is explicitly written for adult men, is sexualizing the actresses who play high school-aged characters on Glee in this way. It borders on pedophilia. Sadly, this is just the latest example of the overt sexualization of young girls in entertainment," said PTC President Tim Winter....
Many children who flocked to High School Musical have grown into Glee fans. They are now being treated to seductive, in-your-face poses of the underwear-clad female characters posing in front of school lockers, one of them opting for a full-frontal crotch shot. By authorizing this kind of near-pornographic display, the creators of the program have established their intentions on the show's direction....
With a demonstrated market of eager fans for an entertaining, musical-themed program like Glee, we wonder why the shows creators feel the need for such graphic sexualization of women. Interestingly, the photos of the male character showed him wearing a shirt, tie and vest...
Unfortunately, it seems Glee is only masquerading as a family show and is far from appropriate for young viewers.
I've got kids who want to but aren't yet allowed to watch Glee, so I get the controversy here. But man, I hate the tone of moral superiority in PTC's review. Since when does a celebrity photoshoot become evidence of plans for the "show's direction?" Besides, many of Glee's major plot points have already focused on sex and its consequences. There are virgins and there are skanks, and everything inbetween. The show has never "masqueraded" as anything. If teens are watching, they're getting a balanced presentation. This is GQ we're talking about, so it's not "interesting" that the male character keeps his shirt on while the women get "near-pornographic." It's expected. Given that these actors are 24 and 28 years old, the pedophilia accusation seems excessively slanderous.
At any rate, this once gay-friendly and family-friendly show has now been tainted, and straight guys are supposedly to blame. Not that I even know anyone who subscribes to GQ.
"No one tells a New Yorker that they can't marry Jesse Tyler Ferguson."
Alec Baldwin lends a hand for Fight Back New York, which works to remove from office New York state senators who block civil rights for gay and lesbians. Targeted are 38 state senators who voted against marriage equality.
There's only one thing getting in the way of his marriage to Jesse Tyler Ferguson of Modern Family, Baldwin dishes: The New York State Senate. "Had enough?" Baldwin asks. "Fight back."
Alec, you rock!
--Gay Guy
Hey, GG,
Let me also make this late addition of another example of Alec Baldwin's witty use of reverse psychology -- this time on the topic of public radio pledge drives. His admonition? Don't give!
In other spots, he holds Ira Glass hostage as a DJ on a spanish pop station and spoofs his famous Glengarry Glen Ross monologue. Link
Readers,
God Hates This Sign
