The last week has been quite interesting for me from a political standpoint. First let me point out that I never really thought of myself as being very political at all, that was before I joined Facebook and saw the type of content I was posting.
We have all heard the old adage regarding the 3 topics that should never be part of polite conversation, money, religion, and politics. Well it seems that's no longer true and no-one is willing to hold their tongues on any of them.
The week began with a rather heated discussion regarding a political topic in which, in my opinion, a friend irresponsibly claimed the topic made us a socialist nation. That discussion deteriorated into a difference in religious perspective and my choosing to be gay, or more pointedly why do I identify as gay if I'm not "living the gay lifestyle." Man up and accept god kind of thing.
More troubling for me was yesterday's occurrence. I understand we all have varying political, and religious, views truth be told I believe that's part of what makes this country so great that we CAN have those opinions. In as much I have kept it no secret as to my struggle in believing in the christian's version of god, but I believe there may be a time and place where those opinions may, or may not, be more appropriately expressed.
Case in point, an Independence Day tribute posted to a Facebook wall. I saw it happen repeatedly yesterday and it happened on my own wall.
There are very few great songs regarding this country that do not have some reference to a higher being. I read somewhere the other day a comment regarding one's belief that this referenced a more universal god, an idea of some great benevolence and protector that was part of the human experience and enveloped this country. I rather like that idea especially in light of this country's foundation of "Freedom of religion." We can NOT in any way be a theocracy and still recognise that great tenet of the founding fathers. But I digress...
I posted the words to God Bless America as part of my Independence Day tribute to both this country and to those who have sacrificed for our freedoms and a friend took that platform as an opportunity to comment on their opinion that this is no longer a free country. An opportunity to once again slam a President of whom they don't approve.
If I can overlook the use of god in a song that I feel is a tribute to this land why can't you overlook your politics for just a few moments and be grateful for what we do have?
I have always tried to give each President the benefit of the doubt, and support them as much as I can. I may not always approve of everything he does, nor am I likely to approve of his politics at every turn, but he is OUR President and deserves our respect and support.
So let us at least occasionally put down our swords and pick up the banner of freedom and proudly declare what a great country this REALLY is showing our support for not only our country but for all those who have given so much that we are afforded these freedoms, however minor you may feel they be...indeed "God Bless America!"
"While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer. "
... God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.
~ Irving Berlin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zF7a0wB-Lg
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Happy Father's Day
What is Father's Day to a man with no children? To a man who has never had a REAL relationship with his own Father, or Dad?
I never, of a conscious age, knew my biological father and, for reasons I'll not go in to, never will. Truth be told I had no desire to meet the man or learn more about him. I now know I have at least one other sibling via this man but I am lead to believe he doesn't know that my sister and I exist. This is all inconsequential to Father's Day.
There is a man I am happy to call Dad. While he is no longer married to my Mother and I have some personal issues with his way of parenting, as do my siblings, he is Dad. We have something of a "Cat's in the Cradle" relationship, he didn't seem to have much time for me as a child and, unfortunately, I won't give him much now. He did however take on an instant family when he married my Mom so I have to give him a certain amount of respect for being willing to at least try. In my opinion, he missed the mark in many ways but he was willing to try.
I, probably, knew early on that we wouldn't have a relationship when I became an adult and their divorce put an even larger wedge between us. I grew up and moved away, he left the house, so now when I visit it's too easy to avoid him, much like I felt he avoided me in earlier years. There really is no positive spin I can put on this, I am failing him as a son, now consciously as opposed to the failure I was subconsciously for being who I am to begin with, and he, in my warped mind, has failed in some ways as a Dad. I will always love him but I will never feel like I was truly his son or that he will ever accept me for who, and what, I am. That, therefore, may always keep us from a REAL relationship. We all fail, we're human, we just need to learn from our failures and try to make the best of the time we have left, especially with those we love. No matter how they may have hurt us, or seemingly continue to hurt us, we must learn to put that aside in hopes of developing the relationship we'd like to nurture.
I have always had issues with men I suppose that's why I've always been single. I don't trust them, they make me uncomfortable, they by their very presence can make me feel inadequate, stupid, and like a little kid again, and personal history has taught me they will always abandon you. There is always something in their lives they'd rather have than you, or rather be doing than being with you.Trust issues? Maybe a little...
Someday I hope to find a man who will prove me wrong on all those counts. Someday I hope my Dad and I can forge a real relationship based on mutual love, respect, and acceptance. I don't see that happening any time soon but I hope we have enough time left to see it occur.
Happy Father's Day!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUwjNBjqR-c
I never, of a conscious age, knew my biological father and, for reasons I'll not go in to, never will. Truth be told I had no desire to meet the man or learn more about him. I now know I have at least one other sibling via this man but I am lead to believe he doesn't know that my sister and I exist. This is all inconsequential to Father's Day.
There is a man I am happy to call Dad. While he is no longer married to my Mother and I have some personal issues with his way of parenting, as do my siblings, he is Dad. We have something of a "Cat's in the Cradle" relationship, he didn't seem to have much time for me as a child and, unfortunately, I won't give him much now. He did however take on an instant family when he married my Mom so I have to give him a certain amount of respect for being willing to at least try. In my opinion, he missed the mark in many ways but he was willing to try.
I, probably, knew early on that we wouldn't have a relationship when I became an adult and their divorce put an even larger wedge between us. I grew up and moved away, he left the house, so now when I visit it's too easy to avoid him, much like I felt he avoided me in earlier years. There really is no positive spin I can put on this, I am failing him as a son, now consciously as opposed to the failure I was subconsciously for being who I am to begin with, and he, in my warped mind, has failed in some ways as a Dad. I will always love him but I will never feel like I was truly his son or that he will ever accept me for who, and what, I am. That, therefore, may always keep us from a REAL relationship. We all fail, we're human, we just need to learn from our failures and try to make the best of the time we have left, especially with those we love. No matter how they may have hurt us, or seemingly continue to hurt us, we must learn to put that aside in hopes of developing the relationship we'd like to nurture.
I have always had issues with men I suppose that's why I've always been single. I don't trust them, they make me uncomfortable, they by their very presence can make me feel inadequate, stupid, and like a little kid again, and personal history has taught me they will always abandon you. There is always something in their lives they'd rather have than you, or rather be doing than being with you.Trust issues? Maybe a little...
Someday I hope to find a man who will prove me wrong on all those counts. Someday I hope my Dad and I can forge a real relationship based on mutual love, respect, and acceptance. I don't see that happening any time soon but I hope we have enough time left to see it occur.
Happy Father's Day!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUwjNBjqR-c
Saturday, April 7, 2012
What's in a name?
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."
~William Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet
There are words, names, and phrases, all of which have the ability to conjure certain feelings, images, or emotions within each of us. Some evoke luxury, think Cartier or Rolls Royce, Tiffany, or Fabergé. Some make us think of our childhood, our families, friends, and "home." Others instill fear, loathing, and anger, perhaps by no fault of their own, but by the subconscious bridge our thought patterns pursue upon hearing them.
The same can often be said of aromas, or other sensory perceptions. I have a series of childhood memories that flood my senses every time I smell a particular brand of dishwashing liquid. The scent of certain food stuffs automatically sends me into the warmth of my Grandmother's kitchen and her loving arms, but I digress.
A name, the simple moniker by which most are known their entire lives, bestowed upon them at birth by, presumably, loving parents. What we make of that name as we grow into our own person is an entirely different matter. Part of this is, of course, influenced by our parents and family, some by our encounters with the outside world, and yet other aspects by our closest friendships, especially as we reach our teen years and seek to be a part of our peer group and be accepted by the crowd.
I encountered a name this evening that I have not heard in YEARS. A name which occasionally crosses the scope of my memory and, along with a few others with which it will always be associated in my mind, makes my heart skip a beat. Not the kind of skip a beat that comes with a secret crush, or longing, nor that of joy or rapture, no, this is the kind of skip from abject terror, fear, and, perceived, inferiority.
Deep down I knew this name still held that sway, despite having not encountered this individual in over twenty-five years, but I was ill prepared for just what it did to me seeing his name.
I was made part of a Facebook group, a group with which I am logically to be associated, and yet my knee-jerk reaction at seeing his post at the top of the group page was to remove myself from said group.
This man, a mere teen at last encounter, his brother, and one other young man, were all amongst those I most feared in my junior high and high school years, they were my bullies. They were the big men on campus, the jocks, the hyper-masculine, make the girls swoon, crush the competition, heroes of the halls. I was their target!
Now in hind-sight, I was just discussing with a friend that in grade school I was probably a bully. There are many things I recall having done to others in those years that, while I'm not proud of, would qualify as bully behaviours. Yet, by the fifth grade, I had reformed. I became a model student and the target of the bullies. I had hobbies and even ways of dress that set me apart, and apparently I was also a bit nelly. Prime fodder for getting your butt kicked figuratively, and physically.
Moving on to a private, Christian school only exacerbated the problem. Throw in these guys who, seemingly, ran the place and I was toast.
Mentally I know these names should no longer hold such sway, for all I know these men have grown into open-minded individuals willing to embrace the diversity that our world offers, but subconsciously, they will always be the closed-minded, bigoted, neanderthals that scared the hell out of me every time I had to be anywhere near them.
Even today I think of things I may say to others and wonder could that have hurt more deeply than I perceived? Have I been a bully? Did they see, in what I intended as a joke, some mean spirit hell bent on crushing them? I must, daily and in every encounter, more carefully choose my words and measure my actions that my name not instill in others the dread and fear that these names hold for me.
"The mouth is a powerful weapon and words can never be taken back. So remember that while you think you're being helpful, or are indeed just joking, the most powerful weapon in the world has the ability to destroy someone inside and out." ~Unknown
~William Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet
There are words, names, and phrases, all of which have the ability to conjure certain feelings, images, or emotions within each of us. Some evoke luxury, think Cartier or Rolls Royce, Tiffany, or Fabergé. Some make us think of our childhood, our families, friends, and "home." Others instill fear, loathing, and anger, perhaps by no fault of their own, but by the subconscious bridge our thought patterns pursue upon hearing them.
The same can often be said of aromas, or other sensory perceptions. I have a series of childhood memories that flood my senses every time I smell a particular brand of dishwashing liquid. The scent of certain food stuffs automatically sends me into the warmth of my Grandmother's kitchen and her loving arms, but I digress.
A name, the simple moniker by which most are known their entire lives, bestowed upon them at birth by, presumably, loving parents. What we make of that name as we grow into our own person is an entirely different matter. Part of this is, of course, influenced by our parents and family, some by our encounters with the outside world, and yet other aspects by our closest friendships, especially as we reach our teen years and seek to be a part of our peer group and be accepted by the crowd.
I encountered a name this evening that I have not heard in YEARS. A name which occasionally crosses the scope of my memory and, along with a few others with which it will always be associated in my mind, makes my heart skip a beat. Not the kind of skip a beat that comes with a secret crush, or longing, nor that of joy or rapture, no, this is the kind of skip from abject terror, fear, and, perceived, inferiority.
Deep down I knew this name still held that sway, despite having not encountered this individual in over twenty-five years, but I was ill prepared for just what it did to me seeing his name.
I was made part of a Facebook group, a group with which I am logically to be associated, and yet my knee-jerk reaction at seeing his post at the top of the group page was to remove myself from said group.
This man, a mere teen at last encounter, his brother, and one other young man, were all amongst those I most feared in my junior high and high school years, they were my bullies. They were the big men on campus, the jocks, the hyper-masculine, make the girls swoon, crush the competition, heroes of the halls. I was their target!
Now in hind-sight, I was just discussing with a friend that in grade school I was probably a bully. There are many things I recall having done to others in those years that, while I'm not proud of, would qualify as bully behaviours. Yet, by the fifth grade, I had reformed. I became a model student and the target of the bullies. I had hobbies and even ways of dress that set me apart, and apparently I was also a bit nelly. Prime fodder for getting your butt kicked figuratively, and physically.
Moving on to a private, Christian school only exacerbated the problem. Throw in these guys who, seemingly, ran the place and I was toast.
Mentally I know these names should no longer hold such sway, for all I know these men have grown into open-minded individuals willing to embrace the diversity that our world offers, but subconsciously, they will always be the closed-minded, bigoted, neanderthals that scared the hell out of me every time I had to be anywhere near them.
Even today I think of things I may say to others and wonder could that have hurt more deeply than I perceived? Have I been a bully? Did they see, in what I intended as a joke, some mean spirit hell bent on crushing them? I must, daily and in every encounter, more carefully choose my words and measure my actions that my name not instill in others the dread and fear that these names hold for me.
"The mouth is a powerful weapon and words can never be taken back. So remember that while you think you're being helpful, or are indeed just joking, the most powerful weapon in the world has the ability to destroy someone inside and out." ~Unknown
Monday, April 2, 2012
Cleanliness is next to godliness...
I have heard people, erroneously, espouse countless things from the pulpit, implying that countless issues could prevent you from reaching the pearly gates.
I've heard one state that if you have been divorced you cannot be a Christian. Another occasion afforded me the opportunity to learn that you could not be overweight and a Christian. Of course we've all heard that "God hates fags," so apparently being gay also prevents you from calling yourself a Christian. I'm sure there are countless other preventions from calling yourself Christian, some of which I've heard and some I haven't.
All these reasons you cannot enter a relationship with God or indeed call yourself Christian. So I've decided to add to these misnomers and begin my own campaign for why you may not call yourself a Christian or in fact a member of any monotheism.
If "cleanliness is next to godliness" it stands to reason that you shouldn't call yourself a Christian if you are not organised and an exceptional housekeeper.
From a scriptural standpoint we are encouraged to be good stewards. How can you call yourself a good steward if you are failing to keep things clean? Why should you be imparted with anything more, or better, if you fail to take care of those things, however meager, you already have?
Alright, I'll admit, I'm an obsessive housekeeper. My standards may be a bit higher than most but I firmly believe that every item I own or with which I am entrusted deserves the utmost care. It is my responsibility to keep things in the best condition possible.
So what about the organisationally challenged, those with chronic disorganisation? What about those with psychological reasons for their lack of cleanliness, hoarders or people of that ilk? Is it the responsibility of those of us gifted with organisation and the "clean gene" to pick up the slack? Perhaps. There are those who pick up the slack in so many areas of the Church or life in general, each has his, or her, "gifts," perhaps it it yours to keep the world clean and organised.
I just wish, sometimes, that those who are cleanliness challenged would realise the work involved in cleaning and keeping clean their environments and perhaps try a little harder to keep from making more work for you just moments after you finished an area.
"Cleanliness becomes more important when godliness is unlikely." P.J. O'Rourke
I've heard one state that if you have been divorced you cannot be a Christian. Another occasion afforded me the opportunity to learn that you could not be overweight and a Christian. Of course we've all heard that "God hates fags," so apparently being gay also prevents you from calling yourself a Christian. I'm sure there are countless other preventions from calling yourself Christian, some of which I've heard and some I haven't.
All these reasons you cannot enter a relationship with God or indeed call yourself Christian. So I've decided to add to these misnomers and begin my own campaign for why you may not call yourself a Christian or in fact a member of any monotheism.
If "cleanliness is next to godliness" it stands to reason that you shouldn't call yourself a Christian if you are not organised and an exceptional housekeeper.
From a scriptural standpoint we are encouraged to be good stewards. How can you call yourself a good steward if you are failing to keep things clean? Why should you be imparted with anything more, or better, if you fail to take care of those things, however meager, you already have?
Alright, I'll admit, I'm an obsessive housekeeper. My standards may be a bit higher than most but I firmly believe that every item I own or with which I am entrusted deserves the utmost care. It is my responsibility to keep things in the best condition possible.
So what about the organisationally challenged, those with chronic disorganisation? What about those with psychological reasons for their lack of cleanliness, hoarders or people of that ilk? Is it the responsibility of those of us gifted with organisation and the "clean gene" to pick up the slack? Perhaps. There are those who pick up the slack in so many areas of the Church or life in general, each has his, or her, "gifts," perhaps it it yours to keep the world clean and organised.
I just wish, sometimes, that those who are cleanliness challenged would realise the work involved in cleaning and keeping clean their environments and perhaps try a little harder to keep from making more work for you just moments after you finished an area.
"Cleanliness becomes more important when godliness is unlikely." P.J. O'Rourke
Friday, March 30, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
At what price "freedom?"
Do we as individuals have a tendency to allow others to deny us those things we know we need? Does our attempt at pleasing others keep us from attaining things we know we would enjoy, or even need? Do we, even as adults, give in to peer pressure thus denying ourselves for the sake of the group?
How do we decide what to deny ourselves simply because it may not be popular opinion?
Have you ever given up a large portion of yourself to keep from making waves or offending someone?
These are questions that lay a groundwork for a confession with which I have long fought. A confession about my spiritual well being.
Can I allow man to dictate my ability to have a relationship with God because they perceive my very existence as a sin? Is it not easier to choose not to believe in God rather than deal with the idea that some believe God hates fags? How does one who grew up in a Christian environment believe in two such different views that he was born gay and that God does indeed love him as He created him?
One must choose God. One cannot choose to be gay or straight.
I was once part of a very dynamic, Spirit filled, ministerial team. I loved my position and my relationship with both God and the church. In many ways I felt that the things I was doing as part of this ministry made me complete. Then I began to come to terms with who I knew myself to be, based on all I had been taught, the two could not coexist.
I left the ministry in order that I not be seen as a hypocrite. I wanted to be able to both "talk the talk and walk the walk" and being gay, presumably, kept me from that accomplishment. I so wanted to still be a part of the ministry not so much for what it may be doing in the lives of others, but for what it did for me and my life.
I have never at any other point in my life felt happier, more fulfilled, or more complete, than I did in my years of ministry. Part of me firmly believes that is where I still belong.
There is a line in one of my favorite films wherein Papa is going to teach his daughter, Yentl, while it is forbidden he is going to teach her Talmud yet insists she close the curtains. "Why Papa? I trust God will understand the neighbors I'm not so sure about." Even in my youth, long before I came out, this movie spoke volumes to me. She had such a thirst for knowledge, such a desire to know God, and yet because of who she was, she was denied that opportunity. I, being gay, was also meant to be denied the opportunity to reach the throne, at least that is what "the neighbors" believed.
My current spiritual stance is that of an Agnostic, not necessarily because I question the existence of God but because I do not believe in a God who fits within the parameters, and limitations, in which Christendom has tried to confine Him. I believe a benevolent God would accept me and use me as He created me. That I am exactly as He designed and that, somehow, that works within a framework of ministry and spiritual development for both myself and others. Somehow He wants me to be able to minister to others and still be myself. But where? Who, besides God, will accept me as I am and allow me to be part of a ministry?
It has recently come to my attention that there are those whom I did touch during my years of ministry and who have gone on to be fine, upstanding members of ministry teams themselves and have touched many and continue to minister as God sees fit. Therefore my ministry was not without fruit, God was able to use this gay guy to do His work, despite what man may have felt.
Some day I will be able to change my beliefs from Agnostic to Man of God. I will find a place wherein I can be accepted as well as ministered to and allowed to be ministered through.
So what did I give up for the "freedom" of coming out? I haven't REALLY given up that part of me, it just lays smoldering within awaiting His bellows to regain consumption. Until then, I trust God will understand, the neighbors I'm not so sure about.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wDqd7Sn9lE
How do we decide what to deny ourselves simply because it may not be popular opinion?
Have you ever given up a large portion of yourself to keep from making waves or offending someone?
These are questions that lay a groundwork for a confession with which I have long fought. A confession about my spiritual well being.
Can I allow man to dictate my ability to have a relationship with God because they perceive my very existence as a sin? Is it not easier to choose not to believe in God rather than deal with the idea that some believe God hates fags? How does one who grew up in a Christian environment believe in two such different views that he was born gay and that God does indeed love him as He created him?
One must choose God. One cannot choose to be gay or straight.
I was once part of a very dynamic, Spirit filled, ministerial team. I loved my position and my relationship with both God and the church. In many ways I felt that the things I was doing as part of this ministry made me complete. Then I began to come to terms with who I knew myself to be, based on all I had been taught, the two could not coexist.
I left the ministry in order that I not be seen as a hypocrite. I wanted to be able to both "talk the talk and walk the walk" and being gay, presumably, kept me from that accomplishment. I so wanted to still be a part of the ministry not so much for what it may be doing in the lives of others, but for what it did for me and my life.
I have never at any other point in my life felt happier, more fulfilled, or more complete, than I did in my years of ministry. Part of me firmly believes that is where I still belong.
There is a line in one of my favorite films wherein Papa is going to teach his daughter, Yentl, while it is forbidden he is going to teach her Talmud yet insists she close the curtains. "Why Papa? I trust God will understand the neighbors I'm not so sure about." Even in my youth, long before I came out, this movie spoke volumes to me. She had such a thirst for knowledge, such a desire to know God, and yet because of who she was, she was denied that opportunity. I, being gay, was also meant to be denied the opportunity to reach the throne, at least that is what "the neighbors" believed.
My current spiritual stance is that of an Agnostic, not necessarily because I question the existence of God but because I do not believe in a God who fits within the parameters, and limitations, in which Christendom has tried to confine Him. I believe a benevolent God would accept me and use me as He created me. That I am exactly as He designed and that, somehow, that works within a framework of ministry and spiritual development for both myself and others. Somehow He wants me to be able to minister to others and still be myself. But where? Who, besides God, will accept me as I am and allow me to be part of a ministry?
It has recently come to my attention that there are those whom I did touch during my years of ministry and who have gone on to be fine, upstanding members of ministry teams themselves and have touched many and continue to minister as God sees fit. Therefore my ministry was not without fruit, God was able to use this gay guy to do His work, despite what man may have felt.
Some day I will be able to change my beliefs from Agnostic to Man of God. I will find a place wherein I can be accepted as well as ministered to and allowed to be ministered through.
So what did I give up for the "freedom" of coming out? I haven't REALLY given up that part of me, it just lays smoldering within awaiting His bellows to regain consumption. Until then, I trust God will understand, the neighbors I'm not so sure about.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wDqd7Sn9lE
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Gay for pay...
Admittedly there's not much I care to watch on television. With the yelling, backstabbing, and obvious editing for drama, reality shows have never held any merit. I very rarely make it beyond the first season no matter how much I like a show, in fact, I can name only 2 shows I have ever watched beyond one season, although I have a couple shows this season which will probably make it to my 2 season viewing scope.
So that probably means I really have no place complaining about the current trend in programming.
I'm sorry but I'm getting REALLY tired of every show feeling the need to suddenly have a gay character or storyline. I hate to admit it but I realise that gay is the 'flavour of the month' if you will, but having a gay character or plot line that isn't in keeping with the show overall is just asinine.
Don't get me wrong I think it's great that they're more willing to have a gay character in a series, or that they're occasionally willing to cover the hardships of being gay in a thought provoking and fact based manner, I just don't think EVERY show needs a gay character or plot line. At the current rate of 'coming out' story lines, it's painfully obvious they're bucking for the 'gay dollar.' Do they really believe that gays are going to flock to their advertisers simply due to a poorly wrought, unbelievable, gay character or plot line?
Does this current trend amount to any more than "gay for pay?" Is there really any difference between adding a never before seen character to your line up and having him come out, never to be seen again, touting this coming out story to every media outlet in hopes of raising revenue and the idea of someone like Cody Cummings going only so far in the fantasy keeping gay boys hoping while garnering thousands of dollars in profits from his being a total tool? Granted a good looking tool but still he's a money whore. Are these shows any different?
There are shows where it makes sense. There are shows where the character development leaves you wondering and it seems only natural that the character eventually reveals they're gay. Yet there are others where no amount of creative genius will make you believe that this was the natural progression of this character or story.
While we're on the subject, gays come in every shape and size with varying interests and talents, they should also quit pigeonholing their characters into the stereotypes that the straight community will recognise as 'gay.' They don't all do it but many do and someone, apparently, needs to explain to them that they're not only doing their character a disservice but the LGBT community as a whole.
Now back to your regularly scheduled program...
So that probably means I really have no place complaining about the current trend in programming.
I'm sorry but I'm getting REALLY tired of every show feeling the need to suddenly have a gay character or storyline. I hate to admit it but I realise that gay is the 'flavour of the month' if you will, but having a gay character or plot line that isn't in keeping with the show overall is just asinine.
Don't get me wrong I think it's great that they're more willing to have a gay character in a series, or that they're occasionally willing to cover the hardships of being gay in a thought provoking and fact based manner, I just don't think EVERY show needs a gay character or plot line. At the current rate of 'coming out' story lines, it's painfully obvious they're bucking for the 'gay dollar.' Do they really believe that gays are going to flock to their advertisers simply due to a poorly wrought, unbelievable, gay character or plot line?
Does this current trend amount to any more than "gay for pay?" Is there really any difference between adding a never before seen character to your line up and having him come out, never to be seen again, touting this coming out story to every media outlet in hopes of raising revenue and the idea of someone like Cody Cummings going only so far in the fantasy keeping gay boys hoping while garnering thousands of dollars in profits from his being a total tool? Granted a good looking tool but still he's a money whore. Are these shows any different?
There are shows where it makes sense. There are shows where the character development leaves you wondering and it seems only natural that the character eventually reveals they're gay. Yet there are others where no amount of creative genius will make you believe that this was the natural progression of this character or story.
While we're on the subject, gays come in every shape and size with varying interests and talents, they should also quit pigeonholing their characters into the stereotypes that the straight community will recognise as 'gay.' They don't all do it but many do and someone, apparently, needs to explain to them that they're not only doing their character a disservice but the LGBT community as a whole.
Now back to your regularly scheduled program...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)