"Masculinity is the Ability to Flirt with the Effeminate"

Upon receiving this assignment, I immediately saw, in bright flashing lights, the letters RENT. But of course, those letters didn't actually stand for anything. I'm talking about the musical-made-hit-motion picture Rent. Rent doesn't just mention homosexuality in passing; half of the main characters are gay/lesbian. To me, Rent is definitely a positive representation of gay people/ that being sad, there are times where homosexuality is played off as sordid or as a joke, but I think that was really just to show the world as it truly is. For example, Mark and Maureen broke up, and when Benny asked who they guy was that Maureen left Mark for, Mark responded dejectedly, "Joanne." This instigated laughter. It was made a big deal throughout the story that Maureen left Mark for a woman. His parents left a voicemail giving their sympathies for his break up, especially because she left him for a woman. His parents also said, "Now maybe you two can get back together" at Maureen and Joanne's engagement party when they had a fight and ended their relationship. To me, this was the writer adding the reality that there are plenty of people out there who are not open-minded and who do not necessarily accept the idea of two people of the same gender being together. This was important because the rest of the story really does seem empowering for gays. Almost anyone you talk to about this show will tell you that Angel is their favorite character. Angel, the sweet, talented, beautiful gay cross-dresser who dies of AIDS. His gayness is celebrated consistently, even after he's gone. At his funeral, each friend goes up and tells a story about Angel. Mimi got up there and talked about how Angel, fully drag-queened, offered to help some tourists out of Alphabet City. The tourists had been a bit frightened at first because they had probably never seen a drag queen, but they ended up loving Angel as well. It was hard not to. And at the very end, when Mimi ends up not dying after all, she tells Roger, "I was going towards this white light, and I swear, Angel was there. And she looked good." The eight main characters go by the words "La Vie Boehm," and in that life, individuality was the only thing to have. Angel was everything you could want in a person and more, and the very last image of the movie shows her. No Pussy Galore outfit, no fake cleavage. Angel was a man, but that didn't even matter, because really, the name says it all.

The story of Rent was largely about AIDS, and that leads me to a negative paragraph. I personally have yet to meet someone who openly thinks this way, but I've seen elsewhere, many a time, people afraid of even going near gays, especially men. Obviously all men who are gay have AIDS, and it is quite apparent that by touching one of them, you too will contract the virus. Not. Stereotypes are almost always ridiculous in some send, but do stem from something. It is true that a lot of gay men have AIDS. Both the ones in Rent did. Gay men were the first major victims of the virus, though now, more straight people are afflicted. I'm sure quite a percentage of gay men do have AIDS. But I'm equally as sure that quite a percentage of them don't, and I'm absolutely positive that you will not get AIDS from going near, or, god forbid, even shaking hands with, and infected gay man. Now if you were to have intercourse that would be a different story. And of course you're going to have a sort of intimacy, because all gay men want is SEX. The world sees those letters in bright, flashing lights. So, as I was saying, you're pretty much screwed if you encounter a gay man, because he will have AIDS, and you will get HIV from him, because he will do a little dance and get you to sleep with him. He will probably also give you a makeover afterwards. Oh how I love sarcasm.

Speaking of men giving makeovers, let's look at the Fabulous Five from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. That show was a hit if I've ever seen one. I myself didn't watch it very often, only because I'm not big on makeovers in general, but wow, did it hit the public like a hurricane of flat irons. Everywhere I went, people were talking about this fantastic show and what an amazing job the men did making people look better. I feel like the Fab Five really embedded the gay stereotypes of effeminacy all over again, but this time, people loved it. Even now, after all the hype has died down, some of the guys are still in the public eye. They've been on all the big talk shows. They've done some movies. And I think they probably also gave a lot of people a lot of confidence to not just be who they are, but to be it with pride and flair. I don't recall hearing a lot about celebrities coming out a few years ago, but now I can think of at least a handful. Of course, this isn't necessarily due to the fact that five gay guys went on TV and got famous, but I really do believe that these men embraced what others had shunned, and that gives even me confidence.

I find it absolutely absurd that there's even a need to make homosexual people feel comfortable in their own skin. In doing research for our perceptions papers, I found an entire website devoted to showing each state's stance on the recognition of gay people. Not even necessarily on gay marriage! This site talked about how people were trying to pass laws to abolish gay union altogether. It is things like this that really make me think that our country hasn't come very far at all. Do we always have to find someone to puck on and demoralize? Even now, in frighteningly liberal Massachusetts, they want the option of gay marriage to be on a ballot. This is supposed to be a free country. We all have the right to life, love, and the pursuit of happiness. But the pursuit is often hindered or obstructed by people who aren't willing to let this country actually be free. Nobody wants someone telling them how to run their life. You can't help who you fall in love with and if you happen to fall for someone who has the same chromosomes, you should still be afforded the rights that everyone else is.

I am lucky enough to be close to two people whose pursuit did not get thwarted. When I was eight and my brother was six, we got a new babysitter. Cher was cool, but only because she came with yo-yo's. But over time she grew to become like family. So much so, in fact, that we even stayed over her house one night. We slept on cots in her room and her roommate, Jude, slept in her own bedroom, of course. And I love Jude. I thought it was pretty cool that they lived together. But did I think anything of it right then? No. I was ten. However, maybe two years ago, when we no longer needed Cher as a babysitter and she really was just like family, my brother and I had to stay there for a week when my mom and step-dad went on their honeymoon. Before going, my mom felt it fit to "warn" me that Cher and Jude would be sleeping in the same bed, and they got married. My reaction?"Good for them!" My brother's? "Oh, that's cool." Her need to warn us, and Cher and Jude's desire to hide it from out family for so long, upset me, but to be honesty, at a certain point, I think Tony and I kind of figured it out. I just said, "Oh," when my mom told me they were together, even though she said it like it was some kind of scary secret. I once asked Cher why she kept it from us, and she said that she wasn't sure how my parents would react. If you knew my parents, you'd understand. And that really bothered me, because I would have loved to be at the wedding. Cher and Jude are two of the most important people in my life. I go there when I need to escape, and they welcome me and love me unconditionally. Their home is home to so many other people as well. I honestly have never known two people more loved and more loving, despite (used begrudgingly) the fact that they are lesbians. There's always something going on at their house because there's always someone there to hand out with them. I love them both, and I know I wouldn't want them any other way.