Constitution (2/26) comes out against a so-called Defense of Scouting Bill. This anti-gay bill sponsored by a group of Georgia State senators "suggests that Scouts may be in danger as if they were being stalked or oppressed," and the bill says " ... it's OK for the Scouts to discriminate but ... not all right for the public bodies ... offended by ... prejudice to withhold tax payer funded services."
A review of The Full Monty from The Guardian, Manchester (2/26) by Sarah Hall tells the story of the World War II hero, Field Marshal Montgomery and his love for young men, some very young. This new book by official biographer Nigel Hamilton is no tabloid tale, although one Lucien Treub, Monty's "little Swiss friend" recalls the general personally bathing the 12-year-old and rubbing him down to prevent colds. Hamilton interviewed Treub, who didn't feel any molesting was happening, "but it's a tricky area." Montgomery, whose adult life framed the Oscar Wilde scandal, was later against a government bill to legalize gay sex, saying it would be a "charter for buggery" and "this sort of thing may be tolerated by the French, but we're British —thank God!"
A famous prohibitionist once told a male admirer "Lips that touch liquor will never touch mine." A sarcastic historian commented that, as the non-booze lady was 80, she was not in much danger. The Wall Street Journal (2//28) makes one suspect Leona Helmsley, also 80, would be in the same position with her former chief operating officer, Patrick Ward, 45, even if he was not gay. The exchange of $1 million and 60 apartments between the two should make things more peaceful, even though the Queen was apparently expecting nuptials.
From the "Oh, Yes—Dubya's State" department: a rather strange diatribe from the Houston Chronicle (2/26) columnist Paul Mulshine goes on at some length about the word "homophobe." He seems to feel the word has no meaning—except "citizens of a free country." To quote him a bit further: "I have no idea what the term means. If there is anyone out there who does, please send along a definition in 25 words or less." 100,000 hits on the Chronicle's website would be appropriate, all you (or you all) lesbigays.
The Chicago Sun-Times (2/28) reports that "online users who identify themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender are more active on the web than their straight counterparts" according to a new survey. There was no analysis of the probable cause of the phenomenon so here are a few: 1) from the gay chauvinist—they're smarter and more computer literate so of course!; 2) the cynic—they're visiting porn sites; 3) the statistics maven—more disposable income, natch more computers.
In a review of the new gay-themed novel The Abomination (Paul Golding), the reviewer critiques the by-now stereotyped dysfunction, closet as "candy and danger," and "pre-pubescent encounters." The reviewer (alas anonymous) goes on to say "Where, you wonder, is the gay Bart Simpson? Where is the energetic, unhibited young swish who tells the world to eat his shorts, man?" (and incidentally) "fends off the pervert priest (or coach or scoutmaster etc.)" That same cynic quoted above says this kind of character doesn't exist in serious lit, only in pornography. The Washington Post (2/25).
A letter to the Manchester Guardian (2/28) suggests a new group is needed after a group of reprehensible types, finally concluding with Eminem as "gay-looking" or closeted gays. The new group? Gay Men Who Do Not Need To Boost Their Self-Esteem By Attributing Gayness To A Bunch of Tossers Whom Nobody In Their Right Mind Would Want To Have Sex With Anyway! But the acronym's a killer.
Stanley Kurtz, in The National Review (3/5) rages on that the Left is pushing "the Utopian premise that the stigma of homosexuality can be entirely removed, even though that stigma originates in the primal fact that well over 90 percent of the population is heterosexual." Tsk Tsk. Mr. Kurtz, you certainly are, as my old anthropology professor said, culturally bound. There are plenty (and in fact the majority) of cultures in the world that have no stigma about alternative sexuality at all
You keep playing a part in The Sopranos and look what it does—turns you gay! Check out James Gandolfini playing an other-sexed hit man in the new movie The Mexican. The New York Times (3/2) says, in fact, he outshines Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts. Out acts them, too.
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