02/16/2006
Cheney shooting becomes gay cowboy song by Jill Sobule, sung by friend Robin Eaton. Listen.
Karl Rove made Cheney talk; VP in "state of meltdown."
Drew Livingstone, the Cambridge student stabbed in the brutal anti-gay attack last week, is in stable condition and is recovering at his parents' home in Jersey.
Boy George arrived at the Brit awards looking more cleaned up than he has in ages. He awarded Kanye West with an International Male Solo Artist award and praised his recent statements about homophobia, saying, "Kanye is the first hip-hop star to say something positive about gays. Big up the batty man!"
Boy George was not amused however when before handing Kanye the award, host Chris Evans (the Brit not the hunk) brought up his recent drug arrest in front of the entire audience. Did you really call the NYPD about a burglary when you had 10 bags of drugs under the bed?" asked Evans. Before quickly changing the subject, George replied, "I think that might have been you, Chris."
Shirts from Brokeback Mountain will become the highest grossing item (bids now over $50,000) to be auctioned since Variety Children's Charity began fund-raising with donated filom memorabilia. The movie itself recently passed the $100 million mark in gross international box office receipts. Who says gay cowboys don't sell?
Idaho gay marriage ban to go before popular vote; State Senate ratifies constitutional amendment by a vote of 26-9. Even though Idaho already has a law banning gay marriage, bill supporters said they want to clarify that law. Said Brian Chase of the Lambda Legal Defense Fund: "The language is deliberately fuzzy. They want to try to take away any legal recognition for same-sex unions."
The Malcontent plays pop-up-video with cocky, flamboyant Johnny Weir.
Posted 9:00 AM EST by Andy Towle in Elsewhere | Permalink
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Johnny Weird? You mean "Liberace on Ice"? Good little sk8r, bad little boy. I smell a burnout coming fast. It's too bad too. He has talent, but you can't get sponsorship with an attitude like his, and sponsorship is survival in the sports world.
Posted by: Jay Croce | Feb 15, 2006 10:32:32 PM
Shame on that kid! What was that all about?
Posted by: CokyKid | Feb 16, 2006 5:37:40 AM
Johnny is gorgeous. Poetry in motion.
Posted by: max | Feb 16, 2006 6:50:46 AM
He's the next Rudy! Cute kid, good talent, hope he doesn't burn out.
Now, if they would only run Scott Hamilton over with a Zamboni.
Rad
Posted by: Rad | Feb 16, 2006 9:21:21 AM
Umm.. why is Jonhny a "revolutionary"? Cuz he is a foul mouthed, bad mannered, flaming gay figure skater? He's not cute. He's a 21 year old twink who think he can conquer the world through figure skating. Ahh youth.. Hell be soon forgotten.
Boy George has been raiding Willy Wonka's closet.
Posted by: BLue | Feb 16, 2006 10:09:59 AM
I was part of a group of gay-bashing queers on Bentblog yesterday who were lamenting Mr. Weir's flamboyance. My opinion has changed as a result of the trouncing we took on the part of other fine fellows. Mr. Weir may very well turn out to be "our" Ali...brash, loud-mouthed, over-the-top, but probably the best thing to raise awareness and acceptance. Hell, compared with Mr. Weir, other famous straight athletes haven't been necessarily subdued.
Posted by: jt | Feb 16, 2006 10:57:19 AM
evidently the initial news blackout was in order to navigate concealment that cheney's female companion, the ambassador to switzerland, was by his side... and cheney's wife is pissed.
(huffingtonpost)
Posted by: A.J. | Feb 16, 2006 11:10:41 AM
As gay as the sport is, there is this bizarre homophobia surrounding it. Skaters like Galindo and Weir bring a "in your face" feminine grace to the male side. Hell, Galindo even included lay-backs, a spin never used in male competitions, in his programs.
In a sport where nerves can make the difference between 10th and 1st, I say bring it. If the confidence is not there the win is elusive, just ask Todd Eldredge.
Posted by: Matthew | Feb 16, 2006 11:12:35 AM
i totally <3 jill sobule.. she's awesome
Posted by: jory | Feb 16, 2006 11:12:37 AM
I'm glad to see JT's post. I was also on Bentblog yesterday taking part in the "trouncing." As I said there, Johnny Wier is one of my heros. I wish I had had his courage when I was his age and I wish I had it now. He's out, proud and loud and doesn't try to fit anyone's narrow view of how a gay man should act.
Posted by: Sam | Feb 16, 2006 11:29:12 AM
"Mr. Weir may very well turn out to be "our" Ali...brash, loud-mouthed, over-the-top, but probably the best thing to raise awareness and acceptance"
Umm.. how is Mr. Wier the best thing to raise awareness and acceptance?
Somehow I don't think the gay movement needs another sequin-wearing, vulgar, comic-relief diva iceskater as a figurehead. Look at that vidoo.. or todays CNN video. He's already becoming a joke. One dimensial gay chachater draped in fake Fendi scarves. We don't need his kind of "awareness and acceptance".
Posted by: Blue | Feb 16, 2006 11:30:45 AM
First, off, it's WEIR. Second, this whole discussion must needs presuppose that sexuality constitutes a group or subgroup. I believe that it is generally accepted that such is the case. Hence, the “our.” Third, after Sam et al kicked my ass I realized that I was falling into the "cover" mentality as discussed by Kenji Yoshino in Advocate.
The whole notion is that as long as our gay icons and heroes can cover stigmatized traits. It’s not that the icons or heroes must necessarily pass as heterosexual, it’s more that the Heath Ledgers, Jake Gyllenhalls and the oh-so-brave Antonio Banderas playing a handsome, butch gay man in Philadelphia, are what we should aspire to since they don’t swish, lisp, hold hands in public or do anything overtly “gay.” They are not only straight-acting and appearing...they are straight!
Every group needs its hell-raisers. The American colonists had stamp burners, the equal rights amendment (lamented, too) had its bra-burners, the peace activists had the draft-card burners and the gay-rights movement needs its burners, too. The hell-raisers don’t represent the totality, they simply raise the awareness of the other groups that there is an injustice.
Mohammed Ali burned stereotypes of the black athlete, stereotypes that extended back to Joe Louis. Black athletes were ok, so long as they apologized for being good at what they did. Mr. Ali was unapologetically great and whether black men and women agreed with his embrace of Islam, his outrageous behavior or braggadocio, they all benefited from the increased acceptance of the greatest boxer the world has ever seen.
I don’t know that Mr. Weir will be the greatest skater (Peggy Fleming still holds the key to my heart), but I do know that I am proud to know that a screaming girly-boy (whether gay or not) is out there on the ice in front of millions of people wearing a fetching strapless thing and kicking ass! And I know that YOU may not WANT the awareness and acceptance that will benefit us, but we, need it.
I’m also proud to wear black leather pants to work on casual days and to add my last name publicly...thank you Mr. Schooler.
Posted by: JT Stout | Feb 16, 2006 12:05:30 PM
"evidently the initial news blackout was in order to navigate concealment that cheney's female companion, the ambassador to switzerland, was by his side... and cheney's wife is pissed.
(huffingtonpost)"
A.J.,
Thank you for that flung monkey shit delivered steaming and piping hot from your cohorts at Huffington Post.
Posted by: Tom | Feb 16, 2006 12:36:01 PM
JT, you're long-winded, poorly-thought defense of the outré is based more on attitude than information. In some places that's called ignorance. Joe Louis "apologized" for being good? Girl, lay off the circuit party vitamins—that's nonsense. And both crediting the mostly mythical "bra burners" with actual advances for women's rights, as well as equating the "bra imperative," as it were, with colonial taxation and the draft which turned bodies into cannon fodder is not just ignorant but insulting.
Kenji Yoshino, despite his Ivy League credentials, is but a gaseous last gasp of the absurd and hoary premise that we have must emphasize differences rather than similarities, that "assimilation" is ipso facto evil. And, of course, he has a book to sell. He's like the amateur chef who thinks his wonderful new recipe should be used in everything. E.g., gravy may be tasty, but leave it off my watermelon and pecan pie please. If he so believes in being true to one's cultural identity, where are his classical Japanese hairstyle and clothes? He looks pretty "assimilated" to me. What a traitor to his people! If he had any honor, he'd commit harikiri. Ludicrous, of course, but he can point fingers at others, including the people behind "Brokeback Mountain."
Ali didn't raise acceptance or awareness because of his big mouth, but because of his boxing skills. The former was as much theater as genuine political expression. If he'd not won his matches, he would be long-forgotten rather than an icon.
If flaming fags equaled advancement we would have all been free long ago. One could go back centuries, but let's just go back as far as Ms. George, since he/she's in the same topics batch. Hmmm. Since he first flounced on the scene, Matthew Shepard was murdered; Gwen Araujo and several others have, too; nearly 20 states have castrated us constitutionally; Don't Ask, Don't Tell was created; and for the first time in history, not even in the darkest days of McCarthyism or Tricky Dick, we are publicly, directly demonized by the President of the United States. Of course, it may be the logical fallacy "post hoc ergo propter hoc"—or "after [a flaming fag] therefore because of [a flaming fag], but that is no less illogical than your belief that progress always derives from such "hell raisers." Balderdash!
Hearts and minds are being opened around the world by "Brokeback Mountain" because all of the gay sub cultural hot buttons [from the morally neutral such as effeminacy to the morally evil such as pedophilia] are absent from the story. Its message is "oneness"—as in the desire to love and be loved. But "oneness" is not "sameness," and I have read nothing said by anyone connected with the film to suggest that they think "straight-acting" gays are better than me.
Nevertheless, to "be 'gay'" ONLY means emotional and sexual attraction to the same gender. It has always only meant that, regardless of how it was labeled or not labeled, regardless of time, place, race, language, or sociocultural status. And regardless of any narrow, sub-sub cultural fads and affectations. It has nothing intrinsically to do with acting gay or straight or any other way. Am I not gay because I think Sandra Bernhard is a bore? If I had watched the Super Bowl would that have made me straight? Semiotics themselves change. Seen anyone wearing a green carnation lately? Do the rings in both nipples of one of the male contestants on the new edition of "The Amazing Race" means he's gay, straight, bi, a masochist, or just a fashion victim late to the scene of the crime?
Weir has a right to act the way he wants, but to most straight people, read most voters, Weir is simply weird, and anyone who thinks differently is stuck at ground zero in the "gay" ghetto, looking at the world through a glory hole.
Posted by: Leland | Feb 16, 2006 2:00:11 PM
i think weir is great.
why do we need to put so much emphasis over whether our gay athletes/actors/reps/whatever is a flaming queen or not. he's gay and he's there letting himself be heard and at the same time known for his ability to skate fantastically. i dont care if he's queeny. he's a gay athlete representing our team, out there showing that we are contributing citizens of the world.
many are constantly crowning these "role model" titles to all visible gay person. suddenly now they are required to be something they're not? is that fair. they are just human. most argue that this is to represent us in a more favorable light. what 's up with that. he's just camp, not a murderer. isnt that favorable?
do we now expect that johnny has to go all butch or erk straight acting. some of us gays are queeny and proud of it. you know. why is this an issue? are we an embarassment to the community?
it suddenly feels almost like we're asking our trannies to behave like real women now. god, all the wasted eye makeup.
where's the fun. screw those who cant think with their brains, that our hearts are what that makes us human. not the way we carry our purse. screw those who are stupid enough to think that just because johnny's like that, all of us gays are limpwristed figure skaters. screw those who think that there's only one way to go. that all men must be masculine. thats thinking with your dicks not with your heart. its all about embracing diversity isn't it. if you dont see it, how to embrace it.
if youre a butch type then great, youre representing us over at your place. diversity darling diversity.
yay for johhny.
so now, calm down
Posted by: Lurker | Feb 16, 2006 2:22:52 PM
As long as he continues to prove to be a fantastic skater, I'm all for Johnny and his shopping excursions.
Posted by: MATT | Feb 16, 2006 2:26:44 PM
Leland: "Long-winded", "poorly-thought...attitude" Hellow mr. pot! You gave not one iota of fact or even generally held opinion. Your consistently pathetic expressions of self-loathing going back to June on Towleroad alone have been entertaining me all these many months. Clearly you desperately want acceptance, the little house with the white picket fence and a two-car garage that you and your gentleman park your Volvos in. Guess what, Mr. Frances. You’re a fag!
You’re clearly not aware of the stamp tax and colonists burning their stamps. You’ve obviously got loads of latent hostility toward women to feel compelled to denigrate the women’s struggle by throwing a rhetorical slap across my face. Perhaps you should explore this with your therapist as you go through the “how to be heterosexual” classes.
Neither you, acting all nice and straight lest you offend, nor other gay men and women trying so hard to fit the model or “normalcy” are fooling anyone. How dare you refer to a man with more courage and wit than you'll ever have as "Ms. George.” He challenges norms and generates dialogue…both good and bad.
Nowhere did I say that hell-raisers immediately generate positive results. They're part of a struggle for rights. Clearly you haven’t got any notion of struggle other than to exhort others to do something you are apparently too terrified to do yourself. That is fine, but for those who view struggle as an active rather than passive endeavor, you are nothing more than a wind blowing in the trees.
You talk repeatedly about political activism and defeating the horrible right wing. For me, though, when compared with your prejudice, narrow-mindedness and intolerance for others; I'd much prefer President George W. Bush, because I've never heard such hateful and demeaning language.
Actually, re-reading this post and others, I'm probably wrong assuming you're gay. I'm so sorry to have included you in the same category as Boy George and Mr. Weir.
Posted by: JT Stout | Feb 16, 2006 3:25:44 PM
Mr. Frances: Speaking of ignorance, "you're" is not a possessive. Typos are one thing, illiteracy is another.
Posted by: JT Stout | Feb 16, 2006 4:02:13 PM
IMHO, there is nothing wrong with being a Flaming Faggot Diva Stereotype. Johnny is intentionally outrageous, for his own reasons, and that's his prerogative.
OTOH, I don't want anyone to judge us all by the most flamboyant among us.
Boy George, Johnny Weir, Liberace... they've all done us some damage, if you think of them as role models. For that matter, so have Gov. James McGreevey, Jeffery Dahmer and Robert Reed. In different ways, of course.
Heterosexuals have bad role models too. So do Blacks, Muslims, Jews, Catholics, and any other group you care to name. That's the problem with stereotypes. Most white males don't think Archie Bunker is representative of their kind. Most Black women don't think they are well represented by Condoleeza Rice. Harvey Fierstein is hardly anybody's idea of a typical Jewish man, but he represents Gay men pretty well.
It's probably a bad idea to expect any one person to be representative of his/her race, creed, industry or gender. It's probably a worse idea to argue about something as subjective as whether someone is "too gay" or "not gay enough". I hear it said all the time; "We don't need any predators, because we eat our own kind." It's true. Nobody is as critical of Gay people as other Gay people.
Posted by: Jay Croce | Feb 16, 2006 8:57:34 PM
as long as you keep on living your life the best way you know how, why should you be worried about what people think what you're like. life is never easy. its like trying to not be stereotyped but instead you wanted to be represented by another stereotype. straight from the tiger's mouth into the flame. we all know that we are our own persons, nobody represents you completely. we represent ourselves.
stop looking at him as a representative for all the things that are not you. he's not trying to. he's representing himself. if you still want a role model, take him to represent the things that are about you, like maybe your desire for diversity, your determination, or the fact that you wont settle for less. things in common. sorry to break it to ya, nobody's perfect. but we live on.
it makes me smile to think that him being flaming on TV would make some teenage boys somewhere in the world, watching that game to feel its alright to be different. not different like him. but just different. that the world is no cookie cutter.
i wish i could contribute as much.
Posted by: Fendi | Feb 17, 2006 2:28:08 AM
While it's a shame that Johnny used the Olympics as a stage for his coming out party, I think they deserved him.
Johnny's flaming poke-in-the-eye of the USOC is just plain old Karma. It's payback for the way they treated the Gay Games use of Olympic symbols.
Fine! Now they have exclusive use of their precious rings, and they have Princess Johnny. The Carmen Miranda of the skating team.
Posted by: Jay Croce | Feb 17, 2006 8:19:44 AM
Hadn't thought of that, Jay, great point.
Posted by: JT Stout | Feb 17, 2006 8:41:27 AM