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From: fisher@dssdev.DEC (Gerry Fisher --- Terminally Inane)
Newsgroups: net.motss
Subject: Trade ya this stereotype for that!
Message-ID: <1265@decwrl.DEC.COM>
Date: Fri, 21-Feb-86 10:51:22 EST
Article-I.D.: decwrl.1265
Posted: Fri Feb 21 10:51:22 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 24-Feb-86 06:22:43 EST
Sender: daemon@decwrl.DEC.COM
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 46


Folks,

Some people have complained about the "nelly" gay stereotype, but I 
think that that stereotype is falling by the wayside.

Check out "Consenting Adults," "An Early Frost," "Brothers," the last
article in NewsWeek about gay people, and many other "gay" media
events.  In case no one has noticed, we have a new stereotype brewing.

If your only exposure to gay people is through these shows, you might
feel that all gay people are highly paid professionals, in particular
lawyers ("An Early Frost") or doctors (correct me if I'm wrong, but I
thought that the guy in "Consenting" was pre-med). All gay men in these
shows can pass for any Joe walking down the street, so effeminacy is
nowhere to be found (the guy in "Consenting" was a championship
swimmer, and the guy in "Early" won trophies for track and field). 
They are all tastefully dressed, but *not* ultra-chic; more the chinos
and Izod type.  They all own terribly expensive lofts that are well
decorated, but again *not* ultra-chic. All gay men are exactly like
straight men, except that they go to bed with other men. 

Is the media trying so hard to avoid one stereotype (effeminate, drag, 
leather-butch, costumed, screwed-up, miserable) that they are creating 
another (mega-professional, preppie, "normal," athletic, tasteful, no 
problems except coming out and AIDS).

Where are all the computer programmers, plumbers, librarians, 
teachers, priests (yes!  how many have *you* run into in the bars), 
businessmen, and accountants?  Where are all the men who are able to 
camp in the bars, but who are also able to run a high-powered business 
meeting.  Where are the cut-throat gays who fight so hard for 
political power within the gay community that they threaten to tear it 
apart?  Where are the concerned volunteers who spend hours raising 
money for AIDS research, or who spend hours on a counseling hotline?  
Where are all the lesbians (whom some people say are the most 
invisible minority group in the USA today)?  Where the hell are the 
*real* gay people?

Any thoughts?

			Gerry Fisher
                        ...decvax!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-dssdev!fisher
***************************************************************************
"I don't react well to mellow.
 I tend to ripen and then rot."           --Woody Allen