I wish straight people would just keep to themselves sometimes.
Politically, I consider myself an ally to the heterosexual community; I’ve got tons of straight friends. I’m tolerant of their lifestyle choices (e.g., coital sex) and am sensitive to their general struggles (childbirth). But while I absolutely love having certain things shoved down my throat, the heterosexual agenda is not one of them.
It’s everywhere: A girl swallowing her boyfriend’s face in public; Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino preying on girls who are “DTF” and spurning “grenades” on national television; couples breeding. This, I’m sad to say, is the world I live in. But I deal – the straights just can’t help themselves.
Like all people should, I just do my best to keep my mouth shut and let them be, despite all my beef. Live and let live, you know?
The most recent episode of “Glee,” however, proved not everyone reacts as I do when met with off-putting content. While plenty of fans were ecstatic to see Blaine and Kurt’s budding romance finally blossom (the phrase “THEY KISSED” was a trending topic on Twitter that night), a few others were not pleased. For Victoria Jackson, “not pleased” is an understatement.
If a bell isn’t ringing, don’t worry – I didn’t know the name either. A washed up comedian and ex-“Saturday Night Live” cast member from 1986 to 1992, Jackson is an active Republican Tea Party-er, squawking “Obama’s a communist” to anyone who will listen.
Her latest tirade is against what is perhaps the most beautiful gay kiss I’ve ever seen on primetime television. For someone who used to dream about one day facing my fears, coming out and finding a big gay love, seeing that kiss on screen was every kind of perfect.
But Jackson called it “sickening.” In her column on wnd.com, she criticizes “Glee” producers: “Besides shoving the whole gay thing down our throats, they made a mockery of Christians – again! I wonder what their agenda is. One-way tolerance?”
To be fair, she makes a point. In the same episode, Kathy Griffin plays a Sarah Palin parody, poking fun at the infamous Alaskan with cracks at her religion and political party. Admittedly, I laughed, but I’m socially conscious enough to realize “Glee” is very critical of the Christian perspective and often belittles its role in society.
Yet Ryan Murphy, creator of “Glee” and fellow socially conscious gay man, already has a plan to fix this. In an interview with TV Guide, Murphy revealed that in June, a new Christian student will join McKinley High’s glee club: “We’ve taken a couple of jabs at the right wing this year, so what I want to do with this character is have someone who Christian kids and parents can recognize and say, ‘Oh look – I’m represented there, too!'”
So, one-sided? Perhaps. But, sickening? I’m sorry Ms. Jackson, but I am for real when I say you’re sickening when you write this: “I don’t care what is politically correct. Everyone knows two men on a wedding cake is a comedy skit, not an alternative lifestyle. There, I said it.”
The OED itself couldn’t define hypocrite more clearly: She’s now guilty of exactly the same discrimination she accused of the producers of “Glee.” Though obviously upset about Griffin’s jabs at Christianity and conservative values, Jackson was quick to deprecate and tease those who disagree with her views on gay marriage.
And imagine all the two-groomed cakes at weddings that actually took place across the country in past years – her words carried the potential to hurt a countless number of gay couples and those who care for them. Words that stemmed from a harmless, beautiful kiss.
“Glee,” of course, isn’t the only show shoving the gay thing down your throat. Bill Maher of “Real Time” spoke on the subject this past Friday, arguing TV just gets gayer and gayer, in turn slowly winning over American audiences. TV, he says, holds greater influence in the overall acceptance of homosexuality than do even the most prominent gay rights leaders. “And if there’s one thing I know about Americans,” Maher said, “it’s that if they see things on TV, it makes it OK.”
Though people like Ms. Jackson hold fast to their objections, I’m proud to have seen that beautifully done kiss on television. I don’t ask everyone to love it, but at least recognize it happens very often in this beautifully diverse country of ours. You’re gonna see it sometime. So do what I do: deal.
After all, if I can stomach hearing the opinions of people like Victoria Jackson trumpeted across airwaves, then people like her can afford to sit through gay shit we can shove down their throats. We’re here and queer, get used to it bitches!
If you feel like shoving something down MARIO LUGO’s throat, why not do so with a big, long, lengthy, juicy e-mail? The bigger the better. Send ’em to mlugo@ucdavis.edu.
