Advertising Homosexuality
Tuesday, December 19, 2006-2:04PM EST
When a person comes to my house they won’t see the rainbow flag flying from my deck or see a shrine to lesbian authors and DVD’s of famous lesbian actresses. You won’t see the pink triangle placed in the corner of every room or see some symbol professing my undying love for all woman kind. You’ll never hear me call God a woman or any other stereotypical thing like that. If I had a vehicle I wouldn’t have a rainbow flag on it or the sign for diversity or equality on it but if I did, it would be cause for debate. Why do homosexuals feel the need to advertise? That’s the question I get all the time and then they go into this whole speech about how they don’t put a sticker of themselves bounking some girl on their car. Yes you do! I see pictures of half naked girls on trucks all the time, on the splash thing by the tires, on the windshield of cars and vans or any other type vehicle that’ll hold such a bumper sticker or graphic art. Do I tell them to stop advertising their heterosexuality? No, because people advertise all sorts of things.
I’m a democrat.
This car use to belong to my ex-husband
I got the house he got the bimbo
The Masonic symbol
I support the Pope
Free Tibet
The fish symbol with a cross or some other form of it
Calvin from Calvin and Hobbs praying at a cross
A coloured ribbon for this and that cause
These are statements or advertisements about a set of beliefs or an expression of humor but do they get a whole debate about “advertising” like the rainbow flag does? I doubt it. So why is it different if I decide to plaster a rainbow flag on my car? Can I not advertise that part of my life along with my other bumper stickers or should I just leave it at I’d rather be fishing, Meat is Murder and my honor student can beat up your honor student? People advertise absolutely every part of their lives, everything from the college they went to or wanted to go to right down to sexual connotations such as: Teachers do it with class or Bakers make it rise, Astronomers do it while gazing at Uranus. You can’t tell me these types of bumper stickers are only for heterosexuals. There was no little asterix next to small print that said: for heterosexual expression only. Why all the fuss about advertising with a pink triangle or a rainbow flag? People advertise absolutely everything on bumper stickers, t-shirts, buttons, posters and anything else that will hold a symbol or print. Why all the debate if one decides to advertise that they like the same sex? I don’t understand except that people that “you” really do care who sleeps with whom.
J of A
societies pressures, outlooks, stereotyping have their effects on us whether consciously or unconsciously so you in turn worry am i too butch and gary wonders if he is too effeminate and goldberg wonders if she is too jewish and so on and so on. multiples wonder if they are too apologetic or too ugly or unworthy, it is all what the world teaches us through our experiences and such. perhaps, in time, we can change the world and thus our own vision of how we are perceived.
maybe we can do it together, one day and one person at a time? let’s hope so.
blessings to you
john w
My friends Dave and Brett, a gay couple, are openly gay but they don’t “fly the rainbow flag.” Brett, who majored in psychology, thinks that people who “advertize their gayness,” i.e. dress in a stereotypical way or practically introduce themselves in ways such as “hi, I’m Nick and I’m gay,” are trying to tell themselves that it’s ok to counteract the messages they heard growing up that being a “fag” is “disgusting” or “wrong,” and other negative stereotypes about homosexuality. These guys have learned to be comfortable with who they are, but it took time. Its sad that people still feel they have to “advertise” their sexuality, but flying the rainbow flag is a pretty harmless way of coming to terms to oneself. I liked your discussion of this topic. It’s very timely.