As I restarted this blog, I was aware that some of the things I wrote about might rub some people the wrong way. I didn’t think it’d be so soon, but in response to the post I wrote earlier the author of the article I responded to chose to respond to me. Here are his thoughts:
Dear Shane,
The Golden Girls was not groundbreaking in any way. Rather, it was quite mundane and would have been forgotten in the dustbin of history if were not for the gays who cleaved to the show like cats on hamburger meat.
And your “essay” really only proves the point of my investigative article on the association of this tv show and homosexuality. You claim that every gay man has seen the show, that you’re an “avid” fan, that the show “call to the gays from the highest mountain,” you admit that Bea Arthur made you bitter, etc. etc. Clearly the characters and scenarios of this show have taught you personally how to engage in the gay American “culture” of today. It has trained and indoctrinated you into this reckless world.
Thirdly, you state, “Last I checked, in 1985 gays were not a very recognized demographic.” You may not know much about the 1970s and the 1980s, but yes there were gay people back then. I guess you’ve never heard of disco music, The Village People, Elton John, flaired slacks, Gore Vidal, ACT UP, Stonewall Restaurant and all the other scandals from that era. As someone who was a horrible witness to those times, I can say that it was unpleasant. You saw the popularity of sodomy and cross dressing skyrocket, while traditional American values were thrown out the window. You should lay off Facebooking boys for a moment and read a history book.
I also see you’ve taken issue with an apparent contradiction in my thought-provoking article– that gays are witty and dim-witted. Yes, they are both because the herd of homosexuals is now large enough to have that diversity. I am not talking about one gay persona, but the variety of gay men on our streets today– from the buff beefcakes to the angry leather clad tramps. Sadly, as a youngster, you still have this terrible fate ahead you.
With my blessings and love,
Stephenson Billings, Investigative Journalist
Well, I couldn’t let this golden (pun intended) opportunity to pass me by…
Hello Stephenson,
Thanks for your comment. I’d like to point out a few things, first I never stated that every gay man has seen the show. As a matter of fact, I clearly stated that I have met quite a few that haven’t. I also never said Bea Arthur made me, or any other gay men bitter. I stated that it was your claim. To continue, I never claimed that The Golden Girls had no effect on how the stereotypical gay man acts, thinks, and speaks. In fact, I awarded it the honor of being one of the shows responsible. The point of my response was to disprove your theory that the show <em>turned</em> men gay. People are born gay or straight. Just how God made us. Moving on, I also never claimed that there weren’t gays in the 1970s and 1980s. There have been gay people for thousands of years. I stated that in the 1980s, gay men were not a demographic that was high on the priority list for television studios to reach. And there was most definitely sodomy in the 1980s, and I would wager that the amount was not much different. It was more recognized in the 1980s because people began to realize it’s OK to be who you are. As for traditional American values go, how far back does “tradition” imply? If it means back to the roots of this fine country, land of the free if you’ll recall, then slavery would be acceptable, interracial marriage would be banned, and women would be looked upon as second-class citizens as I am today. It’s these traditional American values that you hold fast that prohibit me from a civil right, plain and simple. And I’ll restate this: most of the buff beefcakes I’ve met/seen in the media, are straight. And just to burst your bubble, I don’t foresee myself succumbing to a terrible fate. I’m in my fourth year of college with a 3.8 GPA, I’ve been living on my own successfully for over a year, and I’m generally a easygoing person. And I hate leather.
Warmest regards this holiday season,
Shane
P.S. I’ve never met a gay man who doesn’t know who Elton John is.
*UPDATE*
This clip demonstrates the reason gay men like this show. The Golden Girls was ahead of its time when it came to accepting homosexuals.
Okay, okay. Hold Up. Stephenson, did you really just suggest that people could be TURNED gay? Really? Oh my. I spend the majority of my time around the most beautiful, head-turning women in the country and I am very much a straight female. They haven’t “turned” me into a lesbian, so why would the Golden Girls turn straight little boys into homosexual men?
Your accusations stating that gay relationships last a week are incredulous. Where did you find that statistic? I’d like to see it. If watching Golden Girls turns straight people into gay people, then why didn’t “This Old House” and “Home Improvement” turn straight girls into gay girls; toting the latest tools in their old Carhart jeans? Surely it’s Tim Allen’s fault for all the young lesbians we have in this world.
Stephenson, gay people don’t “turn”, unless they are on the end of a catwalk. They happen, just like straight people happen…most of them just do it with a little more pizzazz than straight men.
People like you are the reason I deny the existence of Jesus. I would never want to be associated with a religion that is so hateful and judgmental. If you were a “real” Christian, you would not judge or make disrespectful assumptions about things you know little about. But hey, how can you be a real Christian if there is no real jesus? I suppose I shouldn’t hold you to such a high standard…
OR hey, maybe you are a big flaming homo who’s toting a wig and a push up bra in his back pocket…? We project things we don’t like about ourselves onto others. Perhaps you’re really just jealous that you never got to stay home and hang out with Blanche and Rose?
Gah, Shane, I was just about to write a whole long post on your last entry, then I went back to Facebook and noticed you’d updated again.
Sigh. Okay, so here goes:
Firstly, I think your original post was very well written. Good job.
Secondly, I’m a girl. I enjoy the Golden Girls. I also enjoy a plethora of other TV shows. Have any of them changed my life? Not really. Have any of them changed my sexuality? (Which is, in case you were wondering, about a 2-3 on the Kinsey scale) Absolutely not. A television show can’t actually MAKE you who you are. You don’t one day see some old ladies making jokes about gay sex and go ‘huh, you know, now that they mention it, I could sure use a penis in me right about now’. It’s just television. I currently live with two lesbians. They both watch ‘The L Word’ religiously. They also watch ‘TrueBlood’ and ‘Glee’. None of these shows MADE them lesbians.
Also, your responder mentioned that we have seen the age where ‘traditional American values were thrown out the window’. Sorry, but open homosexuality isn’t a new thing. In fact, in a lot of ways it’s ‘toned down’ in the last few decades. If you have lived through all the ‘scandals’ of the 70s and 80s, perhaps you remember the public bathhouses? I don’t think that quite sticks to the ‘American ideals’. I’d bring up the issue of racism and slavery, but there’s a decent chance you’re a fan of that as well.
I know I probably just wasted my time, considering nothing a bunch of 20something college students can write will change your mind, but hopefully we can at least give you the tiniest bit to chew on in the back of your head.
Love and puppies and rainbows,
Gabrielle
Holy Crap…
Shane, I applaud your sense of humor and poise when it came time to respond to Mr. Billings. I’ll tell you I wouldn’t have it in me to respond so calmly. It’s taking a good deal of control to avoid fighting back in my own comment but I feel you did a wonderful job defending yourself and the unwarranted shots he took at gay men in general.
It’s really funny how our world works, if his disparaging remarks were made to a woman or a person of another race I could foresee a riot, but simply because the nature of his remarks were about homosexuality it’s somehow “ok” in the culture that he wishes to defend. The same culture where homophobia is the only discrimination protected by law.
A few more questions for Mr. Billings:
When was the last time you went to a wedding (gay or straight; although I imagine you wouldn’t go within 50 miles of a gay wedding) that you didn’t hear YMCA played?
How many people reguardless of sexual orientation don’t know Elton John?
By the way, Bennie and the Jets is a wonderful song
Cheers
Dear Shane,
You were much more gracious than that comment deserved. Agree with the comment above that if you hadn’t made your own point so well, I would have had to step in and make it for you.
Some day, everyone will realize that a society based on respect and equality for everyone is what we should be aiming for.
Well, except for, like, serial killers and whatnot. But you get my point.
If Mr. Billings truly believed in God and the tenants of Christianity, he ought also to believe that God loves everyone. Period. There was no, “I love you, and you, and you, you not so much, you I’m still on the fence about”.
I wonder if Mr. Billings might be able to direct us to the television show that “turned” him straight? I suspect not.
I also wonder if Mr. Billings was aware that America was meant to be based on the ideas of tolerance and freedom.
“Investigative journalism” my ass.
Thank you to everyone who commented in response to the anti-Golden Girls article I responded to yesterday. More comments and thoughts like this will make the world a better place. Marissa, I totally agree with you, “Investigative journalism” is the most inaccurate description of this man’s article.
Wow , I am so proud of you.
Love Dad