Presenting my 10th annual column of the year’s heroes and zeroes.
Hero The residents of glittering São Paulo, for embracing their city’s ninth annual Pride parade, which in June drew two million people, the largest Pride parade in the world.
Zero Brazil’s Globo TV network for cutting a male-male kiss from its America soap opera on Nov. 4, drawing the ire of a huge Brazilian TV audience that was larger than the one that tuned in to the last World Cup soccer final.
Heroes The 500 marchers who withstood huge booing crowds of anti-gay protesters in Bucharest’s first-ever Pride parade, and the 100 police-protected marchers in Latvia’s first-ever Pride parade in the capital city of Riga.
Zero Iran, for executing gays and lesbians.
Zero CNN anchor Anderson Cooper for refusing to publicly come out. Will he continue to evade the subject in his upcoming $1-million memoir for HarperCollins?
Zero Lesbo Mary Cheney, who chaired her father’s (U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney) anti-gay re-election campaign, who also signed a book deal for her memoirs. Don’t expect a mea culpa.
Hero Maya Marcel-Keyes, the daughter of ultra-right Republican Alan Keyes, for defying her father and coming out as a proud dyke.
Heroes Also for coming out: actor George Takei, 68, who played Mr. Sulu in Star Trek; singer Lesley Gore, 59, who took her It’s My Party straight to number one in 1963; and WNBA superstar Sheryl Swoopes. As for a gay male athlete coming out, Swoopes says, "I don’t see that happening any time soon. But you know what? I didn’t really see this happening either."
Zeroes Both the Navajo Nation and the Cherokee National Tribal Council for outlawing same-sex marriage.
Zeroes The United Arab Emirates, for arresting gay men and forcing them to undergo hormone injections.
Hero South Africa, whose highest court ruled Dec. 1 that same-sex marriage must become the law of the land by Dec. 1, 2006. That would make South Africa just the fifth nation in the world to legalize gay marriage, after the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Canada.
Zero The world’s number four-ranked tennis player Lleyton Hewitt, for screaming at an umpire and calling him a "poof" at a Davis Cup match in Sydney in July.
Hero Melissa Etheridge, for her triumphant return from breast cancer performing Piece of My Heart at the Grammys, bald head and all. All royalties from her new single I Run for Life will benefit breast cancer charities.
Zero DC Comics for forcing a NYC gallery to close down a gay Batman & Robin exhibit in February.
Zero Ford Motor Co. for reportedly pulling all future ads in gay publications to counter a boycott by the anti-gay American Family Association. Have you driven a Ford lately? I won’t.
Zero Damian Marley, who told The Evening Standard, "Me have more problem with lesbians [than gay men] because there’s less girls for us."
Zeroes The Washington Blade – America’s once-proud gay newspaper of record – for publishing the awful columns of anti-gay faggot Jeff Gannon, as well as the Blade editor Chris Crain for unfairly trashing Montreal’s 2006 OutGames.
Hero San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom for coming out in support of Montreal’s 2006 OutGames.
Zero Parti Québécois leader André Boisclair. Need I say more?
Zeroes The Ku Klux Klan, for protesting gay marriage in the heart of George Dubya country at a Texas rally at Austin City Hall on Nov. 12.
Heroes Queers who passed away in 2005: American gay rights pioneer and a friend of this column, Jack Nichols; Canadian gay rights pioneer George Hislop; Graham Payn, the partner of the late Noel Coward; and Jeanette Schmid, Austria’s last professional whistler. Schmid, born as a man in what is now the Czech Republic, underwent a sex change in Cairo in 1964.
Hero Elton John, who gave $50,000 to Nepal’s only gay rights group, the Blue Diamond Society, following the September arrests and torture of transgendered people in Nepal.
Hero Hip-hop superstar Kanye West, who said in September, "I’m still trying to get over my own homophobia. I still wouldn’t feel comfortable at a gay bar. I wouldn’t go to a gay parade. I don’t know if I’m in favour of gay marriage or not… People said to me, ‘Were you scared of speaking out against George Bush [after Katrina]?’ No. The bravest thing I did this year was speaking out against homophobia. That’s a scarier topic, because if you bring it up, people think you must be gay. But you don’t have to be gay to not gay-bash. We’re a very close-minded people."
9 comments
I enjoyed reading Richard’s list of heroes and zeroes for 2005. There were many events that I was unaware had occurred. I have to agree that Melissa Etheridge is definitely a hero this year as it’s hard not to admire her truth and outspokeness. I didn’t know Anderson Cooper was gay. Boy, you sure learn a lot reading this column!
I have to say, reading Bugs’ column this week taught me a few things I didn’t know and reminded me of other things I wish I could forget but shouldn’t or that I should make a point of remembering.but it is clear Bugs and I don’t always see eye to eye.
Mr. Anderson Cooper is one of the most extraordinary newsmen on TV, never mind just CNN, and that is all that should matter. His sexuality is no one’s business but his own. I never even once thought he might be gay watching CNN as he was simply one of the most compelling and sensitive men to watch after the Katrina disaster. Cooper is, by far, a hero.
Gay men and women who have the courage and strength to come out, whether they are famous or not, should be applauded, but in no circumstance should one be “zeroed” for choosing to keep their personal life private.
Nor do I feel Marley is a zero for making a funny about gays and lesbians. At least it was a joke and he wasn’t talking about setting them on fire like some of his peers.
I do, however, totally agree that actions in Iran and United Arab Emirates were appalling, Cheney and his daughter are a disgrace to humanity, the Washington Blade should get a slap upside the head, and Maya Marcel-Keyes is someone to respect greatly.
Also, as much as South Africa is definitely a hero for legalizing gay marriage, Spain and Canada should both be mentioned as well, as they both passed the law just this year, along with the UK, who took a step in the right direction. In Canada’s case, I can only pray Harper never gets enough power to threaten our freedoms.
As for Kanye West, all I can say is “Wow.” I can’t stand him as a rapper, I can’t stand him as a producer, I think he is arrogant, has put out some of the most useless music and is the most overrated artists in eons.but after reading his views on homophobia and seeing his incredible moment on TV with Mike Myers post-Katrina, I gotta say, my respect for him jumped considerably.but his music still bites.
Does everything Anderson Cooper do HAVE to be about his sexuality?? He is covering important events in this country and around the world. He is a good reporter, and he is doing an excellent job of bringing the world’s conflicts into focus for the American public.
Who cares if he is gay or straight, or bisexual for that matter? Yes, he is a very sexy man. Yes, he has been coy about who he is or is not dating. Yes, he has dodged the question of whether he is gay or straight. None of these things definitely proves that he is one way or the other. Did it occur to anyone that MAYBE he just wants to keep his private life private??
Did it occur to anyone in the gay community that he might not be gay at all, just celibate??
Hmmm…
Someone is not a zero, just because they don’t come out of the closet. Being private about preferences does not nescecarily mean that your ashamed of yourself or the choices you make – maybe you just don’t consider it anyone elses business.
I do think that it’s great that George Takei finally came out, good for him, but I also realize that he did so at a time – when he didn’t have much of a career to risk – and if anything, it would get him more recognition at this point ( or at least a book deal ).
I’d much more consider Ellen coming out a few years ago – while she was on top – to be a heroic act – because by coming out she had much more to risk.
As for DC Comics getting a zero for getting a NYC gallery to close down a gay Batman & Robin exhibit, I’d say that it was probably more about them being pissed about copyright infringement than anything else. Corporate comic companies such as DC, Marvel & Disney – go overboard in protecting any use of their “products” ( or likenesses thereof ). DC in particular has been extremely positive in terms of being “gay-friendly” – not only in terms of characters & stories – but creators and employees as well ( google on Neal Pozner or Howard Cruse or Eric Shanower or a score of others ). It could also be that Batman & Robin were touted as being a gay couple back in the 50′s by Dr. Wertham in his book “Seduction of the Innocent” – as a way of bashing comics as being unseemly & destructive for kids, and in this ultra-conservative political environment, maybe DC wasn’t too happy with 2 of their mainstays being said to be something that they weren’t.
I’m with Jay Abram – you can’t help but learn by reading someone who takes rights internationally. Richard Burnett has refused to navel gaze.
Here, there’s same-sex marriage. It has been the ferment to a gentle but forceful change in public perception.
Paul Martin came forward as only “tolerant” of same-sex marriage, tolerant being an odious term that suggests “We wish you weren’t here, but we’ll let you stay.” The courts allowed same-sex marriage, so Martin wouldn’t overturn the law. Yet over months the P.M. took an increasingly strong stand. Maybe it was the surest deflection of Stepher Harper, maybe a letter of thanks from a citizen touched him, or he changed his mind on his own. Whatever the reason, it doesn’t matter. He still has to stay by his word. Every since the scandal, Martin won’t endure throwaway stances.
What about Jack Layton, and the NDP? If the Liberals proved they were for human rights (as long as someone else decided exactly who those humans were), the NDP have defended gay rights on their own terms. One may or may not enjoy Layton’s fresh but sometimes plastic style, but it’s impossible to put aside his support for gay and lesbian citizens. Popular or not, court-endorsed or not, the NDP have been ready for this year for ages.
Whether you’re a separatist or not, a new Quebec would have gays enlisted as full members of the nation. Gilles Duceppe is a dramatic character whose credibility is always interrogated. Anyone heading up a separatist body is viewed as a subversive, possibly because they’re suspected of not acting in the public’s best interest. Yet Duceppe doesn’t abandon gay rights to keep one part of his image safe. His support is clear, and his defence of it indefatigable.
It’s no longer extreme to live in a country with gay rights. After this year, a Canadian policy of anti-gay rights is. They may not be supported throughout Canada, but to believe in their defeat first is now the wrong.
Coming out (or not) may be a big deal on an individual scale, but when the list of zeroes includes entire countries which kill people just for being gay, it’s hard to find that personal admissions merit as much attention, or are just as important. And while someone can make headlines with homophobic statements, it’s hard to find news stories about people who, uh, don’t. As far as I am concerned, true heroism would have to involve selfless dedication, especially when a cause involves much more than one’s vested interest. In that light, I’d add Little Sister’s Book and Art Emporium to the list of heroes, for their battle against Canada Customs’ censorship will benefit all of us, gay or straight. May they finally get their day in court in 2006!
Heroes & zeroes? You wanna talk about heroes & zeroes? I’ve got a nominee for the zero category but I think I’ll let you all connect the dots. Y’know, there’s a fine line between being outspoken and acting like an ass. Having crossed that line on more than a few occasions I’m more than a little qualified to call it when I see it happen. I won’t dispute the bulk of this list of heroes & zeroes but if I may point out, getting on someone’s case because you believe someone’s gay and hasn’t chosen to come out isn’t of the heroic or right. Coming out is a personal choice, the greater needs of the gay movement *do not* take precedence over personal choice. Is CNN anchor Anderson Cooper gay? I don’t know and I don’t care but if he is it’s *his choice* when and where he comes out. Anyone who takes pleasure in raking a person over the coals for their personal choices is no hero in my book. By the way, that isn’t defamatory, sexist, racist or rude–this is just common sense and basic respect for the privacy of others.
This is not the first time Globo has censored a gay kiss or a gay relationship on it´s soap operas. In fact, that has happened too many times before. I´m not sure (because I´m not that old and not too fond of soap operas), but I think the first gay couple was a lesbian couple. They were shown as “more than friends” and “way too close”, but in the end one of them was “killed” by the author on a car accident. The other one I recall was another lesbian couple of two succesful, thirty something, glamorous women. Globo thought the audience wasn´t responding well enough to it – this couple actually lived together, had a closer relationship, touched each other a little more – and one more time “killed” them, on a explosion. The third one I remember was a gay couple, young, middle class, both from traditional families. This time they ended up together, their families accepted them but with nothing more than eye contact, a hug at most. I reckon Globo underestimates the brain of it´s audience so it goes one step at a time in homeopatic doses. This time the famous kiss was cut at the night of the exhibition. Everybody was disappointed, even the author who had been promised not to have his work mutilated. But at the last moment Globo decided we were not ready for this. Maybe next time.
I must say I enjoy reading your column each time it apprears in my inbox! Congrats on your excellent “Heroes and Zeroes” this issue!
I am really astonished by much of the Anderson Cooper feedback. Cooper might easily make the fact that he is gay a non-issue by simply saying, “Yeah I’m gay, so what… next question!” But he has chosen, for some reason, not to do this. Maybe it’s a clever PR ploy to play on his perceived sexual ambiguity, maybe it’s a genuine and foolhardy attempt to keep his private life private, or maybe it’s his bosses upstairs freaking out… But whatever it is, it’s pretty shoddy IMHO.
Well, maybe he will tell it all in the book. But I ain’t holding my breath!