Newsweek: 'Glee' and Adam Lambert are ruining gay rights movement

November 15, 7:48 PMInternational LGBT Issues ExaminerKelvin Lynch

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Chris Colfer as "Kurt" on Fox TV's "Glee"
Fox TV

Newsweek's Ramin Setoodeh came out (pardon the pun) this week with an interesting, if laughable, op-ed piece arguing that the flaming queens on TV these days are hurting the gay rights movement - particularly, Chris Colfer as Kurt on Fox's runaway hit Glee .

Apparently, Kurt's rendition of "Single Ladies" a few weeks ago was the tipping point for Setoodeh.  To drive home his point, he stuck the video of the leotard-wearing, ass-slapping Kurt busting his Beyonce moves squarely at the beginning of his article, titled "King of Queens".

What Setoodeh conveniently fails to mention was that those very same moves helped Kurt become the school's unlikely football hero in that very same episode.   And also that Kurt came out as gay to his father, who has been Kurt's biggest supporter and protector ever since.

Setoodeh argued that gays on TV and in pop culture once helped promote "tolerance" (which he doesn't define), but now, characters like Kurt may be hurting it, what with all their sissy clothing, lisping, and makeup-wearing, limp-wristed glittery mannerisms.

But Colfer wasn't Setoodeh's only target - he proclaimed, "the Kurt model is everywhere,"  with the same sense of urgency as a WHO official announcing the swine flu pandemic. 

As examples, Setoodeh cited Ugly Betty's Michael Urie, Entourage's Rex Lee, the gay couple on ABC's new hit show Modern Family, Project Runway's Christian Siriano, and everyone's favorite eyeliner-wearing American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert.

However, Setoodeh remembers fondly the bygone days when Americans lovingly embraced the gays because of TV characters like Sean Hayes' adorable Jack on Will & Grace, and those ever-so-quirky boys from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.  Oh, what a wonderful time of tolerance the gays enjoyed during that era. It was like Christmas by the fireside every day, gays and straights sharing s'mores and reminiscing about that romantic day when Joe and Bob first kissed.

Setoodeh cites the razor-thin gay marriage losses in California and Maine as solid evidence to support his theory that gays in pop culture have become too queer for America.  Could it be the attack of the flaming queens really is ruining the LGBT community's opportunity to achieve equal rights in the US?

Not a chance. 

For one thing, if the ratings of the shows and popularity of the people Setoodeh names are any indication, Americans are loving the New Queeniness.  It's like when Dorothy opened that door to Oz and everything was suddenly in color.

But wait, it gets worse.  Setoodeh thinks the modern gay equality movement is really for old people, saying, "Younger men and women, for whom society has been more tolerant, think of themselves as 'post-gay,' meaning their sexual orientation is only a part of who they are. Last month, gay groups held a march on Washington for marriage. The older folks gave speeches. The younger ones seemed more interested in snapping a Facebook picture of Lady Gaga."

Is that so?  All the young people Setoodeh refers to from across the country who volunteered their time and effort to pull off the National Equality March, the ones who continue to tirelessly work on a daily basis at the grassroots level across the country tor equality, don't really give a damn about gay rights?  Well that's interesting news they are sure to be happy to hear.   Those "post-gay" young people spent months giving what little time and money they could afford to work for a greater good, and are still at it, even in the face of defeat.  Is it too much of them to ask  to have the opportunity to snap a picture of themselves with a celebrity? They deserved a reward, and many more are forthcoming.

To blame portrayals of LGBT people in pop culture for hurting the gay movement is ludicrous.  If Seetodeh wants to point a finger of blame, he should aim it at religion.  Flaming queens weren't behind the defeats in California and Maine, religion was.  Groups like NOM (a.k.a. the Mormons and Christians) got out in full force to gather signatures for ballot referendums in both states, and are doing the same in other places as this is being written.  Catholics in Washington, D.C. have gone so far as to threaten to stop feeding the (mostly non-gay) poor if the district passes a pro-gay measure.  The Pope is actively recruiting disgruntled Anglicans who oppose gay rights, in a strategy blatantly aimed at turning the Vatican into an even meaner neo-fascist regime (which is home to the original and most fabulous drag queens, by the way).

So Ramin, lay off the New Queeniness.  Let go of your defenses.  Embrace your own queerness with great fortitude.  Own your identity, don't bother trying to assimilate to appease those in society who oppose LGBT people.  We could all dress like Mennonites and stand in complete silence, and it wouldn't make a bit of difference to the bigots out there.  This is a war, and we will win it with feathers and rhinestones flying, if that's what it takes.  Mark my words.

For more information:

• Read Ramin Seetodeh's Newsweek article King of Queens

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