The Gay Year in Gay Review

MY GAY YEAR IN GAY REVIEW!!!!

In photos, video and sass

The following list consists of the highlights in gay entertainment with out gay folks, and sorta out gay folks.
1. Rosie vs Elisabeth

I can't believe it took me years to discover this show! After I heard about 47 gay men telling me this was the best thing on tv, I finally tuned in. They were right.

I was shocked. In this country of red states, diminishing educational standards, a shocking disregard for the constitution and other things I managed to notice before Rupert Murdoch bought all the news outlets and the news turned cheery again (unless you're gay or a minority or the working class), here was a show with four chicks talking about important issues. Right there on daytime television for millions of housewives, slackers and stay-at-home stand-up comedians to see!

I tivoed The View every single day. I couldn't believe Rosie was actually calling for Bush's impeachment. I also just adore Joy Behar's dry humor and I never tired of watching the grand dame Walters trying to hard to be hip, while clearly being the queen bee and still so sycophantic to her little NY in-crowd (I mean, really, defending Paris Hilton's parents!) People, how does a woman with a speech impediment get a job in broadcasting? Hello!

What blew my mind was that here were four women discussing serious issues right there for everyone in America to hear. Up until then, really, I was just already comfortable living in Orwell's 1984 or Gilliam's BRAZIL. I couldn't believe even CNN and the New York Times were too scared to challenge our administration, and that the American public...well, let's just say I finally went to a Walmart just to see what all the fuss was about and it was crazy that everyone in there had at least 4 screaming children and HD TV's were displayed as IMPULSE ITEMS by the check-outs. I mean, what has Bush's administration done to this country?!

Anyway, I only got to enjoy this for about 4 months before the following clip happened and it all ended.


Then it all ended and Rosie was replaced with a woman that doesn't know the earth is round. I'm so not kidding. At all. If you don't know about this, please watch this clip

And here we are, back in Orwellian's world. Waitress, another martini!

I usually don't like reality television, but this was one for the ages. Right up there for me along with William Shatner singing ROCKET MAN back in the 1970's.

2. Jodie Foster comes out?


Here's the story CNN picked up, which includes Jodie's monumental "thank you".


I already covered this in a previous post, so if you'd like my thoughts on THE BRAVE ONE (yeah, brave, took 30 years!), go here:

3. The F Word becomes The F Word
In 2006, primetime star TR Knight of GREY'S ANATOMY was suddenly outed when one of his costars called him "the f word".

There was all sorts of rhetoric about this incident, but there was no denying the "f word" in the following clip from the live broadcast of The Golden Globes last January. Please note the faces of the costars after "the F word" is said.


The really interesting thing that came out of all this was that suddenly FAG became "the f word". Wow. The word most used in high schools and football fields to taunt and berate was now, slowly but surely, getting the same stigma as the "n word".

So thanks to TR for actually coming out. The following clip shows his thoughts on doing it and why he did. It's funny to watch Ellen squirm a bit at times - I think her people are really adamant about not mentioning too much GAY STUFF on the show (remember how outspoken she used to be!)

It is really incredible to my 41 year old eyes to see two openly gay people on national television talking about being gay. Wow.

TR Knight responds, comes out and begins supporting our community as an out actor


4. Senator Larry Craig Tap Dances in the Bathroom
What scares me the most about men like this, is I wonder if their internalized homophobia is so deep that they do actually believe they are straight. Then they go straight into politics.


5. ENDA introduced, passed, but does not include Transgenders
It was really incredible to watch all the major LGBT non profit advocacy groups fight so hard to include T's. It reminded me of all the lesbians taking to the streets during the AIDS crisis in the 1980's. United we stand.



6. Gay Debate on LOGO
It's incredible that we now have GAY networks, and to up the anti - and attempt to boast ratings and visibility - some genius at LOGO decided to have a forum which has now been coined "The Gay Debate". This was monumental television, even if the candidates skidded around the topics. Can you blame them? I mean have you seen the numbers lately for evangelicals and born again voters in this country?

Here are the highlights.


The show was taped in Los Angeles and after the taping, the candidates went off to post show fundraising events. Hillary went to The Abbey. Here's some video I took with my little canon camera:

For more photos from this event, and LOGO's post party at Eleven, check the clip reel at the end of this post.

7. Ellen Cries
Overwrought with our crisis of war, the fall of our economy, the senseless profiteering of satanic bottom-feeding Haliburton and KRB, the AIDS crisis in Africa, global warming and the endless discrimination against LGBT people in America, Ellen finally broke down on national television.*

*It was over a dog adoption mishap actually.

Okay, but nothing can beat this following clip, which really sent "fags" back fifty years. The infamous Chris Cocker LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE video.

A gay man certainly made every single news and entertainment news show... but is this really the way we want to be depicted. BAD. BAD GAY STEREOTYPE AND CLICHE!!!

Finally, here's my clip reel with pictures from all the parties in LGBT Hollywood in the last year, from Sundance to Outfest to Bravo's Next Top Model to Frameline to all the screenings, plays, dvd releases and LGBT fundraising galas in Hollywood.

I started it with where I was at the very beginning of 2007.