I wrote this after a period where pop divas were dominating the headlines - Madonna at Superbowl, Whitney Houston's drowning death, Adele's Grammy domination. Some people will react by saying that I trivialize the Gay Movement by linking it to the pop culture. Yet, the function and usefulness of pop culture should not be overlooked. Ordinary straight adults channel a lot of emotions into their favorite sport teams, and why should sports be viewed as less 'trivial' than concert performances? The gay magazine the Advocate tried to put ordinary faces of gay activists on their covers for a while before the printed version stopped. The latest online issue features Madonna on the cover. Younger generation now uses the term "Born This Way" (coined by Lady Gaga) to discuss discrimination.
But, no article will please everyone. There will always be segments of the gay population who find some thing more important than others. Why discount friends and allies who live, love and work in entertainment? Were Marvin Gaye or Aretha Franklin dissed by the African American Civil Rights Movement? Think not.
There is a popular story in the modern Gay Rights Movement.
It was June 1969. Judy Garland, iconic star of the gay favorite “The Wizard of
Oz” had just passed away. Many gay folks identified with the actress’s real
life struggles, and many drag acts imitated her campiness. Some of them
gathered on the fateful night of 28th June in a gay pub called
Stonewall Inn, unsuspecting of the impending police raid.
When the police arrived at the Inn
and started arresting patrons, they had no idea their action was stirring
already volatile emotions. The gay men, lesbians and transvestites were deep in
mourning for their diva, and were in no mood for the harassment. An officer
shoved a transvestite, who responded by hitting him on the head with his purse.
As a lesbian struggled with an arresting officer, she shouted to the
bystanders, “Why don’t you guys do something?”
The crowd went berserk. The Stonewall Riots made history as
the American LGBT community finally turned grief into courage, and fought back
against a government-sponsored system that persecuted sexual minorities.
While the Riot was real, the Judy Garland connection was
tougher to verify. The long-standing love affair between gay men and their
divas, however, remains easily observable into the 21st Century.
Barbra Streisand and Kylie Minogue are just two examples of gay icons whose
enduring careers are largely supported by legions of their loyal gaybies.
I shall leave the more solemn task of analyzing and
documenting gay icons and their fans to scholars. The reason for me writing
this article is simpler: friends.
For the last few weeks, I sensed a lot of turbulence amongst
gay friends and myself on Facebook. Cordial adults turned sappy, irrational and
downright hostile. My Wall was first assaulted by the leaked single of Madonna,
then a brief euphoria that she pulled off a huge performance at the Superbowl Halftime
Show. Hot on the heels was Whitney Houston’s drug-fuelled drowning, and
tributes bloomed as friends posted her old videos. Before the familiar tune of
“I Will Always Love You” started fading, Madonna’s new album dropped. The
hostility between fans of diva-in-training Lady Gaga (whom Madonna labeled
“reductive”) and fans of Madonna was renewed. Somewhere in between, Adele won a
truck load of Grammys and suddenly Gaga’s blond ambition for the Queen Bee’s
hive no longer seemed assured. To some fans, it wasn’t enough that they adore
one, but their friends must hate the other.
By the relentless hair-pulling on every diva strand on FB,
you’d think someone just insulted someone else’s mother!
After a few bumpy exchanges, I learnt a few things:
1. It is silly fun to insist that one diva’s song/album is
better than another, but don’t expect the other guy to drop his divas and
embrace yours. The entire exercise is futile – no one will change their views. Taste
is subjective.
2. I shouldn’t feel guilty for caring about pop idols well
into my 40s. I still care for a new Madonna / Gaga / Britney album, just as
straight men my age are still cheering their favorite sports stars on the
football fields or golf courses. Some like gifted sportsmen, we like strong
female performers.
3. Being commercial artists, pop divas are savvy, clever
promoters of their works. Charlie Hides, Youtube’s favorite cross-dresser, learnt
a supposed-war between Madonna and Gaga is more interesting than Madonna’s love
fest with Britney and Kylie. He is earning hundreds and thousands of Youtube ‘likes’
by impersonating the two ‘feuding’ divas. Madonna herself knows very well that
a simple word like “reductive” can trigger a fan war with Gaga’s little
Monsters, and it just keeps her name on our lips and ensures her continued
relevance.
I also learnt that I do not have to justify my views on any
divas. I won’t pretend to miss Whitney Houston. She was richly rewarded for her
good work with millions of dollars – including my money - and she was
responsible for her choices in life. I won’t pay $400 to go to a Faye Wong
concert because I prefer my divas to move a little bit more on stage. Those are
my views, call me a bitch, I don’t mind. My friends are fully entitled to their
views as well.
Finally, I learnt that, important as my divas are to me,
they should not come between my friends and I. I can’t have tea with Maddy, and
no amount of Adele can substitute a shoulder to cry on if I fall. When I cannot
find a single tune from my 100,000 song collection to figure out my next step,
the crucial voice will more likely be a phone call away.
Judy Garland might be the star, but it takes a real handbag-wielding
transvestite or a lesbian sister to start our revolution. Before you start a
war with gay friends over diva trivia, remember who will be the ones who will truly
be there for you. Save your fury and indignation for the people standing outside
our hive – for those who are calling us undeserved names, for those who want to
see us humiliated, and those who think our kind of love deserves jail-time.
In short, love your divas, but love your brothers and
sisters more!
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