Am I qualified to
talk about gayism? I am not. For instance, I just used the term “gayism”, which
so far as I know doesn’t exist. Hm. Just a sec, Google and I have a date …
I’ll be darned.
That word does exist. It seems I’ve
danced out onto thin ice already, so what the heck: I’ll strap on some skates.
People speak about issues they aren’t qualified to all the time. I once heard a member of Congress use the words “fiscal responsibility”. Sure, they looked very confused,
but they said it.
This might be a
shock to my gay friends (I probably have more than I realize), but I don’t
spend a lot of time thinking about sexual orientation. What got me thinking
about it a few years ago was the revelation that singer Barry Manilow is gay. This
announcement was met with a communal yawn, followed by, “Just figured that out,
did ya?”
Manilow
married his manager, who is a guy, and who Manilow had a very close
personal relationship with for three decades. It must be convenient, being able
to hold work meetings in the Jacuzzi.
I live in a
conservative area, so I was interested in what my friends and coworkers
would have to say about it. The general consensus: “So?” Nobody cared, except
for the occasional “If they’re happy, good for them”. Most average Joes really don’t care about your sexuality, as long as you’re a good
neighbor. The people on both sides who have more hard line views are just louder, that's all.
I’m just the
straight messenger, people.
(Oh, fun fact I just found out: The word "heterosexual", which many think of as normal, comes from the Greek term "hetero", which means ... different. "Cis", a word for being attracted to the opposite sex, comes from the Latin word cissexual, which means "on the same side of".)
Anyway, I’d rather
not debate anything related to this other than Barry Manilow’s most awesome
song. I love Barry Manilow (in an entertainment kind of a way), and I’m not
afraid of telling anyone, but please don’t tell anyone.
I love his
ballads. I love his energy, and one of my favorite albums (8-track!) as a teen
was his amazing live album. I even love his medley of the commercial jingles he
wrote.
By the way, I’m
straight, even though my wife will tell you I’m sometimes a girl. Also, I love
Boston and ZZ Top, and they’re not gay. They’re not, are they?
Yes, I heard
rumors Manilow was gay. I wasn’t dating him, just listening to his music. You
can question my taste, but sexuality doesn’t matter unless you’re picking out
the right pickup bar.
One of my friends
in high school was rumored to be gay. He had the stereotypical mannerisms, and
you know how people make assumptions. I defended him, because you can’t tell
what a person’s like on the inside based on his outsides. Besides, he and I
were both in choir and drama club, and if that made him gay, then why did I
only go to ball games for the cheerleaders? So there.
Turns out he’s
gay.
How do I feel
about him now? The same. I mean, he never hit on me, what do I care? And if he
had hit on me back then, being the terminally depressed kid I was, I would
probably have been more flattered than offended.
Let’s get back to
my point, which … let’s see … oh, yeah. I suspect prejudice will end when we stress
individuals, rather than color, sex, sexuality, or clothing, although some
people wear some really dumb clothes,
and can we at least judge them? Those things will always be there, but the
world will be a better place if we don’t dwell on them. Are you gay? Are you
straight? What do I care? I’m married.
So I came up with
an idea—and I’ll admit I originally formed it several years ago. I’ve written a novel, a science fiction space opera. (And I'm still trying to sell it to a publisher, but never mind.)
Now, I spend a large amount of time creating and assembling backgrounds of my characters. It creates a more rounded, fully realized
character when you know about their icebergs: The stuff about them underneath,
that you never read about in the actual story.
No literal iceberg
involved. Keep up.
So I know their
favorite foods, colors, and animals, childhood traumas, hobbies, vacation
spots, whatever. For this SF story, I created a supporting character who’s
gay.
No, I’m not going
to tell you who that character is. I doubt you’ll figure it out, because it has
nothing to do with the story. That’s the point. It's not a love story about that character. It’s just a part of who they are, and it has nothing to do
with their actions or the plot.
See, that’s the
way it should be in real life.
They might not
even like Barry Manilow music.
You can find us and our books, which have nothing to do with sexual orientation, here:
· Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B0058CL6OO
· Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/search?attributes.contributorId=13727646
· Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4898846.Mark_R_Hunter
· Blog: https://markrhunter.blogspot.com/
· Website: http://www.markrhunter.com/
· Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ozma914/
· Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarkRHunter914
· Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrhunter/
· Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkRHunter
· Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarkRHunter
· Substack: https://substack.com/@markrhunter
· Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/ozma914
· Audible: https://www.audible.com/search?searchAuthor=Mark+R.+Hunter&ref_pageloadid=4C1TS2KZGoOjloaJ&pf
Remember: Reading opens the mind.
