A recent episode of the great series, 30 Days [warning: link goes to an annoying flash-based web site], takes a straight fundamentalist soldier and sends him to San Francisco to be “immersed in gay culture” for a month.
After watching the show, I’m still not sure what the “gay culture” is. Does it involve having a nude man painted on your bathroom wall, as the soldier’s host does? Does it involve a night of drunken, shirtless dancing in a Castro-district gay bar, as the soldier does? Does it involve larning how to pronounce the names of esoteric cheeses, and memorizing what wine to pair them with? Does it mean going to a “gay church” like MCC?
If so, whatever “gay culture is,” it would seem I ain’t got none.
Given that there’s no agreed-upon definiton of “gay,” I’m not really sold on the idea that there’s a “gay culture.”
I suspect the truth is, as usual, more complex. There are people who, for whatever reasons, prefer, to some degree or another, to have emotional and sexual relationships with people of their own gender.
In my experience, though, none of these people share a set of common traits outisde of that preference. Some have tattoos; some don’t. Some go to bars; some don’t. Some live in the Castro; most don’t. Some are creative; some aren’t. Some are nice; some aren’t.
There’s certainly a slew of pre-packaged “gay products” out there for “gay consumers” to consume. There are neighborhoods that appeal to same-sex couples. There are works of art — books, paintings, sculptures, films — with homoerotic elements or that explore themes of interest to gay people.
But is there a specific well-defined gay culture, a body of information or perception or literature or art or social practice that provides a common perspective for all gay people?
I’m not sure about that at all.
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