Gayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

I have had a really gay week.
Between Adam Lambert, the NY State Senate's rejection of gay marriage, Sky Gilbert's article in the Globe and DV8's To Be Straight With You, I have had the chance to explore various different view points and examples of...gayness.

And so.
Let me begin with...
I don't like Adam Lambert.
His only performance I ever enjoyed was from when he was on American Idol, his rendition of "Ring of Fire" by that country dude. And then he had that KD Lang impersonation and I was over him.

I find him to be over the top in a really annoying way. His CD cover made me want to vomit unicorns, and I don't care if it's a throwback to the "glam" age of whatever: it looks ridiculous. And yes, the world loves photoshop, but did you really need to throw yourself in a vat of photoshop, swim around with your face down for five hours and then have your ex beat you with a photoshop stick until you had the perfect 7-year old chin?

Ranting aside, I did however, like what he did at the AMA's. I really respected how he defended his actions after it all...that is, until he admitted that perhaps he did go "a little too far" on Ellen.

Good job, homo. It's one thing to be make a valid statement about the double-standards of conservative dumb asses, but it's a totally other thing to backtrack and admit defeat. I'm slightly disappointed, because Mr. Adam Lambert wouldn't have lost much at all once everything died down--so why is he acting like he suddenly did something wrong?

Now for something right:



I'm upset that it got turned down. But hey--at least we now have a few more awesome allies in the States. Another day, another chance to make history.

And now, onto Mr. Sky Gilbert.

I admire his work. I admire what he's done for the Toronto gay community. But for him to make this huge kerfuffle about how gays are no more, sort of irritates me. If you really do think this, shouldn't your job, as a gay activist and artist, be to educate and challenge the complacency of Queers who believe that "homophobia is no more so we can now all be like them breeders?"

Though, perhaps I'm looking at this all wrong. Maybe his article was written to incite a response from the gay youth of today. Maybe he's trying to get us to fight, instead of sitting idly by while Church street struggles and gays are still getting beat up and killed all over the world. Maybe Mr. Gilbert knows exactly what he's doing. Maybe.

And this of course leads me to my last subject: DV8's "To Be Straight With You."

This is one eye opener of a show. Using sound-bytes from interviews that DV8 Artistic Director Lloyd Newson had with various Middle-Eastern and South-Asian individuals, he has constructed a show that uses dance to convey and embody the struggles of these interviewees. Primarily, this show deals with homosexuality and certain eastern religions, as well as Dancehall music (featuring artists such as Buju Banton, who loves to talk about setting gays on fire in his music) and the need to...dance.

These performers are spectacular. Their precision and trust in one another and with their amazing set is just... amazing to watch. I am constantly becoming more aware than ever about the powers of live theatre and its ability to change the world and make you feel so much in such a short amount of time.

Go see it.
It's only on for two more days.