Richard Roeper's column in the Chicago Sun-Times (5-3-01) comments on obscure lyrics of state songs such as those in "My Old Kentucky Home." The Kentucky Legislature some years ago changed the line "'Tis summer, the darkies are gay" to "'Tis summer, the people are gay." Some folks are still dissatisfied with the lyric for some reason.
Launching a new department for this column: the "There's-a-missing-gay-angle-here" Department. For example, the Chicago Sun- Times (5-3-01) reports "Surgeon General Launches Anti-Suicide Program." Not a word about confusion or discrimination against gay teenagers as a major cause of suicide. Ditto an article in the May issue of Discover Magazine, "Can We Go To Mars Without Going Crazy?" Their cover story illustrates the difficulties of putting seven or eight people in a confined area for several years without major mayhem occurring. The article seems to take straight male astronauts' attitudes (a.k.a. testosterone poisoning) for granted. No suggestions about making such a crew all female or all gay, neither group of which is as statistically inclined toward violence toward others. And a third example (which I agree is more subtle than the rest): The NY Times (4-22-01) reports "Abortions in India spurred by Sex Text Skew the Ratio Against Girls." The article indicates that richer Indians are using ultra-sound (which is illegal in India, by the way, at least to determine sex) to abort female fetuses. If the trend continues as it is also doing in China and South Korea, the ratio will eventually mean large numbers of young men will simply have no one to marry. Do you see where this is going? Some years ago, a science-fiction novel, The Rainbow Cadenza illustrated the far end of such a trend in which governments of the world subsidized and encouraged gayness to ease civil unrest. A more humane answer all around would be to work on the anti-female bias.
From the National-Enquirer-look-alike Department: The NY Times (5-3-01) runs a story lead: "Oh No! My Little Brother Has Just Had A Baby!" From Burkina Faso, the story of a girl raised as a boy, Hamiden Diê (now Sita). Born with anomalous genitalia, Hamiden, who always believed herself a girl, nevertheless went through male initiation rites to please her father. Sita now finds herself in a Situation ...neither male nor female and, as sex roles are rather rigid in her peasant society, she has no clues about the future.
The NY Times (4-30-01) Counter intelligence column tells of Everett Quinton who has made the transition from drag performer to drag actor. The lover of Charles Ludlam, founder of the Ridiculous Theatrical Company, Quinton took over the company when Ludlam died of AIDS in 1987. Because of mounting debts he had to close the company but is now much in demand for fantasy roles, both male and female.
The Chicago Tribune (4-22-01) ran a long profile of Ifti Nasim, the gay Pakistani-American activist and poet. Still a Muslim he says, thought not practicing, his latest book is Myrmecophile: Selected Poems 1980-2000.
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