April 16, 2007

RADIO GA GA

This week I decided to write about a radio host whose utterances caused controversy.

It's not who you think it is.

Comic Roseanne Barr has a show on KCAA, a southern California radio station. According to PlanetOut, on a recent show she blurted to her guest, a lesbian activist, that she has never known a politically active homosexual who gave two hoots—or even a hoot-let--about nongay issues.

“They don't care about minimum wage. They don't care about any other group other than their own selves—because, you know, some people say being gay and lesbian is a totally narcissistic thing, and sometimes I wonder,“ said Barr.

She also compared gay activists to religious evangelicals, a comparison sure to horrify both groups.

Chuck Wolfe, head of the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, released a statement on April 10, which, in case you're fashioning a flow chart of radio bigmouths, was two days before CBS dropped Don Imus's radio show.

“Roseanne Barr has defamed the hundreds of openly gay and lesbian elected and appointed officials who go to work every day to improve schools, make streets safer and better their communities. Politically active gays and lesbians are involved in many issues,“ said Wolfe. “Inane comments like Roseanne's are irresponsible and uninformed.“

They're also a shock, he added, considering her past support of the LGBT community. Indeed, in 1994 Barr made history on her sitcom “Roseanne“ with one of the first lesbian kisses on TV. Mariel Hemingway bussed her. To think that Barr stuck with men after that . . .

Anyway, returning to Barr's recent ruckus, she quickly apologized on her Web site. “I deeply regret that I have offended gay people . . . Call me up today and let me have it! I will apologize and try to make clear what I really meant to say . . . that everybody needs to unite right now, and step outside of their own neighborhoods, groups, races and classes to stop Bush's war on our country and our people. I love gays and I hate division. I am just a big idiot with a big mouth sometimes. I will learn to be more careful! Please forgive me, I am so sorry!!!!“

That did the trick. The Victory Fund declared that we're all friends again.

PlanetOut wasn't so sure. Citing the recent flurry of anti-gay invective from celebrities, the site asked readers to vote on whether Barr's apology was enough.

Compared to Don Imus's “nappy-headed hos“ crack, Roseanne Barr's rant was practically another kiss to the gay community. Nevertheless, she done wrong. Even if she's never known a gay person who fought for any other cause, which is hugely doubtful, she still shouldn't have accused us all of possessing the social sensitivity of Marie Antoinette.

I know a lot of gays and lesbians who work for all manner of issues, who care about the entire world, not just our part of it. In my case, I was politically minded before I figured out I was gay; I'll be politically minded after I figure out I'm post-gay, whenever that mysterious moment should arrive.

Obviously we become gay activists because we want to be treated better as gay people. Most of those who fought for black civil rights were African-American. There's nothing as motivating as fighting for your life.

Which can also give you the tunnel vision Barr complained about. As can simply being a self-absorbed weenie. So it's not a bad idea for politically active gays to ponder where we are on the social awareness scale.

Fortunately I know many folks rate high on that scale. But if the only scale you're familiar with is Kinsey's, it might be time to branch out.

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