Activism and Advocacy are not sexy...

...Or "Posers go home!"

The Civil Rights movement is not hip.  It's not cool.  I'd challenge you to find even a few posers doing it to be part of the "in crowd".  Oh, what's that you say?  You can rattle off a list of celebs that are involved in one camp or another.  Really?  Look closer.  They are people who have personal stakes in the group they are advocating.  Entertainers?  Yes, most of them were members of the music nerd/drama geek/art dweebs in high school.  They just found their balls to actually make money being the weird kids.  Big business execs?  Yeah, they were the math, language, civics and science kids in their teens.  They and the afore mentioned groups tended to mingle and blur in their adolescence.  Athletes?  Well really I find there is only one group that might have believably "fought" at one time but do so rarely now that their part of the fight was "won"...African American professional athletes.  The rest?  Nope.  Can't think of any off the top of my head nor members of any team's cheer squads.  Beauty queens? They really get me because if not for the queer nation, pagents wouldn't exist but those gals are not the most supportive of their twinks.

So really...where are the "popular" kids when it comes to standing shoulder to shoulder with the LGBTs, the African-Americans, the Latin community, the Jews, the Muslims, the pagans, women?  Yeah...interesting huh?

Which brings me to my point.  There is a group, albeit small, that has emerged from "middle America" who are supposedly now die-hard "queer peers".  On the surface this would seem to be a noble act of sacrifice.  However, it is not and it could have some very negative results if allowed to continue.  This group, who had never heard the term "fag hag" before early last summer now seem to think that they are deserving of the title...while still attending their little evangelical storefront holy roller churches, living their bigoted little lives in their white-bread hometowns and scorn the "towel heads" that run the local 7-11.  They sing the battle cry of "Marriage for all" on Twitter, fan-sites and blog posts/comments.  They send letters/emails to state representatives and U.S. congress people who represent districts far from their own.  They throw the word "homophobe" around when ever they get the chance.  How would they react if one of their kids or siblings came out?

STOP!!!!  You are doing it wrong!!

First let me take the simple thing.  "Queer peers".  Oh, you've never heard that term?  Fag hags are part of that division of the LGBT civil rights army.  We are the straight advocates for the queer nation.  We are PFLAG.  We are GSA.  We are even GLAAD (despite some of their recent short-comings in a certain incident).  We have family, friends and co-workers who are LGBT and we support them, love them and treat them like anyone else...like human beings deserving of love and respect.

Posing as an advocate from the gay tribe is a giantic act of disrespect.  Oh!  Did I call you a poser?  Yeah...yeah I went there.  See the thing is...you were introduced to a gay man who isn't a walking stereotype.   And by the way...most lesbians, gays, bi's and transexuals are not stereotypes.  That's why you say you've never known a gay person...because the ones you have met...blend in with all the other people.  Sadly they've learned societal camoflage along with every other shunned group.  But just so we're clear, even if they were accepted, you wouldn't be seeing a whole lot of outward changes other than a couple out and about holding hands, sharing a peck on the cheek or a hug.  Not all lesbians live in flannel and work boots and not all gay men wear tight jeans, v-neck t's and loafers without socks.

But back to that exotic cat (thanks Fae) that you give the impression you'd like to see uncaged.  The truth is the only reason you'd let him in your house is if you thought he was there to seduce you...(1) you're the wrong sex and (2) most of you are old enough to be his mom.  So really what's going on here is that he's a novelty to you because you've never been this close to an openly gay man and he's especially titilating because you "discovered" him though a TV show that up until now pumped out cookie-cutter, second-rate recording artists.  I have so many words in my head to speak of all your hypocrisy and arrogance.  I heard you all get all upset over the young man's photoshoot for a certain gentleman's fashion magazine.  You were, in truth offended that the gay boy was in erotic poses with a woman.  What you were really saying is "Oh pretty freak, we love when you spark our libidos from the stage but how dare you put your nasty queer hands on that pretty straight girl".  Sure you tried to cover it up with "I wish I was her."  What will happen when this singer is invited to revisit his acting routes and place out a romantic scene with a woman?  Do you still watch How I Met Your Mother after Neil Patrick Harris came out.  Did you stop watching old Rock Hudson romance movies when his homosexuality was revealed posthumously?  I think a few of you may have.

All I can say is that next week I hope you crawl back into your television sets and get wrapped up in selecting the next best thing and leave the gay community alone.  They're much better off without you.