making things gay

a recent event in my life reminded me of an experience i had last year at work....

on break, we were all talking about amusement parks, Anyway, someone mentioned Great America, and i said "Oh, they have a "gay day" and its kinda fun. My boss immediately responded "whats the point of a gay day, you don't go to great America to make out".....


WTF!

i looked at her, and had to pause, cause i have a tendency put these cookie cutter gender conforming American pie mutha fucka's in their place. and said "gay day is not about making out, its about creating an environment which queer people, specifically young queer people can go where they wont be harassed for simply being."

She responds "i didn't think people would be bothered at Great America"

Its not her ignorance to the harrassment that queer people face in mainstream American environments that is so offensive, but her inability to understand why a certain group of people - who in reality have few if any venues to express themselves, or places where they can just BE- would want or even patronize an event which catered to them. But more importantly, her assumption that anything "gay" would be related to sex. It alludes to this conception that being gay is a physical condition that humans have, its always sex. Of course, there is going to be people having sex in the bathrooms at gay day, but is that any different from any other day at great America?

The point is, Great America -as enterprising as an inception of "Gay Day" is - creates an environment where queer people, and in the bay area, queer people of color can be a part of without hearing faggot or dyke yelled at to them (negatively). Of course it would be great to live in a Bay Area which we didn't need socio or ethnic specific events like Gay Day or a Muslim Unity Day - both of which Great America has- in order to feel safe and comfortable, but until that time comes, these events are for the most part, positive.

This relates to a recent comment made by Bill O'Reily on his show, which the fabulous blog Rod Online responded to recently...

The San Diego Padres had a "gay pride event" as well a "children's hat giveaway" during the same game. Bill O'Reily described this a "insane." My question is WHY? Gay, as much as the American Family Association would like to assert, is NOT the antithesis to family. Gay pride is much about family and community as it is anything else. And last time i checked, Baseball was pretty fuckin' heterosexual, and the gay people that would attend, wouldn't be there to pick up someone, but to enjoy the sport..... (yawn). However, the sentiment that Bill O'Reily is expressing is one that many Americans, and people in general feel, that things that are gay are related to sex, and that should "be kept behind closed doors"