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Madonna has turned her back on gays? Just what is Boy George
talking about?
(I am already violating my self-imposed ban on talking about
Madonna’s connection to the gay community. This latest
news item, however, has gotten my proverbial panties in
a bunch.)
I pretend to know nothing about Kabbalah beyond the sound
bites that Madonna has offered on the subject. What most
of us hear about is a diluted, media-funneled version of
the faith.
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I don’t
begrudge anyone their choice of prayer, creed, or spirituality,
as long as their belief system does not interfere with my
life or my decidedly secular existence. So for all I know,
the orthodox Kabbalists may well indeed think homosexuality
is a curable disease. In this day and age, that’s
an increasingly outdated, unrealistic, and outright hateful
line of thought.
But Madonna most certainly does not - and will never - ascribe
to that belief no matter how brainwashed she might be or
how immersed in cult mentality she becomes.
Now before you, dear literal-minded reader, get your panties
in a bunch, know that I am not calling Kabbalah a cult.
I’m merely asserting Madonna’s steadfast support
of the gay community regardless of whatever groupthink she
aligns herself with. I’m heartened that Liz Rosenberg,
Madonna’s spokeswoman, found the gossip important
enough to publicly comment. Still, I, as a gay man, briefly
felt betrayed and manipulated. Let me parse this out.
It would be too simple to say, “Oh, well, Madonna
has a gay brother. She has to be cool with it.” Familial
bonds, as we all know, do not necessarily engender understanding
and acceptance. For instance, U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney
has a lesbian daughter and yet he is - how to put this lightly?
-- not very cool with gays. Madonna and her brother Christopher,
fortunately, are one example of a great symbiotic relationship
that played on both of their talents.
Christopher’s creativity was especially key during
Madonna’s ascent, and he remained a prominent figure
in artistic development through her meteoric career. |
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(I will not speculate on the rift that supposedly formed
recently.)
The term “gay icon” should not be used lightly.
Lately, everyone from Britney Spears to SpongeBob Squarepants
has found him-, her-, or itself with that title. But whereas
another generation is inexorably linked to Judy Garland,
spawning not only the “friend of Dorothy” code
but nothing less than the gay rights movement itself (the
Stonewall Riots occurred on the evening of her funeral),
so too has Madonna been the ultimate gay icon from at least
the 1980s.
And girlfriend knows where her bread is buttered! |
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Her earliest performances were at Paradise Garage, Pyramid,
and Roxy, legendary gay or gay-friendly New York City clubs.
Over the years, she has surrounded herself with countless
out-and-proud producers, writers, dancers, fashionistas,
DJs, promoters, and other industry insiders. Simply by virtue
of forced company, Madonna has embraced and celebrated the
gay community. For Boy George to insinuate that her Sapphic
performance at the 2003 VMAs subverted all her work for
the gay community is unfair.
She’s been an outspoken proponent of gay rights and
AIDS activism, even receiving several awards for her commitment
to these causes. She boogied her ass off to support Gay
Men’s Health Crisis at their famous Dance-a-Thon.
During the “Rock the Vote” campaign, she swathed
herself in an American flag and was flanked by two of her
openly gay dancers. She cavorted with Sandra, Rosie, and
Ingrid.
She hung out with Michael Jackson, Rupert Everett, and Ricky
Martin.
She is a gay man trapped in a woman’s body.
The entire Erotica era was a paean to queer
culture.
The lyrics to In This Life alone are a
testament to Madonna’s devotion to her gay compatriots.
There is no way this could be a giant fraud, Boy George.
If so, she is due several Oscars for her disingenuous performances
over the years.
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I hardly think I have been duped into believing the good
intentions behind these acts.
MTV’s broadcast of her “Pajama Party”
to promote Bedtime Stories featured a sizable
slice of the gay demimonde, a Webster Hall chock full of
trannies, clubkids, ravers, and “gay names”
like Michael Musto and Junior Vasquez.
She famously and unabashedly borrowed heavily from gay culture
with Vogue and for the urban cowboy chic
of Music.
Highlights of Truth or Dare: In Bed With Madonna
were scenes of mutual admiration between Madonna and her
gay dancers. |
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No, these aren’t examples of a cynic biting the
hand that feeds her. These are examples of a creative
and, yes, shrewd businesswoman who celebrates the community
from which she “steals.” By definition, a
cynic is one who believes that only selfishness motivates
human actions. So isn’t Boy George the cynic here?
Her evolution of style and constant reinvention - not
to mention Reinvention - keep her fresh
and cater to audiences of all stripes with a special wink
to the gay community, flush with fanaticism and adoration
for those with similar sensibilities. Madonna has never
demonstrated anything short of love for her gay fans and
the gay community as a whole.
No, I reject the idea that Madonna has turned her back
on her gay fans.
Another example of how Madonna continues to be inspired
by and not turned off by gays? Well, during her first
Lisbon show in 2004, while singing Nothing Fails,
she noticed a gay guy right in front of her in the crowd
wearing a shirt that read “I Love NY” in Hebrew.
She liked the sentiment so much she is rumored to be readying
a song entitled “I Love New York” for her
next album.
Okay, that shirt-wearer was me, as previously reported.
I think she and I had a moment. Coincidence?
Hey, a guy can dream, can’t he?
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