My Fabulous Gay Wedding Vs Queer Eye For The Straight Guy

[Liberal Crozier]

In Canada, we have a programme whereby a prominent team of both straight and gay wedding planners create a very special event for a same-sex couple, gay or lesbian.

In Canada, it is called MY FABULOUS GAY WEDDING....and on US television on LOGO, it is renamed FIRST COMES LOVE.... You can see an episode about once a month, I understand, as opposed to countless reruns of more daring fare of circuit parties, etc......

The reality-based docudramas have been instrumental in changing the views of many progressive individuals or some less so, who were able to see real lives of individuals finally permitted total marriage equality after being together, often raising families, after decades being together.

In the USA, by contrast, there is the very popular and award-winning QESG, whereby straight couples are often provided makeovers and weddings orchestrated by "queers" who cannot themselves see examples of their own liberation. ONE time they produced such a "jumping the broom" ceremony but did NOT go to MA in order not to fuel controversy and get a legal marriage recorded. This, and the irony that the NYC based programme began in MA ( with an African American in lieu of the Hispanic person).

This is an interesting anology about the Canadian and American differences...and provides yet another example of the accomodation and Plessy/Jim Crow mindset that permeates the US LGBT culture. They scream," Please love me....see, I make no waves and want to shuffle as you want me to." And the right wing responds, " No, we don't, and more, we are going to strip you of any and all gains that you have won."

And the gentrified leaders respond, " Give us what you feel we deserve. We will not make any significant waves, now or in the forseeable future. If we do, we know that you will seek more proscriptions against us, especially the ultimate FMA."

[nowvoyager]

The Australian version of the Big Brother television show continues. The current season has just finished, and I write about it here because one of the contestants was an openly gay young man, an astonishing individual, a farmer from what you would call a red state and possibly redneck area. He is handome, considerate, responsible and delightful, and these personal charms kept him in the house until almost the last. He entered the house with his sexuality a secret, and soon came out to his housemates with such dignity, and then filmed a message to his family about how much he loves them and how they needn't be ashamed of him or worried about him - he was crying, I was crying - and as it was viewed by at least half of Australia's population I'm sure there were tears all over.

Upon exiting the house, he was met by his Lebanese Muslim boyfriend, who he kissed passionately, and declared their decision to marry - all live to a massive tv audience.

The fallout has been amazing. His personal charm and giant-sized spirit has swept away opposition - the usual suspects who regularly lambast us through the media with anti-gay rhetoric have been quite silenced by the upsurge of affection in which this man is held. To top it off, the political party to which he belongs (a large and powerful one, concerned with rural issues, libertarian, alas notoriously homophobic) have welcomed him, cynically indeed as I'm sure they're smacking their lips thinking of all that popularity and publicity - but still with a probable huge positive impact on the lives of all those rural cowboys and cowgirls. All of this comes very quickly after another popular icon, the singer Darren Hayes, recently committed to his male partner in a UK civil ceremony. Both have done enormously to influence the hearts & minds of those previously against us, I'm sure. Plus, I would guarantee that David's role-model behaviour has stopped at least one isolated and confused youth from killing themselves this week. Halejuliah.

Of course what David didn't say is that he is not actually allowed to marry his man. The risk is that he is loved in spite of his sexuality (harking to that discussion about tolerating vs valuing). But the wave of empathy about him is going to take us who knows where - its up to us now how we capitalise upon this new perception that LGBTs are indeed human, and fabulous, and use it to bring about political change.

For more:
http://www.theage.com.au/news/tv--ra...198048794.html

In other Australian news... quite a few couples visiting Canada for the games in Montreal are tying the knot whilst there, including one of our prominent and respected citizens, bringing media coverage back here highlighting how ridiculous and nasty our anti-gay marriage laws are. Bless Canada.
http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/s...3-2682,00.html

[Liberal Crozier]

This is Spouse+

Yes, my Aussie Commonwealth brother.....maybe Elizabeth of Australia, and of the UK, and New Zealand should repeat what she did as Elizabeth of Canada.