The New York Times Magazine (12/03) surveys homosexuality in the Arab world. For example, in Egypt there was—until recently—a well-established underground of coffeehouses and public cruising places where gay men could meet. The government and religious organizations have heavily cracked down on such places. Most critiques of homosexuality seem grounded in an anti-Western, moral set of ideas. Surprisingly, the Egyptian government seems to have responded to complaints by the international group Human Rights Watch about various anti-gay raids and the attacks have lessened. When 35 members of the U.S. Congress wrote to Egypt’s president asking for a stop to the anti-gay crusade, the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram al-Arabi reported, ‘Be a pervert and Uncle Sam will approve.’
Frank Rich, in a New York Times op-ed piece (12/17), wrote in ‘Mary Cheney’s Bundle of Joy’ that homosexuality is the elephant in the GOP elephant’s room: the obvious subject that they don’t want to speak of. The subject has recently embarrassed John McCain (he’s for and against gay civil unions); Mitt Romney (he’s for and against gay civil rights); Rick Santorum and George Allen (anti-gay and now gone); and the White House (what to do about Mary). There’s a group of organizations that Rich calls the ‘axis of family jihadis’—Focus on the Family, the Family Research Council and the American Family Association—and he says that as their positions become more extreme they look more ridiculous. By the way, did you know that Happy Feet, the cute cartoon penguin movie, has an ‘anti-religious bias’ and is an ‘endorsement of gay identity?’ (That’s according to Michael Medved, apparently that axis’ resident movie critic.) Even evangelical groups, while not backing off being against gay marriage, are starting to say there are more important priorities: namely, AIDS in Africa, world poverty and the environment.
The Chicago Sun-Times (12/17) front-pages its Controversy section with ‘Decoding Icons,’ a look at gay and lesbian cultural heroes. Older gay men, says the article, often take Judy, Liza and Barbra as personal representatives of the men’s own struggles: All were judged by limited standards. Lesbians saw (and see) their icons as powerful, but not necessarily butch—such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Xena and Martina [Navratilova]. The nature of icons may shift: Gay people want to be respected now, not just tolerated. Moreover, outspoken people (even dead ones like Oscar Wilde and Freddie Mercury) are now joining the ranks of Cher, Tammy Faye, Bette, Dolly, Madonna, Mae West and Joan Crawford.