Wednesday 10 October 2007

Anyone up for explaining homo jargon on TV?

Due to the success of awfully campy ahem "boy band" Bearforce1, which unfortunately made international media, someone at RTL Holland has decided it's time to explain subgroups in the gay world to a wider (read: heterosexual) audience. Even though the meaning of the word "bear" appears obvious to me, perhaps some people do require an explanation.

So I found this request on the net today:

RTL Holland's Edition NL is planning on broadcasting a mini course on gay subgroups. For this reason, we are looking for twinks, preppies, bears, dandies and so on. Would you like to explain in front of the camera which subgroup you belong to and its significance to you? Then drop us an email.


Much as the idea appeals to me, I don't particularly feel part of any such subgroup nor do I know where others would file me. I don't particularly feel the need to be labelled and most people I know would be extremely hard to categorise. So this whole educational exercise is likely to just create new stereotypes people will have difficulty dealing with, even though the idea is supposedly to open up people's eyes to other forms of homosexuality.

If I had some balls, I wouldn't mind explaining on TV what I like, but I'm definitely not up for helping to create new stereotypes that will make it harder for people to leave the closet in the end.

"Young, gay? Ah, must be a twink then!" No need for that sort of nonsense from people who barely understand.

And I also have a feeling this is gonna be one of those "tongue in cheek" items. I understand the cause of this segment - Bearforce1 - does not deserve serious journalism. However, subdividing the gay community, if it needs to be done at all, does.

No thanks, I'll pass. I might watch though.

2 comments:

Sooo-this-is-me said...

I'm with you on this one, I don't belong and don't want to belong to any sub-group. After we are probably going to see the sub-groups split as well and so on. I think everyone should keep an open mind to date the person, not because of the group they belong to. I can however understand being attracted to a certain type of gay man but why start to make things more complicated.

Steven.

J.R. said...

Yeah, this definitely sounds like a bad idea. And I think you're right that it will do nothing but propagate stereotypes and the idea that homosexuality exists in single dimensions.

Of course it's going to be tongue-in-cheek, which make the fact of them pitching it as an educational program all the more annoying.

Nothing Golden Stays