Gay Community Concept

I think I wrote this like 4 months ago or something; time flies. I actually emailed this to Attitude Magazine at the time for some bizzare reason which I can no-longer remember. Guess I wanna see my name in print, this was not the right article to send tho - too informal, too much like ramblings - which, as it happens, is exactly what it is. So bearing in mind I got no response, I guess here is where it belongs...

It's very easy to be sceptical of the idea that we are all somehow united, as a community of homosexuals. The concept can appear to be a wishy-washy construct, glamorised into this thing we should all be proud to be part of. Furthermore, the 'gay community' is seen to have a stigma attached, a stigma that most of us are keen to disassociate with -- one of sex and drugs and "what the hell is monogamy?". But despite these obstacles, the 'gay community' is a robust machine, built on pride amoung other things, and should be given more credit.

"I'm uncomfortable with the whole idea of a gay community because it gives the impression that we all think the same way because we happen to have sex with people of the same sex." Boy George, Attitude 100, Page 46.

I don't think it gives that impression at all. I mean, supposing we are all part of this 'community', based on one shared characteristic, that does not imply we are a collective who all think and act the same. Why should it? You can be part of a community and still be an individual.

All communities that ever existed, were tied together by one characteristic - whether that was a geographic location, a common language, a social standing, or a shared interest. Or anything else. The members of these communities are still different in limitless ways.

Every member of the Celebrity Community is not a stuck-up pretentious twat. Every member of the Christian Community is not an anti-gay mega-preacher. Every member of the Gay Community does not take drugs and sleep with a different person every night of the week. Although the stigma attached to certain communities may lead the naive to believe otherwise. Unfortunately. Stigmas will fade with time, and education, however. Therefore, instead of abandoning the concept of a gay community, we should use it -- and by using it we can more accurately paint the picture of what it's really like. Or at least dilute the current stigma, showing the other half of gay culture. (The ones with long-term relationships, mortgages and three piece suites...)

But there will always be stereotypes. I mean, supposing we manage to shake off the stigma of sex and drugs culture in next decade, I can't see the stereotypical gay guy ever being separated from the camp queen. And the stereotypical builder will still be fat, bald, and talk with a cockney accent. We shouldn't have a problem with that though. The general public, or most of, understand the artificiality of stereotypes.

Whether you like it or not, however, you've got automatic entry into this gay community. As does the entire gay population - irrelevant of dress sense or music taste - which is a good thing. It is there, and it is real. It's the pubs, the clubs, and the bars, it's the parades and festivals, it's the internet sites and the magazines. It's whatever medium we use to interact, whatever medium we prefer. So if you're reading this now, then you can't deny the presence it has.

There's no doubt many reasons why the gay community has such a loud public voice, but the idea of 'gay pride' is definitely a central factor. It's not about being proud of being gay as such, but being proud of being gay-and-out, being proud to be able to say "This is who I am, and if you can't accept it then you're no loss to me." It's about refusing to be discriminated against.

The Gay Community. It's a lot like any other really. Just maybe with a larger desire to show it's solidarity, and make itself heard. But we shouldn't detach ourselves from that concept because of a perceived negative stigma. In fact, we should turn it around by highlighting the less seen sides of gay culture.