"Celebrate Diversity!"

I work as a video editor for a fairly large gay porn company, where I've been for the last 5 years now, and during my tenure here as an employee, I have certainly been witness to all manner of "gay in-fighting", at least in terms of where our community is concerned, and all the usual self-serving political agendas that tend to go along with that.

In addition to that, we have regularly received in the mail the usual unsolicited religious tracts from all denominations and faiths, all sent anonymously of course, telling us what kind of degenerate sodomites we are for promoting such a destructive and unhealthy lifestyle. We've also received a death threat or two here and there. It's pretty much par for the course, and one of those things you simply have to expect from working in an industry of this nature.

Usually one of my coworkers will put one of these pieces of "Christian" propaganda on the fridge in the kitchen here at the office, where it remains for a few weeks or so, just long enough for everyone to get a giggle or two out of it, before being replaced by the next arrival and the whole thing starts all over again. Believe me, we never tire of receiving things like this, but it never ceases to amaze me at just how ingnorant and close-minded people are in this world.

But then take for example what happened today, when a coworker of mine forwarded the following email to me from a disgruntled customer, who was complaining about the nature of our films, specifically the direction with which they seem to be heading, at least in the way he sees it:

Excerpt:

"...if this is any indication of where your studio is heading “Artistically” ..I ,for one, Have NO desire to see men covered in tattoos or naked NIGGERS…Both may be all the rage in Californis [sic],But this is one old Kentucky Queer that will not watch it, and CERTAINLY will not pay for it…"

My mouth must have hung open for a full minute. I simply could not believe what I was reading. This was coming from another gay man. Sure you might say, "Well, he's from Kentucky..." but so what? What exactly does that excuse? Besides, there are plenty of gay people like that (Les Natali, come on down!) right here in San Francisco, the self-described "Mecca of Tolerance".

But at the end of the day, stuff like this really shouldn't surprise me, or anyone else for that matter, especially when you hear news like we did last week, about how the openly-gay owners of Manhunt.net have been donating money to John McCain's Presidential Election Campaign, effectively taking money away from gay community and using it to support someone who stands for everything we are against.

And we wonder why we haven't progressed farther in society than we have?

I am so sick and fucking tired of gay people who do nothing but sponge off the community, reaping the benefits of all it has to offer, such that they may be, and then give absolutely nothing back. And I'm not even talking about the typical, closeted-Republican types here, who vote for anti-gay initiatives and then get caught sucking some dude off in a public restroom.

I'm talking about out and proud gay people who move among us in our community. Because they're the first ones to jump up on their soapbox and scream at the top of their lungs about how "We deserve the same rights as everyone else!" while making inane racist comments like the aforementioned customer did.

That's why I always wince a little whenever I hear that word "community" coming out of the mouths of other gay people, or the even more cringe-worthy "Celebrate Diversity!" sloganeering that gets thrown around so casually.

If we expect to really move forward in society as a people, it can only be done if we truly embody the meanings of those words and concepts. Otherwise, we run the risk of becoming as prejudiced and ignorant as the people who continue to persecute, and in some cases, kill us daily.