The June 20th Advocate features results of a reader survey about “experiences as LGBT Americans.” One item looked at entertainment that readers considered “part of their personal LGBT experience,” and listed Queer as Folk, The L Word, Madonna, Cher, Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, and Christina Aguilera as possible answers.
Yeah, right. I saw Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz when I was eight. Thought the ruby slippers made impractical travel shoes. Haven’t thought much about her since.
This case of the missing lesbian culture parallels Bravo’s gay-male-heavy lineup on their new OutzoneTV network, as AfterEllen.com editor Sarah Warn has noted. I’m all for showcasing gay-male culture, but if that means ignoring the lesbians, then don’t pretend you represent the collective “gay and lesbian” anything, much less the full LGBT experience.
Not to mention people of color. Oh, there’s Pam Grier standing in the back of The L Word cast photo. To be fair, The Advocate did do a nice job of mixing it up in the individual profiles of LGBT Americans that accompany the survey results. Seven out of the 15 were non-white. Still, they could do better. LGBT culture is rich and varied. Let’s not homogenize the homos.