In Pope news, His Holiness has told followers to support their gay children, another friendly remark from Francis, who has seemed to blow hot and cold on GLBT pronouncements.
STEREOTYPING GAY MEN
A recent New York Times article featured a week-long gay cruise to the Caribbean, organized by Atlantis Events with some 4,700 passengers ready to party day and night Covid be damned! “It’s time to start living our lives again and vaccines and tests allow us to do that. This isn’t Covid 2020,” said cruiser Andre Mayer. “This is going to be the wildest party for our community in two years. I’m talking dirty dancing, sex, drugs, raves, orgies and sweet, sweet freedom.”
Some GLBT commentators accused the Times of stereotyping gay men, and questioned why the Grey Lady would single out a gay cruise when we are seeing straight cruises set sail right and left. As for me, I know most of you are responsible gentlemen who pay attention to medical experts and would never sign up for such craziness. But then again, stereotypes are not always wrong, and I also know many of you who are inclined to throw caution to the winds, i.e, at least half of my personal gay male buddies (the fun ones).
The “Omicron of the Seas,” as it’s been dubbed, has already suffered a fatality from “cardiac arrest,” which as an inveterate consumer of British cop shows I can tell you means anything from cyanide poisoning to, um, maybe being fed puffer fish sushi by the ex-boyfriend who’s being blackmailed for embezzlement. Paging: Vera Stanhope! But that aside, make of this what you will. I for one don’t blame the Times, wish everyone well, and think a week of dirty dancing, orgies and drugs sounds exhausting. Maybe it depends which drugs.
Oh, by the way, I read that cannabis compounds can stave off Covid. Sounds better than the cattle de-worming meds, but I suppose I’ll stick to masks and vaccines.
A HUSKY FEMALE NAMED LUISA
For those of you who have kids, grandkids or have your own reasons for watching animated Disney movies, the latest hit, Encanto, has been accompanied by all sorts of merchandise tie-ins. The main heroine is Mirabel, a cute character who eventually saves the day. (I have been unfairly accused by my own grandchildren of announcing spoilers simply by predicting obvious plot developments, so I don’t want to ruin the film. Who knows, maybe some of you readers were booked on the Omicron of the Seas and haven’t watched it yet.)
There is also a secondary character, a husky female named Luisa who has the magic power of being able to lift any weight, like two donkeys at a time. It turns out that Disney has too much Mirabel promotional material and is running out of Luisa merch because all the little girls are clamoring for it. I believe I’m exaggerating the phenomenon, but you get the picture. I like it.
And by the way, the only reason I have (seven) grandchildren is because my wife had three kids in her twenties and they, in turn are wonderful and prolific parents. So I’m not like a million years old (although I am getting there). I kind of enjoy the fact that my own peer group is years away from such generational achievements and none of them would have guessed that I would surge ahead in this area. As I write, Mel and I are drinking Bloody Marys at eight in the morning and about to fly off to Playa Del Carmen for a week in the sun, so you can see why I’m not going to gripe about the guys on the party boat.
SHOW THEM THE MONEY
Did I mention it’s eight in the morning and I’m already a little buzzed? I’m not usually such a libertine but I’m headed to the airport and you know what that means. Travel drinking rules apply. Unsurprisingly I was obliged to stop writing after the previous sentence, and now I come to you a couple of days later from a shady little patio on the beach with nothing but water at hand.
In Pope news, His Holiness has told followers to support their gay children, another friendly remark from Francis, who has seemed to blow hot and cold on GLBT pronouncements.
A few weeks ago, a Catholic bigwig told everyone that God cannot overlook the “sin” of homosexual activity, a comment that observers thought would automatically have been given a thumbs up by the Pope before it was delivered. Recently, however, Pope Francis demoted the anti-gay Archbishop Giacomo Morandi from a key position as secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to a small diocese. So maybe he wasn’t so keen on the gay bashing talk after all.
Oh, and by the way, as the Census starts to gather more and more data on same-sex couples, we are getting more clarity on where we stand in comparison with other cohorts. Good news guys! Married and partnered gay men earn more than straight or lesbian couples, in part because they are more likely to have two incomes. A report from the Brookings Institution summarizes the situation, noting that gay male couples “are much more likely to live in a high density area, have a bachelor’s degree holder in the relationship, and less likely to have a child than other households.” Hello Brookings Institution? They are also men! According to the census, single men of all persuasions out-earn women by a significant margin.
It’s okay. We love you anyway.
