I: 9/13/02

Work Diary, 9/13/02

Once, at a dinner party of sushi, marijuana, and bad wine, we discussed
the theory that homosexuals are more creative than their heterosexual
counterparts. Apparently, both gays and straights perpetuate this
theory. Often gays credential themselves by identifying famous people
from the past and then dangling the poor souls in front of the masses,
which is akin to saying, "See! He's one, too! Love me!" What gays
should do, instead, is say, "Yes, I'm gay. Your approval means less to
me than the corn on my little toe. Go to hell if you don't like
it."

The theory that gay = creativity is utter horse crap, of course. One
only need visit a less savory gay bar to realize that gays, like the
general populace, come from all walks of life, and some of them should
just keep on walkin'. Here in Denver, there is a neighborhood called
Capitol Hill where gays concentrate, mostly living in apartments. These
apartments range from voguish stylishness to creepy crapulence. The
denizens of Cap Hill also vary, from the hopelessly outdated Euro-trash
movement to grown men with salt-and-pepper hair in skater shorts (by
far, the most tragic). But, to be fair, most of the gays look like?most
of the men in shopping malls across America.

Obviously, creativity is not just clothes and fancy apartments. A
preoccupation with such things may even indicate a lesser or pseudo
creativity. So, why the theory of a gay creativity gene?

Most likely, it stems from another theory, one that's supportable: Gays
have had the luxury of not being bound by the ties that bind. While
gays might argue that they are not free, they certainly enjoy a freedom
- if they so choose - from traditional jobs, relationships, and the
lifestyles that a society feels are appropriate for its men. In fact,
that freedom is what makes being gay so fun.

A man who is not concerned with three screaming brats, a minivan
payment, a bored wife, watching football to make sure he's one of the
guys, going hunting with the guys, keeping promises to Jesus to be a
real man?well, you get the picture. Gays struggle with the
feminine/masculine paradigm most often in their youth, and if they
survive the struggle, they come flying out of the closet in full
ballroom regalia, either literally or figuratively. Those struggles
make them witty (or sarcastic); artistic (or crafty); empathetic (or
impatient); fair (or deceitful).

Sounds a lot like how most people turn out, doesn't it? Yet, it's what
gays do with all that socialization that makes them appear more
creative in the overall scheme of things. As a whole, they are not more
creative, just more apt to use what they've got. It is creativity
founded on circumstantial evidence.

Besides, deeming gays the penultimate of creative genius is a slap in
the face of all artists and artisans, from the music composer to the
old lady who still knits a perfect sweater. Inexplicably, being gay
still fascinates the general public. Hell, being gay sometimes
fascinates gays themselves. That fascination seems to lend a mythical
quality to gayness, which is not wholly undeserved, but certainly
exaggerated.