By coming out have we gone to far inside...

[electrolass]

I spent the evening listening to my Best of Queen Vol. 1 & 2.  Wow.  Long ago, before being out was cool, frustrated artist of gay disposition found ways to be out while maintaining a low profile.  They did this by being themselves, then slipping clever yet profound "gay clues" into their music.  We knew they were gay, but we still saw the artist for themselves.  Oh, pooh, Radio Caca, I am sure that I am not expressing myself very well, but here is the question.

Now that gays and lesbian can more openly express themselves, are we really getting to see more of them than we did when they were performing below the Gaydar?  Gays and lesbian artist today are chosing to go with smaller gay and lesbian friendly labels that let them be who they are, but do we get to hear them.  Some of the labels are soooo obscure.  No slam, but sometimes I think that very talented individuals never get to rise to national or even international attention because the labels who host them simply cannot afford to reach to a larger audience.  Oh sure, the GLBT's living in big cities like New York, Atlanta and San Francisco have gazillions of specialty record stores that carry a grand selection of GLBT artist, but Anchorage?  If you were young twenty or so years ago, and you heard Bowie, Queen or Melissa, you just knew in your heart that they might be gay and that just boosted your small town ego.  You thrived on the music, and believed that "somewhere, someday, there is a place for us."  But honestly, who is crossing the boundaries today.  I only hear about out girl bands today because I watch "L" word.  Am I imagining this?  Set me straight.  Ha.  Boys, "point" me in the right direction.  Girls.  Who is today's Melissa? 

[Oni]

Meow, maybe I am just reading it wrong. but um could you maybe word your question a bit better. I think I know what you are trying to say. but I dont want to answer the wrong question ya know.

[electrolass]

Okay Onicat,

Good point.  I am not so skilled at this forum.  My question:

By encouraging gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgenger artist to go to GLBT labels (record labels, book publishers, etc.), have we (the regular public - young people in rural areas just coming out) been deprived of access to GLBT performers who used to frequent the public domain (i.e. popular record labels, book publishers, etc). 

I love it when someone pushes me to be more clear.  Okay,  premise.  The premise is that many young people living in rural towns do not have access to "gay" literature or artistic venues.  Becuase they are gay, they (we) spend there young lives looking for some sign that there desires (we know what these desires mean) are shared by others.  These young people may not yet know about a gay subculture.  In days gone by, my days, many gay performers expressed their gay natures using "code."  It was all they had.  If you cannot be out, you find a way to communicate.  Even though, these older performers were forced to express their gay natures in code, they were still expressing themselves in a medium that was accessible by millions. 

Today, many of the GLBT artists that would have had to express themselves in the popular public, can do so in gay friendly record labels and publishing companies.  These companies may be GLBT friendly, but they have a very limited audience - mostly older, already out GLBT people.  So, the younger, not so out members of our culture who do not have access to the "oh, so trendy GLBT bookstores and record stores" may miss out on these artist and writers. 

What do you think?  I know there must be some shy youngster or oldsters out there googling for gays, who have some input.  What say you?  I address this group because I pray for there existence. 

[Oni]

Meow,

I think I know what you are saying. Let's see if I get this right. Do you think the GLBT community has damaged its self and it's youth by encouraging GLBT artists to go to GLBT friendly Labels that are not as widely known. Well if Information is power, and you hinder the flow of information, then of course you hinder your power. If that analogy works. I agree it's a good idea to support GLBT friendly businesses. But if they were really GOOD they would as well known as say Virgin Records, or Paramount. I hate to say it but that’s the cold hard fact about business. Some got it some don’t, and if you are going to limit yourself to a specific community there is a good chance you will get blowed over by the bigger companies.

I think an artist GLBT or Straight should go with what ever company will get them there goal. But if there Goal is to hit as many GLBT youth as they can. The bigger companies can do that better than the GLBT friendly ones. But if you want to support the GLBT friendly Companies, do so, spread your assets out.

To many artists wait...wait till it wont kill there career before they come out, or wait till it will actually boost there career. How do you reach small down youth...sadly the best way is to live in one. I grew up in a very small town, and even researched GLBT stuff in that town. You can't find it except for the negitives. And what good you do find, you have to go to the back corner of the liberrry, look underneath the black magic, and devil worshiping books, and keep digging, till you poke your head out in China, and there you will find it, but by then you are in a new country and it don’t matter anyway.
Supporting GLBT friendly businesses are cool, but if they can't reach your goal, or your target audience. Whats the point. They only thing you are doing is supporting with in the community, and not out side it, or helping those that might want to come in (out) to the community. If you are good at what you do, people don’t care what your sexual preference is or how flamboyant, or butch you are. If you are good at what you do, people will go to you. It's not who you are that maters, but the job that you do. And some people may not want to get there house built by a Women, but if she does a better job that Tim the lumberjack down the street, over time her business will grow better than his. Why because people will realize that the houses build by Tim are falling apart, and the House's built by Lilly are standing strong.
Does it make sense what I am saying. I guess I am going on two arguments here.

1. I see what you are saying, and think that if you want knowledge to be spread you should spread it every way you can, not just one avenue.
2. I feel that by only going to Gay Friendly Businesses we are discrimaniting against some one else just cause they view something different that we do, but do just as good, some times better, than the gay friendly company. Because people are allowed there own personal opinion, and some times to get a job done you have to "play the game."

Did my point come off clear, or did I just come off sounding like a biggit...I fear that to many times I come off sounding like a biggit...lol. I really dont mean to. So if you have any questions about what i was trying to say please do ask. Because like you it's hard for me to put things into words at times.

Wonder what others will say on this.

[electrolass]

What a wonderful process this forum is!!!  I have a thought, vague, gray and unexplored to its fullest measure that I present to the forum for further contemplation by minds of a beautifically different persuasion, and voila, I am rewarded with another perspective.  Thank you for such a clear commentary.  My thought has been nurtured.

 

[Oni]

Meow,
Glad The Forum could help. I hope to get more members and more poster to this place so that you can find a more divers answer.

Did my answer make sense to you?

[Rachael]

I look forward to a day when GLBTs don't need a special label.  I look forward to a day when we don't even need to say "GLBT"; when someone's sexuality is relevant to the conversation, we can simply say "gay" or "lesbian" or whatever, and not feel any need to go further.  That will be a day when homosexuality has finally been accepted as just another sexual orientation, and they're not seen as "outsiders."  That will be a day when people (or most people--nothing will ever be accepted by everyone) stop complaining about the "gay agenda" and focus on things that are actually a threat.

Of course, that will probably happen even later when people stop whining about Muslims "taking over the country."  At least people accept Islam as a legitimate religion.

[Oni]

But Rachael you did not answer the question

[Rachael]

I was making a comment. I didn't plan on answering the question.

[Oni]

Your gonna make me cry rachael...*cries all over hte place*

[Rachael]

*laughs* Sorry to disappoint.  I honestly don't know enough about the subject to give you an answer.  I mean...I never got much out of "gay music" to begin with.  I didn't really think of Queen's songs as gay.  Or at least, I didn't recognize any gay symbolism in them.  I still don't.

There were people who thought "Bohemian Rhapsody" was about Freddie Mercury having AIDS, but it was recorded far before he ever did, and even before the AIDS epidemic actually started...but I suppose I could see how it could be about being condemned as a homosexual...I guess.  I honestly don't know when Mercury came out.  But it doesn't matter; I still like their music.

Apparently Mercury, like most artists, didn't want to tell people what the song meant; he wanted those who listened to it to come to their own conclusions.  I personally like an explanation I read somewhere about it being a man's trial for murder.  I suppose that's a bit too obvious, though.

But now I'm talking more about Queen than the subject at hand.  Speaking of which, I absolutely love that song "Killer Queen."  I have no idea what it's about, but I love it still.