# Ask the Gay Guy! **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 2, 2000, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gay-guy/18100 "2000-03-02T17:53:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 23
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2000, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gay-guy/18100/441 "2000-05-08T17:04:07Z")
> [@](#): > > Madonna, I get. Judy Garland? No. Why do you get Madonna and not Judy? Esprix ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2000, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gay-guy/18100/442 "2000-05-08T18:12:29Z")
The Gay Guy wrote: > [@](#): > > I might also point out that it was Judy [Garland]'s death that sparked the Stonewall riots, ?!?!! Really?! What happened, did some gaybasher stumble into a gay bar in the Stonewall area and say, “Ha ha, your icon’s dead!”, and then everybody got fed up and started pounding the guy? ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2000, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gay-guy/18100/443 "2000-05-08T18:26:06Z")
**picmr** wrote: > [@](#): > > Alan Turing was gay - I’ll never think of “the halting problem” in quite the same way. {whoosh} > [@](#): > > Yes and no: it means that critical mass has been reached, and it means that someone will be inclined to be in your corner irrespective of their opinions, because there’s a buck involved. As I said above, sure a business’ bottom line is its bottom line, but I doubt we’re going to see Chik-Fil-A, for example, which is a very Christian-oriented business, advertising in The Advocate any time soon. Even if gay rights aren’t at the top of a company’s agenda, if they’re willing to advertise to us at least it shows an open mind. Now, I’ll ask my fellow co-conspirators - what’s the latest list of Companies We Should Boycott? I’ve lost track. > [@](#): > > This has been running a while now, so it is time to ask the **gay guy** and his minions 😉 what they think of what has been asked. I’m impressed, actually. Some honest questions, no trolling {fingers crossed}, no flaming, no witnessing. People actually stuck to the rules I laid out in the OP, and a lot of people seem to read this thread as well as post to it. I hope I made a difference, in some small way. > [@](#): > > Are you surprised at what has been asked? Nah, pretty much run-of-the-mill stuff. The conversations, though, have been a little longer and of a more intelligent bent than I’ve had in the past. > [@](#): > > Do you think the general tone of the questions is representative of the SDMB? Hard to say. I’m inclined to say yes, but I also know there really is a pretty wide diversity of opinions here. It might be representative of the views of the majority of posters, but I wouldn’t call it representative of the whole board per se. And I also think those that might be of a more conservative bent might not post here, or even read the thread, as I’m sure it doesn’t interest them in the slightest. > [@](#): > > How representative are the members of this board with respect to the general public (of your country, the developed world, or generally)? As above, I’d say the board is generally skewed toward the liberal (“Not that there’s anything wrong with that!”), so I wouldn’t say it was representative of the US as a whole. > [@](#): > > Assuming that they are not representative, what is the effect of anonimity of posters versus the demographic? I find most people speak their mind when it comes to hot topics like this, same as say abortion. If they’re pro, they’re pro, if they’re anti, they’re anti. C’est la vie. Esprix ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2000, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gay-guy/18100/444 "2000-05-08T18:41:24Z")
> [@](#): > > I and two of my bi friends wore t-shirts I made…a circle, divided in half horizontally, with the top half divided vertically. One half of the top said “50% Gay”, the other half said “50% Straight” and the entire bottom half said “100% Queer.” People loved 'em. I’m thinking of selling 'em, money-grubbing little capitalist pig that I am. They sound great! > [@](#): > > The overall tone to my little ears was sort of, “It’s great that all these people are here to show their support, but…what are we supporting?” There didn’t seem to be much direction. As stated, a common complaint. Still, did it feel celebratory to you? > [@](#): > > AND…it seemed as though people were wandering around in tight little cliques. I was sort of hoping to meet a few new people. You know, exchange email addresses and suchlike, just make a CONNECTION…but no one seemed remotely approachable. {sigh} Maybe that was a byproduct of the fact that it wasn’t as motivating as celebrating - the gay boys were all there to party instead of act up, and the lesbians were there to see Melissa Etheridge. 😉 Esprix ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2000, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gay-guy/18100/445 "2000-05-08T19:23:23Z")
**tracer** wrote: > [@](#): > > What happened, did some gaybasher stumble into a gay bar in the Stonewall area and say, “Ha ha, your icon’s dead!”, and then everybody got fed up and started pounding the guy? Not too far from the truth. Judy Garland died on June 22, 1969 from an accidental drug overdose, and the gay community was literally in mourning - even then she was an icon for gay men. On June 27, 1969, the NY police conducted a fairly routine raid on a gay bar in Greenwich Village called the Stonewall Inn, which under normal circumstances wouldn’t have been met with any resistance - but not this night. No one seems to agree on what exactly touched things off, but I’m inclined to think that it happening so close to her death wasn’t completely a coincidence. (According to [http://members.aol.com/gayzette1/stonewall.html](http://members.aol.com/gayzette1/stonewall.html), her death had little if anything to do with it, but I’m not so sure.) As the police tried to arrest and cart away some of the patrons, a crowd gathered that quickly turned angry, and the police had to barricade themselves _inside_ the bar to keep from harm. A scuffle turned into a riot, which lasted for about three days. It gained national attention, and quite literally the modern gay rights movement was born (and this is not meant to in any way play down the importance of the pre-Stonewall groundwork that was laid in the late 50’s/early 60’s - Stonewall merely pushed everything to the fore). Esprix ---
**Author:** ![Ptahlis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a8b319/32.png) [@Ptahlis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ptahlis)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2000, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gay-guy/18100/446 "2000-05-08T22:59:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > Madonna, I get. Judy Garland? No. > > Why do you get Madonna and not Judy? > > Esprix > \*\* Uh… Well, Madonna is/was totally flamboyant, sexually “in your face America”, and openly dealt with same sex themes in her music, interviews, book, and movies. Judy Garland’s image was none of these, and could be called prim for most of her career. ---
**Author:** ![beakerxf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc79bd/32.png) [@beakerxf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beakerxf)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2000, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gay-guy/18100/447 "2000-05-08T23:33:04Z")
> [@](#): > > Uh… Well, Madonna is/was totally flamboyant, sexually “in your face America”, and openly dealt with same sex themes in her music, interviews, book, and movies. Judy Garland’s image was none of these, and could be called prim for most of her career. [Beaker steals thread from Esprix] I like Judy (not necessarily worship) because she: a. Has the better voice b. Better style c. I enjoy her interviews. She was rather witty. Witty to Madonna is talking about peeing in the shower to Letterman. d. Judy’s life was so tragic that I sometimes I feel like I just want to give her a big hug. Madonna seems too prickly for hugs. To sum up: Judy had class, Madonna doesn’t. Judy was lady, Madonna is an adolescent in a woman’s body. Of course, I’m a lesbian, so don’t fit into the Judy as Icon stereotype. Then again, you would expect me to prefer Madonna over Judy as well, because Mo is such a powerful, take-the-world-by-the-balls type of woman. Nope. For some reason, it doesn’t work that way. [Beaker returns thread with full tank of gas to Esprix] ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2000, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gay-guy/18100/448 "2000-05-08T23:41:47Z")
The Gay Guy wrote: > [@](#): > > this is not meant to in any way play down the importance of the pre-Stonewall groundwork that was laid in the late 50’s/early 60’s _GASP_ There were gay people in the 50’s?!?!! :o ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2000, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gay-guy/18100/449 "2000-05-09T18:17:31Z")
“Ask the Gay Guy!” is too long! Well, as **Otto** mentioned (and my sincerest apologies for not responding to him about this sooner), there are folks having problems loading this rather long thread. Ergo, please point your browser to: **["Ask the Gay Guy II!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=24008)** All the questions that were posted here in the past day that haven’t been answered I’ll answer there. Looking forward to another 10 pages! 😃 Esprix ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2000, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gay-guy/18100/450 "2000-05-09T18:43:17Z")
[Moderator Hat ON] Locked at the request of the OP. Please see the “Gay Guy II” thread linked to above by Esprix for the continuation. [Moderator Hat OFF] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-gay-guy/18100.md?page=22)