# Since when is Gay considered a medium? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 20, 2001, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-gay-considered-a-medium/88637 "2001-10-20T22:47:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2001, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-gay-considered-a-medium/88637/1 "2001-10-20T22:47:54Z")
So I’m in the entertainment section of [SFGate.com](http://sfgate.com/eguide/), looking for the next showing of _From Hell_, and I notice at the bottom of the page a number of links to different kinds of entertainment available in the San Francisco/Bay Area. These include Food, Movies, Music & Nightlife, Performance, Art, Events, Books, TV, Radio, and Gay. Gay? I keep hearing that song from Seasame Street: _One of these things is not like the others, one of these things does not belong._ Look, are you dividing things up my medium, or by content? You can do one or the other, but you can’t do them both at the same time! Well, I suppose it’s small potatos in the scheme of things. Something about that just irked me. I think I’ll just finish up by cursing Dan Quayle, because ever since that damned Spelling Bee gaffe of his, I can never remember if he was an idiot for adding an “E” to potato, or forgetting to include one. So curse you, Dan Quayle, and all idiosyncratic filing systems everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2001, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-gay-considered-a-medium/88637/2 "2001-10-20T22:58:29Z")
Perhaps they mean areas that include gay/lesbian nightclubs? Plus, San Fran does have a large gay population, if I’m not mistaken. Still, I think I see what you’re getting at-you don’t have to be gay to like/dislike a certain type of movie, music or food, no? ---
**Author:** ![Torgo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@Torgo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Torgo)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2001, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-gay-considered-a-medium/88637/3 "2001-10-20T23:04:47Z")
Happens all the time at our house: ``` ME: What do you want to do tonight, honey? ``` THE WIFE: Oh, I don’t know. How about Gay? ME: Gay? THE WIFE: Yeah. We haven’t Gayed in awhile. ME: Great! Let’s Gay! THE WIFE: Okay! I’ll get the kumquats! ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2001, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-gay-considered-a-medium/88637/4 "2001-10-20T23:14:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Guinastasia \* > **Plus, San Fran does have a large gay population, if I’m not mistaken.** Gays? In San Francisco? Naw, it’s just a bunch of stodgy Christian fundamentalists around here. It’s a lot like the town in _Footloose_, really. **Torgo** : I was trying to come up with that exact joke in the OP, but I couldn’t get the phrasing right. Of course, using kumquats in the punchline never occured to me. That’s my one weakness: I always forget the kumquats. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2001, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-gay-considered-a-medium/88637/5 "2001-10-20T23:15:28Z")
I dunno, I can imagine that if I were a gay person living in or visiting San Francisco, I might appreciate a concise listing of entertainment events specifically aimed at gay persons. ---
**Author:** ![mouthbreather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a698b9/32.png) [@mouthbreather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mouthbreather)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2001, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-gay-considered-a-medium/88637/6 "2001-10-20T23:29:12Z")
Like Foxy-Boxing? ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-gay-considered-a-medium/88637/7 "2001-10-21T02:57:28Z")
I think the implication is “this is stuff for _those_ people”, whether they intend it or not. A gay nightclub is still a nightclub. A lesbian performance art piece is still art, a gay dining establishment… well, the concept of a gay only dining establishment confuses and worries me 🙂 Certainly mention should be made within the text if the sexual orientation of the attendees is an issue. However, it seems a disservice to segregate. As a quick test, I popped into the Gay section and saw a blurb for “Co-Dependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same”, a short theatrical comedy. Going to Performance and checking, it’s not listed. Something worthy of its own photo and blurb under Gay doesn’t get a listing under the… erm… heterosexual section of the guide. So unless I make a habit of checking out the Gay section, despite my own sexuality, the only people who’ll ever know of “Co-Dependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same” are homosexual. I say this assuming the cast of CoDLSASS wants my hetero ass in the audience (why wouldn’t they? A ticket’s a ticket and a delighted patron is a delighted patron). In other words, it’s not a listing of what from the other topics might hold special interest to the homosexual, it’s a special list of things excluded from the master lists because they pertain in some way to homosexuals. That seems wrong. But not as wrong as that picture of Michael Jackson on the entry page. Shudder. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-gay-considered-a-medium/88637/8 "2001-10-21T03:17:08Z")
Well, gee whiz, am I the only one depraved, or curious, or bored enough to click on “Gay” and see what it is? > **[LGBT](https://www.sfgate.com/lgbt/)** > > Your LGBT resource in the San Francisco Bay Area: gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, news, events, photos, videos, community. - SFGate > [@](#): > > **Gay & Lesbian e-Picks** > > Lambda Literary Festival > Thru Oct 21, various locations, SF > High-brow, low-brow and down-and-dirty, the Fourth Annual Lambda Literary Fest has it all. The self- … (more) > > Butchies, Tribe 8, Shelly Doty > Oct 20, Slim’s, SF > Are they are not femme? They are the Butchies. On 3, the follow-up album to Are We Not Femme and … (more) > > Virgin Queen Contest > Oct 21, Covered Wagon, SF > Drag queen wannabes have their chance to jump into the pancake powder and pumps at the Covered … (more) > > ‘Stop Kiss’ > Thru Oct 20, Actors Theatre, Santa Rosa > The Actor’s Theatre in Santa Rosa takes on Diana Son’s Obie Award-winning play about … (more) > > ‘The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe’ > Thru Oct 28, Theatre on the Square, SF > “Reality is the leading cause of stress,” says Trudy, Lily Tomlin and Jane Wagner’s endearing and enduring homeless character, … (more) > > Cathy Cade > Thru Nov 17, Photolab, Berkeley > For a trip down memory lane, visit Berkeley photographer Cathy Cade’s show "Changing the … (more) > > 'Guys ‘R Dolls’ > Every Fri & Sat, Ferryboat Santa Rosa, SF > The heels and the hair couldn’t get any higher as emcee Brian Keith brings back cast members from … (more) The sidebar. > [@](#): > > THE GUIDE > Queer SF > San Francisco’s neighborhoods through a lavender lens – North Beach, The Castro and more. > > Clubs and Bars > Cocktails and Booty-Shaking for queer folk of all predilictions, desires and bedtimes. > > Lesbian SF > A Clubbing, Eating and Shopping guide for all manner of dykes, chicks and grrls. > > Culture > Diverse diversions from Bookstores to Tattoos to Visual Arts. > > Community > From AIDS to Youth – resources for our queer community What? What? [sub]did i miss something? are we allowed to say “queer”?[/sub] paging esprix… > [@](#): > > I think the implication is “this is stuff for _those_ people”… Um, yeah, I guess so. Question is, do they mean well, or is it an elaborate inside joke, or is it an insult? ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-gay-considered-a-medium/88637/9 "2001-10-21T03:19:48Z")
oh, okay, I now see Jophiel is depraved, too. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-gay-considered-a-medium/88637/10 "2001-10-21T03:45:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Miller \* > \*\*Well, I suppose it’s small potatos in the scheme of things. Something about that just irked me. \*\* You’re making too much of it. In many urban areas “gay” nightlife (nightclubs specifically) is a very distinct category and while there is some overlap with hetero nightclubs, if a gay man or woman or transgendered person wants a place to be himself or herself a list of gay oriented establishments would probably be appreciated. In San Franciso I would imagine the categorization goes even further to gay oriented theaters, health clubs, restaurants etc. so an entertainment category designation is not out of the question and is probably appreciated by gay people looking for entertainment options where they won’t be hassled or called by on by straights to perform songs from the Pirates of Penzance, Rent or Guys and Dolls. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-gay-considered-a-medium/88637/11 "2001-10-21T04:44:49Z")
**Jophiel** : I checked for cross-postings too, and some of them are under the… What should I call it? Regular headings? Heterosexual headings? Anyway, I found a couple of the things listed under “Gay” under other headings, and I’m willing to bet they’re all there somewhere. **andros** : I actually do understand the reasoning behind having a Gay section, and seeing as it has absolutely zero impact on my life one way or t’other, I don’t actually care that it exsists. But there’s a little anal-retentive gnome deep down inside of me who saw those links and started jumping up and down yelling, “Improper filing! Poor categorization!” Since I know I’m not the only one around here with a gnome like that, I thought I’d share. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-gay-considered-a-medium/88637/12 "2001-10-21T04:47:01Z")
I think they broadcast over the frequency reserved for _gaydar_ ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-gay-considered-a-medium/88637/13 "2001-10-21T04:52:45Z")
[sup]With apology to Stephen Wright[/sup] Ever since she had a poker party using Tarot cards. She got a full house and 3 people died. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-gay-considered-a-medium/88637/14 "2001-10-21T07:01:51Z")
> [@](#): > > Jophiel: I checked for cross-postings too, and some of them are under the… What should I call it? Regular headings? Heterosexual headings? Anyway, I found a couple of the things listed under “Gay” under other headings, and I’m willing to bet they’re all there somewhere. Huh… well, never mind then. What are you bitching about? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tevya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@tevya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tevya)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-gay-considered-a-medium/88637/15 "2001-10-21T18:09:35Z")
I think some folks are misunderstanging the OP here. Unless I’m misunderstanding Miller, I beleive that he is **not** saying that there is something wrong about having a Gay section per say, only that it is out of synch with the other headings. Each of the other headings can be chosen as a specific event to experience. Gay does not fit into this classification system. I can go to a restaurant (Food), Movie, Theatre, etc. but I can hardly go to Gay. Unless there’s something I am fundementally unclear about as far as “Gay” is concerned. ---
**Author:** ![tevya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@tevya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tevya)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-gay-considered-a-medium/88637/16 "2001-10-21T18:11:37Z")
Please don’t let the grammar and spelling mistakes of my last post lead you to think I am an ignoramus: “believe” not “beleive” “per se” not “per say” Hitting preview is like putting on my seatbelt: in my rush to get where I’m going somtimes I just forget to do it. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2001, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-gay-considered-a-medium/88637/17 "2001-10-21T21:52:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jophiel \* > \*\*I think the implication is “this is stuff for _those_ people”, whether they intend it or not. \*\* No, it’s more of a listing of stuff for _us_ people. That’s the difference between San Francisco and most other cities. Here “gay” is as much the norm as anything else. It’s hard to explain if you don’t live here, but this is a city where large election billboards advertise the “queer ticket” and no one thinks anything of it. I’ve heard (San Francisco Mayor) Willie Brown trying to explain this on Politically Incorrect, and the rest of the guests had a hard time getting it. The bottom line is that this is definitely a category so that people looking for gay entertainment can find it easily, not so that others can avoid it. In the same vein, my favorite video store has a separate “gay” section, which makes it easy to find gay-themed films. My all-time favorite newspaper headline (from the San Francisco Examiner back when it was a real newspaper, and not the trash-rag it is today): “Straight White Man Appointed to Board of Supervisors”. Only in San Francisco. [sub]God I love this town![/sub] ---
**Author:** ![musicguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@musicguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/musicguy)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-gay-considered-a-medium/88637/18 "2001-10-22T00:00:54Z")
I think it is just easier to use “gay” instead of “gay-specific entertainment”, or something similar. It’s short, to the point, and not too hard for the average joe to decide “Nope, don’t think that section is for me”. Then again, what if the selections were: food, movies, black, etc… That might raise a few eyebrows. ---
**Author:** ![SFCanadian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@SFCanadian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SFCanadian)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-gay-considered-a-medium/88637/19 "2001-10-22T04:49:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Torgo \* > \*\* > ME: What do you want to do tonight, honey? > THE WIFE: Oh, I don’t know. How about Gay? > ME: Gay? > THE WIFE: Yeah. We haven’t Gayed in awhile. > ME: Great! Let’s Gay! > THE WIFE: Okay! I’ll get the kumquats! \*\* Oh I forgot, the other headings make so much sense when put that way… ``` ME: What do you want to do tonight, honey? ``` THE WIFE: Oh, I don’t know. How about Food? ME: Food? THE WIFE: Yeah. We haven’t Fooded in awhile. ME: Great! Let’s Food! ``` ME: What do you want to do tonight, honey? ``` THE WIFE: Oh, I don’t know. How about Movies? ME: Movies? THE WIFE: Yeah. We haven’t Movied in awhile. ME: Great! Let’s Movie! ``` ME: What do you want to do tonight, honey? ``` THE WIFE: Oh, I don’t know. How about Music & Nightlife? ME: Music & Nightlife? THE WIFE: Yeah. We haven’t Music & Nightlifed in awhile. ME: Great! Let’s Music & Nightlife! ME: What do you want to do tonight, honey? THE WIFE: Oh, I don’t know. How about Performance? ME: Performance? THE WIFE: Yeah. We haven’t Performanced in awhile. ME: Great! Let’s Performance! ``` ME: What do you want to do tonight, honey? ``` THE WIFE: Oh, I don’t know. How about Art? ME: Art? THE WIFE: Yeah. We haven’t Arted in awhile. ME: Great! Let’s Art! ``` ME: What do you want to do tonight, honey? ``` THE WIFE: Oh, I don’t know. How about Events? ME: Events? THE WIFE: Yeah. We haven’t Evented in awhile. ME: Great! Let’s Event! ``` ME: What do you want to do tonight, honey? ``` THE WIFE: Oh, I don’t know. How about Books? ME: Books? THE WIFE: Yeah. We haven’t Booked in awhile. ME: Great! Let’s Book! ME: What do you want to do tonight, honey? THE WIFE: Oh, I don’t know. How about TV? ME: TV? THE WIFE: Yeah. We haven’t TV’d in awhile. ME: Great! Let’s TV! ME: What do you want to do tonight, honey? THE WIFE: Oh, I don’t know. How about Radio? ME: Radio? THE WIFE: Yeah. We haven’t Radioed in awhile. ME: Great! Let’s Radio! I don’t think the original example makes much sense… SFCanadian ---
**Author:** ![black\_rabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f19dbf/32.png) [@black\_rabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/black_rabbit)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2001, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-gay-considered-a-medium/88637/20 "2001-10-22T04:50:25Z")
If I were gay, I’d definitely want to know where I could get a gay oil change. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/since-when-is-gay-considered-a-medium/88637.md?page=2)