Lady Gaga and the Gay Anthem

When Lady Gaga's latest single Born this Way was released it was billed as a new gay anthem.

And I was quite excited eh?

Because "Over the Rainbow," By Saint Judy Garland of the Homosexuals, is getting a bit dated. And Gloria Gaynor's "I Will Survive" has always made me feel like killing myself.

But sadly it isn't our new anthem. Lady Gaga said she wrote it in ten minutes. And it shows.

In fact, some gay people really HATE it.

That noise you hear? It isn't nearby construction or birds cawwing. Its not the rumbling of a train or even the low roar of the ocean. It's not an American Eagle-clad youth screaming "Whoo!" in your ear at a megadisco.

That noise is one million gay men simultaneously vomiting up the kool-aid of arbitrarily prescribed cultural icons. And I don't know why it took so long.

I do believe in culture as politics. But Lady Gaga is not culture.

But what does that gay snoot think it is? Opera? Why shouldn't gay people love an artist who supports their causes and includes them in her songs?

It's title and its spirit, are drawn from the first openly gay song ever recorded.

"I'm walking through life in nature's disguise/ You laugh at me and you criticise/ Just because I'm happy, I'm carefree and I'm gay/ Yes I'm gay/ Tain't a fault tis a fact/ I was born this way."

And you can't argue with success.

So why is this happening? Oh probably because there are a lot of young people out there who are tired of being bullied, called too fat or too skinny, or too shy or too gentle, or too black, or too ugly, or too gay, or whatever.

And are enjoying the chance to shout out : I WAS BORN THIS WAY !!!!!!

And that's good enough for me.  

Besides, I play it when I walk the dog, and he LOVES dancing down the street with me.

Look, I wish our gay anthem was more like "Street Fighting Man" or "Rock the Casbah" by the Clash, or "Rebellion" by Arcade Fire.  

But while I wait for it, snoots please get a life...or stick to opera eh? 

Down with the bullies. We wuz born this way. 

Viva Lady Gaga...



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