blogger profile

Margaret Pilarski

editorial assistant

i'm a feminist, and if you're reading this then you are too, you just might not know it yet. i like to eat cheese and travel, but i'm usually broke and/or spending my money on shoes and cocktail rings. i love dogs, rain, and driving offensively (and putting the last comma in a listed series). i'm se...

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but...my friend's brother's girlfriend's friend is gay!

i’ve got a beef. i know we’re all stuck in our own little computer worlds with our frozen dinners and cable tv, but could we just STOP pretending like we know it all?

i am so guilty of pretending that i know it all (in fact, some may argue that this blog entry is evidence for that...) but in the face of criticism that one is not culturally sensitive enough, what kills me is the old “yeah, but my sister is gay!” “i totally have a black friend!” and “i love eating at mexican restaurants!”

here’s what i have to say: get over yourself.

this serious blog entry was brought on by some celeb fluff: linday lohan criticizes lapd chief for “gay” remark. basically what happened was that the lapd chief said that paparazzi weren’t a problem because:

“If you notice, since Britney started wearing clothes and behaving; Paris is out of town not bothering anybody anymore, thank God, and evidently, Lindsay Lohan has gone gay, we don't seem to have much of an issue."

uh huh. lindsay lohan has “gone gay.” aside from the fact that 1) yes, people are speculating on her relationship with friend samantha ronson and 2) it’s none of anyone’s business – no one in their right mind says that someone has “gone gay.” it’s like saying that you “turned” someone gay. it’s like hanging out a red “i’m stupid” flag.

sure, there are lots of stupid people out there, but the way we speak about people and complex things matter. that’s why “men working” signs matter, that’s why “mailman” vs “mailperson” matter, that’s why saying someone has “gone gay” matters. you don’t turn gay like you turn into a brunette, or like you turn into a new yorker, or like you turn into a good dancer. gay is not a state of mind and we demean people by using language that lacks emotional and social intelligence. just educate yourself! ask before speaking!

what got to me was that the chief excused his neanderthal slip with the classic, sooo gay-sensitive, ‘i wasn’t being rude because my sister is gay and i support of gay rights.’ so he can say that gay people are secretly rainbow-colored under their clothes and dance all night to gwen stefani? i guess so. he can say whatever he wants because he is an expert. he’s a freaking gay genius.

get over yourself and get an education, dude.