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WHAT’S IN A WORD?
First of all, a little precursor – I’ve been feeling slightly snippy this week and the vagaries of life have been ruffling my feathers more than usual, so bear with me.
Now this may have been just a careless, innocent misfire, but it almost drove me to motion to the heavens in bewildered desperation like a Yiddish mime. Not sure who or what I would have been motioning to, but that’s by the by.
An online journalist, who will remain anonymous, was reporting on the imminent re-opening of the Newtown Hotel. Allow me to quote: ‘The venue will be re-opening for business, but will it be gay? That still remains to be seen’.
Pardon? ‘But will it be gay?’ What does that even mean?! I’m not being facetious; I’m just genuinely not sure. It’s the same venue, and if the same people return to populate it, would the positioning of a rainbow flag in the window or an official ‘gay’ tag make any substantive difference? If the answer is ‘yes’, I fear we’re in grave trouble.
But there is one thing I know for sure – we marginalise ourselves just as much as any legal system.
NAKED AMBITION
I heard this on the grapevine last week … It appears some corporate folk in the city could no longer tolerate the exhibitionism of a man who lives in an apartment building across the street from their offices.
The man apparently has a penchant for strutting around on his balcony in the raw, occasionally hiking his leg up on the balustrade to engage in yoga-like stretches.
Anyway, the prudish corporate folk, desperate to once again be able to open the blinds in their board room, reported the innocent nudist to the police. I’m not exactly sure what came of that, but apparently naked man no more!
And it got me thinking – what a sad indictment this little anecdote is on our society – or more specifically, the way we have constructed what is acceptable and decent. If the man was engaging in full-blown BDSM sex acts on his balcony, I could perhaps begin to sympathise with the concern of the corporate folk in question.
But it was just a naked human body on a balcony. What sort of society are we living in if that’s construed as obscene or somehow indecent. I don’t care if kids could see him – it’s just a naked body! We all have one.
As I discussed last week, we’re pretty fucked up when parents would prefer to sit their kids in front of a video game that depicts graphically severed human heads as opposed to one that depicts heterosexual sex or two guys kissing.
What are we doing?!
DADDY LOVE
On a lighter note, on Monday morning I had the pleasure of sharing a train carriage with a very aesthetically-pleasing gentlemen.
But then it struck me – he seemed more attractive than he perhaps ordinarily would because he had on his lap an adorable baby boy.
Now I can enjoy kids – but I’m not particularly paternal and I'm certainly not yet consumed by a desire to have kids of my own. Then again, I’m only 24.
But why does a man’s allure exponentially increase in my eyes when he is carrying, wheeling and/or generally doting after a child? Is it because such a situation amplifies traits I find desirable anyway? I’m not sure – one of life’s mysteries …
LIKE YOU MEAN IT
If you’re a So You Think You Can Dance fan like me, you would have watched Jack and Rhys, along with Demi and Kate, dance together as a pair for the first time on Sunday night.
Now while it is of course not surprising that Channel 10 would treat such same-sex boogying very conservatively, I was slightly horrified that both routines were utterly de-sexualised.
Demi and Kate were both dressed as men for a start, and any Sapphic inclinations were well and truly quashed. As my wonderful friend and colleague Katrina Fox offered, “it was like pouring cold water on your throbbing, engorged clitoris”.
And as for Jack and Rhys’ routine, well they weren’t allowed to lay one finger on each other! Wouldn’t it have been fantastic to watch them execute the crop-and-chains burlesque number Graeme and Rhiannon squandered so completely a few weeks back? Wishful thinking, I suppose.
GO SEE
A couple of humble recommendations to finish. I attended the premiere of the new Australian film Cactus last night. Wonderfully shot, gripping script and great acting – in cinemas May 1. Make sure you catch it.
Secondly, the latest B Sharp production, Ruben Guthrie, is downstairs at Belvoir Street Theatre until May 11. Lead Toby Schmitz (pictured) is fantastic. Bookings on 9699 3444 or belvoir.com.au.
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