A Rainbow of Culture: Part 2

While Christian Siriano and "hot tranny mess" might be many peoples' first words association with gay men, the popular classification has evolved significantly since the days of Jack's diva attacks on "Will and Grace". Even lesbians, a topic Hollywood has found somewhat harder to tackle, have gained widespread representation on shows like "The 'L' Word" and (my favorite) "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". A recent revelation in the Season 8 comic books of the series even revealed to us that The Slayer herself was open to a little bisexual lovemaking. Arguably one of the most influential gay figures today is gossip blogger, Perez Hilton. Both Latino (real name: Mario Lavanderia) and gay, 'P-Nasty' has shown time and time again his power across several realms of the entertainment sphere- most notably in fashion and music. By one promotion on his blog alone, a young artist can sour to the top of the itunes charts within mere minutes. Hopefully Perez will take enough of an interest in the new Sean Penn-headed biopic, "Milk" following the life of California politician, Harvey Milk, to help it fulfill its quote for most buzzed about movie of the Oscar season.

While widespread stereotypes still remain on the gay community, many out celebrities have taken advantage of one of the more prevalent associations; which is that gays love to have fun. Indeed, some of the most juicy commentary on our society today has been coming from LGBT stars. It makes the average straight guy feel like a gray crayon when he is suddenly confronted with a shimmering prism of the gay culture. While the community is still serious on its battle for civil rights and unions, they've brought sparkle and rhinestones into our country in the midst of the years in which they've been needed most. With national pride at the lowest its been in decades, it seems that many Americans could stand to take a page from the men and women who can still find time to fight for love, hope for the future and look absolutely fabulous while doing so.