FH Out Front Blog

Comment allez vous?

Blogs are about conversation. Ideally, we write about things that you are interested in and you offer your comments back to us. Sometimes, that’s exactly what happens.

We often ask for comments in our posts. And we try to be responsive in following up to your comments when you offer them. 

Now, at the suggestion of a reader, we’ve added a “Recent Comments” section to the blog to help highlight your comments and, hopefully, spur you to offer more. We want to engage you in an interactive conversation about gay and lesbian communications.

So, check out the “Recent Comments” links in the right hand column – right below Recent Posts and right above Q&A. 

We look forward to hearing what even more of you have to say.

Out of the Closet and On to the Cat Walk

In one of my first blogs, I came out as A Shot At Love Tila Tequila viewer. As I flipped through channels on Tuesday night, I came across what might have been the second or third episode of Tila’s second season. Though I paused before changing the channel, I did reminisce the “one who got away,” Miss Dani Campbell. Our favorite lesbian firefighter, became popular after describing herself as neither femme, nor butch. To coin this term, she launched her clothing line, Futch™ apparel, during the 2008 Dinah Shore Weekend.

As you peruse through Curve, you’ll find Dani isn’t the only one creating lesbian-specific clothing. Dyke Tee's DITC (Dykes in the City) spawned from a group of six women who shared more than an interest in women — clothing. Today, the apparel company, broadened its horizons from t-shirts to a full clothing line. Rigged Out/fitters, another queer-specific line, takes gender for a spin. The vintage-inspired line initially launched with boy-cut shirts, but now has filled their closet with shirts, tees, and accessories.

According to the Community Marketing Lesbian Consumer Index, lesbians, on average, spent $500 on clothing in the last twelve months. This mirrors the gay male respondents in the CMI index, except for younger gay males, who spend $250 more than their younger lesbian counterparts.

I must be honest, I have never been a fan of these “statement” shirts. Clothing is a personal and individual expression of who you and how you wish to project yourself. Though my personal clothing preferences lie outside the realms of Futch, DITC, and Rigged Outfit, I am very intrigued by the business and social elements of these extremely targeted products to this very niche markets. If lesbians are spending $500 on average, a year, on clothing … where are we buying our clothes? How many are buying from lesbian boutiques? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Image Courtesy of Dani Campbell Official MySpace

17, Gay, Coming Out, Homecoming King?

OK, it’s been a few years since I was in high school. Well, more than a few. Which is why I loved finding this article. A guy who is gay in high school who comes out as a high school freshman to his family and friends and who becomes homecoming king? Wow, I love how things have changed.

The Pitch, a local Kansas City avant-garde weekly, ran this article which I happened to find online! I went to goodasyou.org to investigate the gay blogger Jeremy Hooper and found his blog from May 7th too compelling. (Jeremy was highlighted in the May 6th edition of The Advocate.) The article is great; you have to check it out! It takes you from the basketball game that Matthew Pope is cheering at (he is also a senior cheerleader) through his life growing up, discovering he was gay, telling his friends and family, and finally fulfilling a dream of being nominated by his peers as Homecoming King!

I am so thrilled to see this kind social progress. I grew up in a time when even if you knew you were gay you did not talk about it, not to your friends, not to your family. I spent too many years in the closet before I finally began coming out — first to friends, finally to family. Now it seems like ancient history since now I am so comfortable with being out that I easily tell my coworkers and new friends. It is part of me. I am celebrating a 15-year anniversary this month with my partner, so that helps.

Socially we are really making big strides. It may not seem it at times, but trust me — we are miles ahead of where we were 30 years ago! How cool is it that this guy has friends around him every day in high school who know he is gay and accept him for that?

Gay Gossip Is Back

Hold the front page!! The slightly awkward, troubled, withdrawn kid complete with dyed blond hair turned out to be the gay character on Gossip Girl this week. It probably wouldn’t have even made it on to the Gossip Girl blog that is the epicenter of the show had it not been for the fact that Eric was embroiled in a secret liaison with the dashing Asher Hornsby dating his ex Jenny.

Don’t get me wrong I think it is great that a mainstream show on a major network aimed at a young audience has and was frankly expected to feature a lead character who is gay. It is hardly ground-breaking stuff. It must be almost a decade since I watched Jack on agonizing with his sexuality in the teen angst-fest of Dawson’s Creek and breaking the news to his very own Jenny, Joey Potter played by Katie Holmes.

The initial reaction of the shocked mother and sympathetic big sister again hardly broke any stereotypes. But the fact that this was such an expected development is some credit to the way TV networks have gradually introduced more and more gay characters to the extent that it is increasingly becoming the norm and certainly not newsworthy as they seek to reflect the attitudes and experiences of their audience.

It will be interesting to see how the character develops….whether he becomes more prominent, whether the show dares to take some risks by addressing some of the challenges gay teens face, whether they decide to be controversial by breaking some stereotypical views of young gay people, or whether he simply falls neatly into the role of the gay brother giving worldly advice to his older wayward sister.

I don’t think television networks have a responsibility as such to represent gay and lesbian life exactly as it is in real life on what are, let’s face it, entertainment shows. Gossip Girl is hardly an accurate representation of life in anyone’s world, even spoilt rich kids on the Upper East Side, but it would be refreshing to see the producers take a few risks in their portrayal of Eric in future episodes and seasons to come. I know there are many who have said that to stay true to the books it should have been Dan struggling with his sexuality but the show has an opportunity to explore some of the at times difficult and not necessarily flossy lives facing gay teens by picking Eric as the presumably only LGBT character on Gossip Girl for now. I don’t expect miracles but it would be good to see at least a one or two stereotypes being confronted and challenged occasionally.

In Words, Sound, Pictures

Okay,  I don’t watch “Gossip Girl” and haven’t kept up post-writer’s strike with “Brothers and Sisters.”  But as a follower of gay author Augusten Burroughs since “Running with Scissors” came out six years ago, I have been anxiously waiting to start his newest book “A Wolf at the Table.”

So, in a recent afterelton posting, it was an added surprise to come across a story about the new book and the author, complete with  embedded video of  a Logo-TV interview with Burroughs. 

It’s a great use of mixed-format posting that makes blogs such a mesmerizing form of communications.

The New Normal? Not Quite

After watching Kevin’s marriage proposal to Scotty and Saul's coming out statement to Kevin on the fantastic ABC hit show Brothers and Sisters on Sunday, you’d be forgiven for thinking “gay is the new normal.” The proposal and coming out statement, and the way the writers blended both stories into the plot as matter-of-factly as any other element, spoke volumes about the way Hollywood (or at least ABC) has begun to evolve. It was wonderful television because it was so, well, normal.

The thrill was short-lived, however. Viewers in Washington, D.C. were startled out of any pro-gay reverie they may have been experiencing by a teaser for yesterday’s 5pm newscast on the ABC affiliate that broadcasts Brothers and Sisters. The teaser promised a look at the question of whether gays and lesbians can “change” their “sexual preference.” The story, which trod the same well-worn, tired path of so many local news stories before it, used terms like “gay lifestyle” and “militant gays” to make the point that there is a “controversy” about whether or not you can “choose to be gay.”

Sigh.

One step forward, two steps back. 

The Big Gay Awards Show

I’ve been an entertainment awards show addict for as long as I can remember. When there were trophies given out to celebrities, chances are I was watching it on TV and predicting the winners of The Oscars, Tony Awards, and Emmys in a column I wrote for my high school newspaper. Now LOGO-TV has announced nominees for what might be the gayest awards show ever – The NewNowNext Awards will be hosted on Saturday, June 7 and will be broadcast on LOGO-TV as well as streamed on the NewNowNext web site.

Manhattan party promoters Cazwell and Amanda Lepore announced the nominees online this week for categories that include “Totally Most Rad Sickest Blog Ever,” and “Brink of Fame: Filmakers, Authors, and Comics.”

The breadth and diversity of the nominees jumped out at me as representative of our community as a whole. Honorees included blogs, comics, authors, musicians, politicians, Broadway shows, and actors. Our community are huge consumers of entertainment – and to capture the attention of the full gay community, LOGO-TV focused not only on one form of entertainment, but included the entire media spectrum – online and offline.

The nominees list reads like a who’s who of gay pop culture today and it’s diverse not only in category, but in race, gender, and sexuality- another symbol of our community. From gay South Asian comic, Vidur Kapur, to transgender front man of the Cliks, Lucas Silviera, to heterosexual Oscar nominee Ellen Page, LOGO-TV did an excellent job of appealing to the full gay community and not just one subsection.

An awards show is nothing without big celebrities and LOGO-TV announced that Janet Jackson will be on hand to accept the Always Next, Forever Now award. Candis Cayne, of ABC’s DirtySexyMoney will host the event and is also nominated for “Brink of Fame: Actor” and the “Cause Your Hot” award.

I’m currently mining the nominees for new books to read, blogs to click through, and movies to add to the Netflix cue – you should check out the nominees and vote for the people’s choice winners.

No word yet if Joan Rivers will be critiquing the red carpet.

More and More Platforms for Hispanic Gay and Lesbian Leaders

I am constantly working to identify Hispanic LGBT leaders. This week, a friend shared with me the Equality Forum’s Gay Icons from an NBC affiliate Web site in Chicago. Latino gay icons included were Lupe Valdez, Sheriff of Dallas County in Texas and Pedro Almodóvar, film writer and director. It is a good thing that Hispanics were listed, but bittersweet since they are two of almost 50 individuals.

This note from my friend came at a time when a reporter I know is working on a story to profile lesbian moms, preferably, Latinas. This offset my brief disappointment in the list results because opportunities to showcase Latino LGBT leaders are coming around more often than not. LGBT Hispanics becoming more visible from being named on top-50 lists to being featured simply in a local newspaper.

Leaders are also born through a more strategic, yet passionate, way, such as political marches and demonstrations. A march took place yesterday throughout the country in support of immigration rights. Certain locations such as Chicago, counted with an LGBT contingency march supported by GLAAD, which creates another platform to highlight Latino LGBT leaders.

You may be wondering why I am such a stickler to this topic if we are all lesbian and gay, then we are all one in the same. I know we, as an LGBT community, are faced with some of the same issues at large, however, culture can be so much more defining. Not just in the sense of self, but it defines so many of our choices, from brand loyalty (as Hispanics are of the most brand loyal customers, combine that with the LGBT brand loyalty tendencies and you’ve nearly got a marriage) to family profiles and spending decisions. Having the right leaders will only strengthen an already passionate community by providing something extremely valuable to relate to.

How The Heads Turn

Amid all the fuss about the lack of public, or private, displays of affection by Noah and Luke on CBS show How The World Turns which finally ended with their second kiss on April 23 (I gather the “kiss counter” has been retired), ABC News decided last week to test the reactions of the public to real gay people kissing.

The network asked two couples, Kaolin and James, and Ashby and Leslie, to sit on park benches in Verona, N.J., and then in Birmingham, Ala., to see if there were any differences in reaction among passersby in the two regions of the country. 

This was a repeat of a similar experiment by the news organization two years ago and was designed to test whether public attitudes had changed.

This may not directly relate to gay and lesbian communications but it has everything to do with visibility and openness. The more comfortable gay and lesbian people feel about acting naturally in public, the less fuss and drama there will be about seeing people being affectionate on the big screen, on television and in magazines whether it’s Madonna and Britney or Noah and Luke. The news report says it was triggered by a desire to see whether the PDAs that we increasingly see on screen, and are increasingly accepted on mainstream shows, are similarly accepted in daily life.

While more people feel comfortable about being “out” to their friends, families, and in the workplace, PDAs between gay people are still relatively rare to see even in big cities in my experience. I think many of us struggle with it when we have a boyfriend or partner. I know I have. You want to be natural, and generally I am affectionate in that situation (although I don’t make a habit of making out on park benches), but at the same time part of you wonders whether it’s worth it if there’s a chance you may receive abuse. On the admittedly rare occasions I have received homophobic remarks from a stranger (they are invariably cowardly from a moving vehicle) I shrug it off but it still hurts inside however much you might like to pretend that it doesn’t and it shouldn’t.

That’s why I think this is actually an important and interesting experiment. What’s the point of having gay visibility in the media if we can’t have it in reality?! It would be fascinating to see a wider experiment in different areas of the States and around the world.

Interestingly the reactions in both towns were generally positive but not universally accepting. Amusingly (in the sense of it being so ridiculous) one person in Birmingham did call 911 to report the “incident” and shockingly the police did respond with an officer asking the couple to refrain from doing something totally legal, but otherwise the reaction was not too dramatic and was not too much different in the different places.

Check out the ABC News site for the full story and the reactions of folks in New Jersey and Alabama and watch the video of the news report here.

Download abc_news.flv

New Face of Olivia

Olivia is expanding its market reach with the signing of The L Word star Leisha Hailey as the company’s new spokesperson this week.  It’s part of Olivia’s marketing strategy to continue to serve its traditional customer base with Olivia travelers while also creating a brand image and travel portfolio that extends the company’s reach to the just-as-brand-loyal under-35 lesbian consumer too.

This announcement follows on the heels of Olivia announcing the launch of "Olivia Flings," extended weekend packages to complement the existing Olivia portfolio of cruises and international on-land excursions.

Yes, Olivia is one of our clients.  We still want to showcase smart LGBT marketing and communications wherever and whenever it happens.  Olivia is going after its new market without abandoning its core traveler, some of whom have taken more than 20 trips with Olivia over the years.

This also is smart business as Olivia is providing the “Olivia experience” and engaging young professionals who someday will have not only the funds but also the time to take part in one of its 10-day trips.  As they say in the industry, it's all about relationships.