for years the media has been throw- ing around the idea that America is


entering a “post-racial” era, where issues of race have become a non-issue. This is


a step beyond the concept of equal rights, to the point where race isn’t even a concern and where we stopped talking about equal rights, as the discussion turned toward HUMAN rights


and began to be truly color-blind. Oh sure, there will always be a few wing nuts out there.


Racist throwbacks to a bygone era, but in the end it is simply a war of attrition as the older generations die off. My grandfather used the “n” word constantly, but after my parents went to their first parent-teacher conference with my fourth grade teacher, Mrs. Taylor, the first thing they asked each other was “did you know she was black?” Apparently I never thought it was worth mentioning, which they thought was very cool. This concept of a post-racial America got an enormous


amount of press with the election of our current presi- dent, which definitely was an amazing milestone, but we’ve been moving in that direction for years. A major milestone in the 1980s was The Cosby Show. For the first time the #1 show in America was about a black family, and none of the characters were bad stereotypes. The dad was a doctor, the mother was an incredibly hot lawyer and none of the kids were gang members. The question is: could we similarly be on the verge of


entering a post-gay era? The Urban Dictionary defines post-gay as: “The notion that homosexuals should be able to define their identities by something other than sexual preference.” As is the case in the shift toward a post-racial world, the


move toward a post-gay society is largely a generational one. Older LGBT folks continue in established patterns, socializing largely in gay venues with other LGBT folks. Although, to be fair, it should be pointed out that their generation was less gay friendly, so it is only natural that they might have a more difficult time being out among their peer groups. The younger generations on the other hand have


grown up in a world where they have been exposed to plenty of LGBT characters, actors, and heroes in the media. Will & Grace was a hit show for years, Neil Patrick Harris is an out gay man currently starring on a hit show as a womanizing man-whore, and even on Fox News you can see coverage of the debate surrounding our heroes in uniform who have been fighting for the right to serve their country. A 2009 USA TODAY article on the subject discussed


psychologist Braden Berkey’s assertion that the youth of today are less concerned about the issue of sexual orien- tation. According to Berkey, today’s youth are abandon- ing the terms “lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender” for less narrow gender definitions such as polygender, polyamorous and multisex because they don’t want to be defined by their sexuality.


Oh sure, the term “that’s so gay” is still alive and kicking


among school-aged kids, but conservative gay blogger Andrew Sullivan points to an episode of True TV’s The Principal’s Office as evidence that even there, attitudes are changing. In the episode in question two boys are called into the principal’s office to talk about the “grind- ing” or dirty dancing (between boys and girls) that took place at a recent school dance. The principal tried to give the kids a vague explanation of a line being crossed but the two boys, Logan and Brandon, would have none of that and proceed to simulate intimacy between them- selves as they show the ridiculousness of the rules. The clip is hilarious, go to YouTube and search for “the


principal’s office dirty dancing” and watch it for yourself. The most amazing thing about the video though isn’t that their busting the principal’s balls, but the fact that they are so blasé about pretending to be affectionate toward each other while challenging the vague rules that are trying to be enforced. Michael Jones, writing for change.org also makes the case that society is moving toward a post-gay future. The pace may be glacial at times but it is taking place. Jones points out the increasing number of Republicans embracing same-sex marriage, the increasing number of schools embracing the “Day of Silence” campaign and the recent fact that one of the leaders of the so-called “Christian right” recently admitted defeat. James Dobson, leader of the homophobic Focus on


the Family organization, in a 2009 speech admitted that the conservatives had lost the culture wars. It would be kind of sad if it weren’t so funny and if the taste of their defeat weren’t so stupendously delicious. This isn’t to say that we haven’t experienced some setbacks along the way. California’s passage of Prop. 8 was a stinging reminder that we still have hurdles to overcome, but even in that defeat we can take heart in the fact that it was by such a narrow margin. Only 10 years earlier, it would have been almost unthinkable that nearly half of the state would support same-sex mar- riage. Also, while many people in the community have been focused on the importance of same-sex marriage, it could be argued that we are overlooking the impact of overturning Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell. Before Obama, The Cosby Show and even Brown vs. the Board of Educa- tion, President Harry Truman desegregated the armed services in 1948. The importance of this action on later events can’t be overlooked. As a result, white and black people were forced to work together and see each other as equals. Now that openly gay service members will be allowed to serve, it will lead to a new wave of people returning to their hometowns with a new outlook that will only help our transition to a post-gay society. Another eventual result of society’s integration into a


post-gay era may be the eventual disappearance of the “gayborhoods” in many large cities. Boston’s NPR station recently discussed whether the city had entered the post gay world. WBUR’s Adam Ragusea pointed out that


FEBRUARY 2011 | RAGE monthly 53


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