Straight Christian Author Pretends to be Gay for New Book

[Visionoyahweh]

The not having sexual/romantic relationships is really the worst part, since that's ALL being gay is. Not that I'd want him to have gay sex or anything, but it's still all just affectation without it.

It's like going to a restaurant, eating nothing, then writing a review of the cuisine.

[ElphabaGalinda]

The not having sexual/romantic relationships is really the worst part, since that's ALL being gay is. Not that I'd want him to have gay sex or anything, but it's still all just affectation without it.

It's like going to a restaurant, eating nothing, then writing a review of the cuisine.

Exactly. Romantic/sexual relationships or attractions to members of the same sex is the only requirement of being gay. He didn't need to change his jobs or his hobbies, and he shouldn't have.

[Patsy]

I find this author's idea rather dickish. "I think I'll pretend to be gay so I can write a book about it that ends up defending my position of white, male, hetero privilege!" There is no way he can understand what it's like to be gay- since all along he knew he could have his prized position back the moment he came back out of the closet and said, "Psych! Just kidding! Won't this make an awesome book?"

I can't find the link, but I remember an empathy exercise for men from a blog, somewhere: You're a guy. Go to a skeevy gay bar. All the men, looking at you, sizing you up, you know exactly what they think of you, what they're thinking about doing with you, what terms they see you on. You get suggestive comments, maybe even leud ones; people flirt with you, maybe even touch you. Now, look over there: that's the exit sign.

I'm not interested in reading the book. I already get enough perspective from straight people with small lives.

I see it as sort of class tourism. At least Roose wasn't abdanoning privilege to join a group that has been suppressed.

Slumming it? Apparently it was quite popular in '20s New York to go slumming in the gay neighbourhoods, going to the gay shows.

[Sola]

The whole thing seems off to me as well. He might have had good intentions, but there was also the motive of the book and the publicity/money from it.

Also, he might be able to talk about how he perceives himself as being treated when people assumed he is gay, but it seems like he'd miss a lot of the stuff people who are really gay would experience - figuring out their sexuality if they are unsure or pressured to be straight, worrying about when to come out and who to, etc. Also, just knowing it was a project in he was gonna be all "lol, jk" in a year is totally different than someone who is going to be gay their entire life doesn't have that trump card to pull if/when family or friends are not accepting. It just seems wrong in ways I don't really know how to put into words.

Also, there are gay Christians out there speaking out and sharing their actual life experiences, and it seems like a stunt like this could detract from that. I could totally see people going to this guy for answers instead of bothering to read or talk to actual gay Christians about their own experiences, and that's screwed up because it's just another way of silencing a minority group and letting some dude from the majority claim to speak for them.

I'm not so sure. There are Christians out there, fundies, who would choose to ignore and try to discredit anything a gay Christian would say, simply because of the 'gay' bit. These people refuse to accept that the gay christian is actually a True Christian™ therefore anything the gay Christian says is to be disregarded. How many fundies are convinced that all gay people, Christian or otherwise, lead a life a debauchery, 'sin' and perversion? Look at Zsu Zsu for instance, she spouts hate like nobody else, to her all gays are evil child abusers. Try telling her that there are committed, loving, gay couples who lead ordinary lives and she denies this and says they are all perverts who want to rape her sons. However here is one of their own, a fundie if you like, who is speaking out due to his personal 'experiences'. Here is one who used to think like them, be like them, hate like them but now he is saying that viewpoint, that prejudice is wrong. It may lead to some of them thinking about how they are and changing their viewpoints. I'll reserve judgement until I read the book, and I would really like to read it, but if the books reduces some of the hate then that is a good thing. Although I seriously doubt that any book would ever change Zsu Zsu's opinions.

[alba]

:clap: I very rarely bite and would much prefer to be asked then for people to take the word of someone who's just pretending and will profit financially .

I'd probably be more inclined towards him if he had announced he was donating all the proceeds to an LGBTQ charity.

I'm kind of on the fence about the general idea behind this. On the one hand, there's the fact that someone's coming from a place of privilege and play-acting at being a minority (not to mention exploiting said minority group), and it's very like those upper-middle-class "Gap yahs" where teenagers go off to Burma or India for a year to "find themselves". On the other, I think many bigots are more inclined to listen to someone from their own group than a member of the group against which they are bigoted, so perhaps if other fundies read the book some good will come of it.

That said, the whole "living the gay lifestyle" thing really doesn't sit well with me, because it's artificial and perpetuates stereotypes.