I found this while browsing the Post-Gazette website.  Since the writer LA Johnson does A LOT of homosexual themed stories, I am presuming that the Post-Gazette was being clumsy by using "spouses" instead of "partners"    I could be wrong but hey -- let's give it a shot anyway .... all you homo spouses who fit this bill, give 'em a call.

Seeking Your Help: Spouses and friends

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Do you and your spouse have mostly couples as friends or do you and your spouse have separate, individual friends? Has it changed over time? What works well for you? What are some of the pitfalls? If you're interested in discussing this topic for a future story, contact L.A. Johnson at Ljohnson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-3903. Be sure to leave your name and day-time phone number.

Aside from the myriad of letters disputing the PG's review of An Inconvenient Truth and those from the stalwart "Great Americans" defending the Cheesesteak Bigot, a few homosexual themed letters appear ...

First, Martha Perego of Oakland wants to give us homos our very own second class status word or term to describe our unions.  Her rational? No one objects to the usage of fraternity or sorority.  No one?  Huh.  Cause I do.  Of course, I'm more concerned about the elitism, snobbery, hazing, alcohol poisoning, date raping, exclusivity ...oh and that "frat boy" mentality that pervades adult life like stink on a dog. 

Bless her two-tiered little heart, she's willing to permit us the same social and financial benefits.  I'm not sure Martha has been reading up on all the latest homo-hitchin' up news b/c what she's describing is called a civil union.  And our good friends over at the AFA of PA are onto that approach. 

Next up is Bob Poropatich of Stanton Heights writing in response to the Post-Gazette's critique of the Pride Theate Festival.  (This is the prancing queens part of the post).  Bob takes affront at the PG's implication that the festival is too straight and minus the prancing queens.  He compares the lack of drag queens and lisping homos to Fiddler on the Roof:

To match her ignorance one could say that if you go to see "Fiddler on the Roof," you won't see any jewelers, lawyers or Park Avenue doctors either.

This is what the Post-Gazette actually said:

But for a festival that purportedly spotlights GLBT themes, the plays are pretty, well, straight. You'd think there might be a few theatrical conventions challenged, but there aren't, and bisexual and transsexual/gender characters are conspicuously absent.

I didn't attend the festival so I cannot comment.  But the lack of bisexual and transgendered characters is a common motif in most mainstream gay events, organizations, issues, causes, etc.  And the further we strive to demonstrate how normal we are (not necessarily a bad thing) the more likely we are to turn our backs on those who don't fit in quite so easily.  The Post-Gazette may have picked up on that. 

The trick, Bob, is that we get caught up in normalizing our community to a heterosexual ideal.  Perhaps we should focus our time, talent and art on how HUMAN we are regardless of where we fall in the alphabet soup acronyms.