The gay man that I was in 2011 saw the queens as caricatures. The gay man that I am in 2017 sees the queens as ambassadors, champions, comedians, artists, and survivors.
That was just one of the many profound statements by ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Made Me A Better Gay Man' piece shared on Decider.com.
Coming out is a process. There are phases to it. It’s hard. When I first heard RuPaul utter her immortal catch phrase — “If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?” — I’d only been out for six years. So many gay men say they’ve always known. Not me. My conservative Christian upbringing in Tennessee placed a pretty thick blindfold over my internal perception.
I think what Brett shares about his past and his upbringing truly resonates with many of us. But it is also what he has to say about his emotions and how he felt about other gay men that are probably the most powerful statements he makes. Unfortunately it was true and IS true for many of us still.
Homophobia — it’s not just for straight people! I spent the first five years of my coming out process convinced that being gay made me immune to hating gays. Real talk: any time a gay man says “I’m not like those gays,” they still got some stuff to work through. I grew up in the South, where performative masculinity is an Olympic sport and everyone is a judge. Any form of femininity, no matter how slight, earns you deductions.
It was fun reading Brett's piece, seeing him grow into his own gay skin along side the grow of RPDR.
I checked back in with Drag Race in the fall of 2016 after learning about Dax Exclamationpoint, a queen seemingly as obsessed with the X-Men as I am. I mean, I’ve pulled off an expert Banshee cosplay before, but I could never rock the full-on punk Storm look like Dax. With Drag Race on Hulu and my gay pride at a high, I figured I’d give the show another go.
The entire piece, ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Made Me A Better Gay Man,' is a great read. Head over to Decider.com to read the whole piece. Brett, thank you for sharing your growth as a gay man. I think you have shared a good process for others to follow. Maybe some of us need to learn from your example and grow more as an LGBTer. And congrats on the wedding. We really liked your idea for decorations.
In closing, Brett said it so well.
“If you can’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?” Now I love myself, and I love Drag Race.
What show has made you a better gay?
What piece of entertainment was there for your coming out and growing up LGBT?
h/t: Decider.com