In case you’ve somehow missed it, here’s the video of football player Michael Sam finding out
that he’s been drafted by the St. Louis Rams, and then kissing his boyfriend. The couple
then happily shove cake into each others’ faces.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvY7KNLz0f4
This is a wonderfully historic moment, for the following reasons:
1. Sam is not only openly but triumphantly gay.
2. It’s really romantic.
3. It’s sexy – as many people have pointed out, Sam’s boyfriend, Vito Cammisano, is also an
athlete – he’s a swimmer, so their relationship pretty much counts as gay porn.
4. It’s a moment that has mesmerized so many gay men with absolutely no interest in
football, like me.
5. It’s a step forward without violence, which in terms of any civil rights movement,
is rare.
6. Because Sam is getting the good news over the phone, it’s like a scene from a movie
in which an actor or actress finds out that they’ve either landed the lead in an upcoming
project, or been nominated for an Oscar.
7. Because of this video, everyone, now and in the future, can share in this moment
of victory.
8. It’s a joyous and unguarded moment, moving from suspense through tears to celebration.
9. As many folks have also pointed out, this video is likely to upset bigots everywhere,
but then again, what doesn’t? It’s also a nice rebuke to those fundamentalist, viciously
homophobic twins, who’ve just had their house flipping show cancelled by HGTV. The twins
and their followers have of course framed this as a free speech issue, and after
referring to gay people as demons, the twins now claim to love everyone. Since when
does the Bill of Rights guarantee every American their own HGTV show?
Last night I watched an episode of Property Brothers, a different HGTV show,
where the Scott twins, who seem perfectly nice, renovated a fixer-upper for a gay
male couple. One of the gay guys kept coming up with more and more ideas, as the
house “spoke” to him. These ideas continued to destroy the budget and time frame for
the renovation. The twins, and the other, more sane, member of the couple were barely
controlling their urges to strangle the “creative” gay guy.
I’ve always felt that true equality demands an equal measure of gay
gossip, gay home rehab shows and gay celebrity
romance. That’s why couples like Michael and Vito, Ellen and Portia,
and Neal Patrick Harris and David Burtka have changed the social landscape,
and more power to them.
Also, instead of trying to pinpoint the precise “cause” of homosexuality,
shouldn’t scientists be trying to figure out why so many sets of twins
go into real estate?
