Richard Move (here, in his signature role as Martha Graham) was one of the well-known
luminaries at a panel discussion where they threw around ideas about of much
their gayness may have contributed to, or informed, their art.
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By Rachel Kramer Bussel
Friday, June 25, 2004
On June 21, MILK Gallery was home to some of the city’s most prominent
gay artists for a discussion on “The Importance of Being Out: A Celebration
of the Gay Artist,” produced by the Art of Creation and benefiting the
Hetrick-Martin Institute.
Maer Roshan, the out-gay editor of the new magazine Radar and a former editor
at New York magazine, led the panel, which included B.D. Wong, Chi Chi Valenti,
Doug Wright, Richard Move, Bob Morris, Sarah Schulman, Simon Doonan, Larry
Kramer, and Lea Delaria, who shared their perspectives on the intersection
of their craft and their sexuality.
Some of the more outrageous personalities presented rainbow-flag-waving sound
bites that got big laughs. Barney’s window dresser Doonan declared, “I’m
not waiting for a bunch of turds in the Midwest to approve of me.”
If the night was long on laughs and insider congratulatory cheer, it was short
on actual insights into the impact being out has had on these artists.
Roshan recounted that when he put together the first “gay issue” of
New York magazine, the majority of the proposed cover models refused to be
publicly identified as queer, something that has greatly shifted in the past
decade.
But does one need an outsider status to create brilliant art? Many panelists
seemed to think so.
Crowd favorite Larry Kramer identified anger and AIDS as primary motivators
of his work, while others mainly identified feeling like an outsider as the
impetus for their creativity. Much of the conversation veered towards personal
inspiration rather than political or cultural impact.
As Kramer noted, “The greatest gift is not giving a shit what anyone
thinks of you.” While these sentiments held an empowering note, they
overshadowed what could have been a more compelling debate.
Speaking to a room filled with queer people during Pride week, was the emphasis
on the “gay is better” theme enlightening? While the panel was
billed as a “celebration,” the audience was presumably seeking
something more nuanced than a debate of whether gay people are inherently better
or more creative than straight people — a rather pointless and incalculable
equation.
Jackie 60 founder Chi Chi Valenti, the only non-self-identified gay person
on the panel, brought her perspective on underground and nightlife culture.
Valenti pointed out that many young club kids now vie for wearing the coolest
labels, rather than showcasing their own creativity.
Doonan backed up his gay-superiority argument by looking at how being queer
imbued him with a necessary outsider status that allowed him to dream outside
of his class status.
He also pointed to the gay artist’s isolation as a way to get out of
small towns and pursue larger artistic, creative dreams.
Bob Morris praised the New York Times Style section, where he contributes
a regular column, “The Age of Dissonance,” for allowing him the
freedom to question gay marriage on its pages. He was but one of many who challenged
the current path towards assimilation, proclaiming that “being gay and
single is going to be the new smoking,” as queers rush to get married.
Much of the discussion unfortunately devolved into the seemingly age-old nature
vs. nurture debate, which didn’t provide as useful a platform to showcase
the range of experiences and depth of intelligence displayed by the panel.
THE OVERWHELMING SENSE OF being gay superiority was affirmed in a quote by
Kramer and seconded by many of the panelists, but the assimilation question
split the panel, with Schulman taking umbrage at the very notion that “tolerance” should
be an acceptable goal.
While every panelist has enjoyed popular applause and success in decidedly
straight arenas, most were hesitant to support a full-fledged merging between
the gay and straight worlds. Instead, they preferred separating the unique
parts of gay artistry and life while also working in decidedly mainstream arenas.
“I hate how we talk about how we’re just like everyone else,” bemoaned
Delaria. Yet the very notion that “gay is better” supports the
vision of a homogenous queer community: We may not be like everyone else, but
are we exactly like each other? One look at the panelists would prove that
notion totally untrue.
While the mix of voices was illuminating, Roshan could have done a better
job of reigning in the discussion and imbuing it with a broader scope. A room
filled with this caliber of artists should have produced greater insights into
the nature of art and creativity, rather than rehashing tiresome debates about
gay pride.
The theme is worthy of exploration at another date and venue.
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