The Gay: Just So Over?

British playwright Mark Ravenhill (apparently of Shopping and Fucking fame — why haven't I seen this play? ... Oh, wait, it's about gay men fucking and consumerism running amok. I don't really participate in either one, at least not as an adult.) wrote a blog post for The Guardian's TV blog about how he couldn't write gay characters anymore.

Here's the dumbest part ever:
I'm happy never to write another gay character again. It feels as though every aspect of the gay experience has been narrated, performed and picked over in the past 30 years.

WHAT, NOW?!

Here's one of the comments:
You're seriously trying to say that after thousands of years there's still no shortage of stories to tell about straight characters and relationships, while thirty years are enough to say everything worth saying about gay characters and relationships?

What he said.

But also, one commenter wrote, I strongly suspect you're doing the usual thing of equating 'queer' to 'male homosexual'. ... Please spare us from the male-only monoculture, whatever sort of people you're writing.

What she said.

As a matter of fact, I'm now on the prowl for any good lesbian plays at all. (Diana Son's Stop Kiss excluded.)

I know I'll be going "D'oh" as soon as I post this, but still. Without trying, I can think of at least 15 plays about gay men, but with trying, I've only come up with two plays about lesbians. And one of them, to quote a local person, should never be performed again.

I'm thinking this shows a tiny bit of sexism in the theater community. That means straight, gay or bi, men and women in the theater community need to encourage more plays by and about lesbians. Oh hey, that can include me, since I'm a media powerhouse and all. (I mean, I'm not, but what little power I have, I should use to help lesbians take over the country, right work for the betterment of all humanity, right?)

So, Mark Ravenhill, I really don't care if you stop writing about gay men as long as you write about or mentor people writing about lesbians.

Comment or e-me (suzi at eugeneweekly dot com) if you have some thoughts.