the gay

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.

Why? Because I'm the performing and visual arts editor, that's why.

1. New museum in Denver. Opening soon, with an emphasis on the kiddies (who will, of course, grow up to become donors! Big donors! Let the private school kids in first!).

2. Oscar winners likely to be depressing. This is news?

3. Holy crap. Best. Sale. Ever.

4. Heads up, homophobic Singapore! Gandalf is after you. Hint: Change your ways. You know what happened to the Balrog, right?

5. Am I just weird? Also, if I read 300 books a year (say), how much does that mess with the average?

That reminds me, I went to see Stardust last night, and it was super. Don't miss it. Especially if you were a fan of Princess Bride.

The Unshelved strip today somehow seems apropos.

Shortish because paper goes to press today. But packed with info!

1. Stealin' our postal service? The Nation sends out an alert about yet another corporate conspiracy. (Occurs to me that this might affect every small newspaper as well. Hmmmmm.)

2. If you bike occasionally and you live in PDX, The Oregonian might call you a timid biker. And you might get followed in a study, too. Fun!

3. Think the Mafia is all fun and games? Think again.

4. The Gay in sports: Books, websites and HOTT photos of rugby players kissing.

5. More rats leaving the ship: Little Denny Hastert gets out of Congress. (At least $2 million richer than he went in, of course.)

6. Time to make the oceans work for us, baby. Harnessing the power of the waves ... and not just to surf.

7. The world is going to hell in a handbasket. Museums now encourage cellphone use inside. (Me, personally? I approve. But it will be a cold day in that handbasket before any area art museums get on the ball.)

8. Poisoning our kids, part II. This time, it's AMERICAN companies to blame.

9. Another blow against the Boy Scouts of America: Them Native Amurrican spiritualities don't count in Scouting. (Yet.)

10. The Stranger's Erica Barnett writes for other places? Yes, about carsharing, and with a PDX photo in there to boot!

BONUS: Best British headline in U.S. newspaper Award goes to the L.A. Times for "Have consumers gone wobbly?" (As long as they don't fall down ... )