Serendipity
By Joanne Marie Combong–Pijuan

Gay Power

I’m sorry, but move over girls, gay power is taking over. Even before the popularity of the Fab Five, gay men have been slowly (but surely and stealthily) lording over (or should I say “queening over” or “queering over”?) most civilized societies of the free world. Of course, gay men have always been around (later on I shall give you a short rundown of famous gay men in history and it will boggle your mind because from the looks of it, the only straight being left in this planet could very well be the Dalai Lama), but lately, I couldn’t help but notice – they’re everywhere! And when I say everywhere, I mean everywhere. They’re hot, they’re out, and they rule.

I’m a gay lover (oops, methinks that came out wrong). What I mean is, I love gay men. I think that all of us women should have gay bestfriends (I have one or rather I have more than one) for the simple reason that they can actually do wonders for our sanity. I guess I can talk about gay power with all authority because I’m surrounded by smart, sensitive, influential, and ultra-talented gay men. They’re my friends, colleagues, contemporaries, business partners, and close relatives. I can’t say much about gay women because I haven’t met any lately (or maybe I did, I just didn’t know), but if Frieda Kahlo and Virginia Woolf are any indication, then they too can share the credit here.

I had dinner with two of my favorite and closest gay friends the other night and we talked about why we think the “third sex” have taken over the world. One perfect example would be the power of gay men in the fashion industry. From the designers, retailers, stylists, directors, editors, to the models -- these people dictate fashion fads, trends, and the latest styles. And so, in effect, they’re the ones clothing the world.
What about gay men in the showbiz industry? Or in media, business, and politics? Of course some of them are still stuck in the closet until now (bad for business or the next elections), but bottom line is, they are the new movers and shakers of the world.
Gay power is also evident in (female) relationships. As what I mentioned earlier, gays make the best bestfriends. Aside from being the perfect shopping buddy during moments when your self-esteem is at its lowest; they also allow you to talk, gripe, rant, and bitch all you want (especially when some insensitive guy just dumped you) without judging you or forming any long-lasting impressions or generalizations about you and your (lack of) character. Gay men are women’s emotional clutches, their shrinks, stand-up comics, cheerleaders, stylists, and make-over specialists. Can you imagine what it would be like if there are no gays? We’d be stuck with men who don’t even have the humor or fashion flair to compensate for their insensitivity and bad manners.

On the flip side however, gay men could also be women’s worst enemies. If you do the math, I’d say that nowadays, 6 out of 10 guys are gays and that’s not even the bad part. The bad part is, there’s a big chance that the remaining four will run off with the gay guys instead of the girls. Why? Please refer to paragraph three for the answer. These days, gay men have the power, the money and the influence. In fact, from what I heard, in most cosmopolitan cities like say, Manila, it’s more “in” or de rigueur for straight men to have gay lovers than girlfriends. And the same goes for straight, married men. Some wives actually know about the deception, but they just turn a blind eye to the indiscretion especially when their husbands bring home a Fendi at the end of the day (yes, you better believe it, gone are the days when husbands used to “bring home the bacon” – and I take that literally). How crazy is that? Well, in a time when the new “It Girls” are actually gays, that’s not even crazy, it’s actually normal.

So, here’s to gay power! Take inspiration from some of these gay (proven or not) men for they have actually shaped the course of history and the world: Socrates, Plato, Alexander the Great, Leonardo da Vinci, Michaelangelo, Sir Francis Bacon, Lord Byron, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, Marcel Proust, Vaslav Nijinsky, Truman Capote, and Andy Warhol. And so, the next time you get a pedicure or a haircut from the gay beautician across the street, think again. You never know what will become of her/him. S/he could either be your best friend or you could start doing the math.