Do me a favor. Don't defend us.

This week SNL gave us a perfect example of an anti-gay attack which was supposedly pro-gay. It was one of their, as usual, high school level skits. This one was for men's heterosexual figure skating competition. In it they showed an overweight, oafish skater doing an unfunny bumbling routine. The message, I suppose, is that gay figure skaters are slender, handsome, beautifully costumed and faultlessly expert. What a stereotype! Straight skaters are also slender, handsome, beautifully costumed and faultlessly expert. And guess what? There are millions of gays who are overweight, clumsy, unattractive and clueless about fashion. So this SNL skit was incredibly harmful since it reinforces gay stereotypes: homosexuals are stylish, elegant and superior. All too often supposedly pro-gay persons are their most dangerous defenders since they, in essence, tell homophobics that gay men and women not only have different sexual tastes, but they are a breed apart, a completely different creature.