This Can't Be Broccoli

Two years ago, I started interviewing people in the theater world about the problems within that community. All the subjects of the interviews remained anonymous to encourage people to speak directly and plainly without worrying that there would be consequences down the line. (Of course, even then, some people felt like outing themselves and getting in hot water, but we're going to leave that water under another bridge.) When I decided it was time to bring the series to a close, it was partly because I thought it had run its course, and partly because I had a new topic I wanted to tackle. While I've had my issues with theater and the people who do it, I've never felt like I didn't belong there, whereas from the moment I came out, I've never truly felt like a part of the gay community. To be clear, that probably has way more to do with me than the community, but it's something I wanted to explore, and I knew how I wanted to do it. The theater interviews were alwa

  Waking up in the morning to the news that someone has come out of the closet means that until noon, you'll see unabashed positivity regardless of who the person is, and then starting around two thirty, the pendulum will swing, and people will begin tearing whoever it is apart like gluten-free garlic bread at a Queer Book Club meeting. Sure enough, after finding out that the guy who came out was Colton Underwood, star of The Bachelor , I immediately found myself bombarded by "Love Wins," "You're saving lives," and "Live your truth." They've become the "Thoughts and Prayers" of someone admitting they'd rather scale a wall and run from a camera crew than make out with a woman whose occupation is "Mannequin Stylist." I actually don't watch The Bachelor , but I will sit and enjoy any clip of a man running through foreign streets while trying to take off a mic pack. That's why my stakes in all this were very low unti

  Two years ago, I started interviewing people in the theater world about the problems within that community. All the subjects of the interviews remained anonymous to encourage people to speak directly and plainly without worrying that there would be consequences down the line. (Of course, even then, some people felt like outing themselves and getting in hot water, but we're going to leave that water under another bridge.) When I decided it was time to bring the series to a close, it was partly because I thought it had run its course, and partly because I had a new topic I wanted to tackle. While I've had my issues with theater and the people who do it, I've never felt like I didn't belong there, whereas from the moment I came out, I've never truly felt like a part of the gay community. To be clear, that probably has way more to do with me than the community, but it's something I wanted to explore, and I knew how I wanted to do it. The theater interviews were al