Comments | renenet: my grandfather, The Price is Right, and homophobia

renenet

my grandfather, The Price is Right, and homophobia

Sep 01, 2002 21:13

Recently I visited my grandparents upon the occasion of my grandfather's 84th birthday. I joined Grampie in the living room for much of his daily television routine, which includes The Price is Right. One of the contestants that day was a man who set off my gaydar from the moment he started down the aisle. He did well on the show and was very ( Read more... )

television, queerness, grandparents, family

Comments 2

heresluck September 2 2002, 16:13:18 UTC

As you well know, I went for option b, and I'm still not quite sure how I feel about that. In my grandmother's case coming out to her would probably have killed her on the spot, which could have been great, come to think of it. (Occasionally, I'm callous and strange...) I don't know about my grandfathers. I don't know which of us I thought I was protecting.

But enough about me. Go you for articulating the different parts of the subconscious responses you saw going on, and for being so matter-of-fact about the whole thing. I really admire that. And you. *hug*

renenet September 2 2002, 17:44:29 UTC

Thanks. *hug* back to you for your support and for living with option b...and for being callous and strange sometimes because I like that very much. (May your grandmother rest in peace, toes curling up in her size six shoes like the Wicked Witch of the East under Dorothy's house).

Underneath the matter-of-factness there flows a current of self-doubt, though. It's not so much doubt about not telling them under present circumstances because that *feels* right--like it's at least 90% about protecting them (I'll spare you the reasoning behind that as it's lengthy and boring) and it fits with the whole information-operates-on-a-need-to-know-basis-only thing that my father, sister, and I apply across the board with my grandparents. But I question myself about why that feels right--why I feel that my sexuality is not need-to-know information for them. Questions like: Shouldn't my queerness feel so integral to my being that someone not knowing about it means that they don't really know me? (Which is a gateway to a whole "am I queer enough ( ... )