- Dec 14, 2009
- 7,234
- 19,629
I'd like to preface that I do NOT condone the idea or the wording of what they said, and I approve of the freedom to be who you are because you ARE beautiful, but I'm slowly coming to realize what they were trying to get at before they dropped something so horrendously vile on us.
I grew up with an extended family that isn't the...most polite when it comes to race or homosexuality. Not that they are racist or homophobic (they have several friends of different races/orientations), but they do make jokes or off-comments. Seeing as we are SO used to seeing guys work it out, we don't realize how it can appear to other people. If I showed two videos to my family to try to get them into cheer, one of a fierce guy vogueing in a dance, and one of a bunch of guys basing and tumbling, I can guarantee what video would get them interested. Maybe that makes them slightly terrible people, but I know they're not alone. Watching guys being essentially 'too gay' (which I assume is what they mean by 'theatrical'- overtly gay to the point of extreme femininity), can actually be intimidating to someone for whom the dancing/performing aspect isn't their thing. I know what they were TRYING to get at during the Doral meeting was having a place for BOTH the straight gents AND the gay ones, although I don't know how that means that gay guys can't be buff and tough? Maybe they thought (I'd LOVE to know who they polled for this grand idea): that by having theatricality be minimized, they could increase the participation of males by getting the guys, who they believed were being 'intimidated' by the super flamboyant nature of what routines have become, BACK into cheer.
AGAIN: I love seeing what everyone of all ages, races, genders and preferences bring to this fantastical sport. This was wrong, poorly thought out, and did NOTHING to achieve what I assume was their goal. I'm just trying to hazard a guess at where the HECK they were going with this..
I grew up with an extended family that isn't the...most polite when it comes to race or homosexuality. Not that they are racist or homophobic (they have several friends of different races/orientations), but they do make jokes or off-comments. Seeing as we are SO used to seeing guys work it out, we don't realize how it can appear to other people. If I showed two videos to my family to try to get them into cheer, one of a fierce guy vogueing in a dance, and one of a bunch of guys basing and tumbling, I can guarantee what video would get them interested. Maybe that makes them slightly terrible people, but I know they're not alone. Watching guys being essentially 'too gay' (which I assume is what they mean by 'theatrical'- overtly gay to the point of extreme femininity), can actually be intimidating to someone for whom the dancing/performing aspect isn't their thing. I know what they were TRYING to get at during the Doral meeting was having a place for BOTH the straight gents AND the gay ones, although I don't know how that means that gay guys can't be buff and tough? Maybe they thought (I'd LOVE to know who they polled for this grand idea): that by having theatricality be minimized, they could increase the participation of males by getting the guys, who they believed were being 'intimidated' by the super flamboyant nature of what routines have become, BACK into cheer.
AGAIN: I love seeing what everyone of all ages, races, genders and preferences bring to this fantastical sport. This was wrong, poorly thought out, and did NOTHING to achieve what I assume was their goal. I'm just trying to hazard a guess at where the HECK they were going with this..