Letters

Are Gay Jokes Funny?

Conan O’Brien:

• "A Texas court has upheld a law that makes it illegal for two men to have sex together in their home. Which explains why gay men all over Texas are having sex on their front lawns."

• "According to a zoology journal, researchers have discovered gay orangutans living in Asia. Apparently, you can tell which orangutans are gay–they’re the ones who throw their feces like a girl."

• "Britney Spears has to re-shoot some scenes for her upcoming movie because test audiences didn’t like long scenes of Britney in nothing but her underwear. Apparently, the test audiences were made up entirely of gay orangutans."

(published January OutSmart, "Queer Quotes," edited by )

[About Conan O'Brien's jokes quoted in OutSmart]: I admit that I have never liked his show and rarely watch it, but I have never heard him make a racial joke about African Americans, Hispanics, or Asians. Apparently, some people don't mind hearing a "fag joke" because we are not fully accepted in society. If we ever want to be considered equal, we need to start standing up for our rights. Dr. Martin Luther King did not stand behind a podium and say, "It's okay to drink from a separate water fountain." No, he said, "We will not drink from different water fountains." Not until we start saying "No, that's not right" and insist on standing up for our rights, will we ever have equal rights.

I have often found out that we (GLBT community) are our own worst enemy.

We say that we are stereotyped, but within the community we ridicule and put down each other. I disagree that gay jokes on TV are considered progress. Real progress is when someone's sexual orientation is not even an issue.

Comments can be directed to www.latenight@NBC.com or mailed to Viewer Relations, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY, 10112.

Steven Bratsen

Santa Fe, Texas

Steven,

I appreciate your passion and your willingness to write letters in defense of our community very much. I just happen to disagree with the idea that Conan is a homophobe.

These jokes aren’t mean-spirited evil, hateful "fag" jokes. They are lighthearted funny "gay" jokes that stemmed from a recent public announcement about homosexuality and orangutans. The fact that people feel comfortable making jokes about GLBT people on TV is a sign of progress in my book.

I think it’s important that we pick our battles wisely and that we only "attack" those who "attack" us with jokes that are meant to hurt and harm us. I saw the show that these jokes were delivered on and I laughed continuously through them. It is my opinion that they were told in good spirit with a lighthearted delivery and a playful tone.

David Morales

New Orleans

(Editor’s note: This dialogue was first published on the Houston PFLAG e-mail discussion group.)