Wednesday, March 30, 2011

What if _________ were gay?

It occurred to me recently that our history, our present, our future could be incredibly and unrecognizably different if certain prominent figures were gay. Dare I say it might be a better place? I don't want to offend you hets, but let's think about this for a moment.

WHAT IF RONALD REAGAN WERE GAY?
REAGAN ANNOUNCES BILLIONS IN RESEARCH FUNDING FOR NEW MYSTERY ILLNESS -- headline in the New York Times
Look at that suit. All he
needs is a little paisley scarf.
It's 1982 and President Reagan, out of concern for millions of gay men who are dying of mysterious affliction some doctors are calling Gay-Related Immunodeficiency Syndrome, has announced that he will increase funding to NIH and the CDC to try to learn more about the spectrum of illnesses and how to stop them. "I care about my fellow homosexuals," Reagan said in an exclusive interview with Barbara Walters. "I've known all my life that I was gay, and my partner Hank and I are dealing with a lot of loss right now -- our friends are dying, people's sons and fathers and brothers are dying. As president, I can help stop these needless deaths. Forget missile shields in space and other such boondogglery; I want to save lives."

Oh, if only. Let's keep dreaming, shall we? (Is "boondogglery" a word?)

WHAT IF ABRAHAM LINCOLN WERE GAY?
Look at that impish grin. He's
probably thinking about Joshua
Fry Speed right now.
Oh wait. This one's kind-of a gimme. The guy didn't get all war-crazed and say "fuck the rebels! blow 'em to hell!" like, say, a moron hetero like Chimpy would've. Nope, he was sensible. Sensitive. Thoughtful. Gay, perhaps? He brought our nation through a bitter and bloody civil war; he helped bring an end to slavery. Let's face it -- probably gay! It's not like we haven't all heard the stories!

Let's keep thinking. Maybe a movie star...

WHAT IF TOM CRUISE WERE GAY?Oh wait. Yeah. Gay. Obvy! Okay. Let's think here. No more Hollywood. Let's go back east to the tough guys....

WHAT IF J. EDGAR HOOVER WERE GAY?
"Ooooh, watch where you point that thing, tough guy!"

Well, shit! This is really hard! Who else?

Editorial Note: I really DO wish Reagan had been gay, and not just gay but OPENLY gay. Of course, he'd never have been president -- unless we started our little game so far back in history that, by the time 1980 rolled around, homosexuality was completely accepted. So let's try that....

WHAT IF ALEXANDER THE GREAT...oh fuck.

WHAT IF JULIUS CAESAR WERE GAY?
"Talk to me, Marky Mark."

Hmmm. I know the Greeks were always having man-sex, but what about the Romans? If my barely passable knowledge of the Roman Empire is correct, I don't recall any gay rumors among the Caesars or Marc Antonys of Rome. Still, there was that whole stabbing on the Ides of March thing. Jilted lovers? Gay drama? Bizarre love triangle? You decide.

Moving on through history...

WHAT IF KING ARTHUR WERE GAY?
Where IS that handsome Lancelot?
So after pulling the sword from the stone and becoming the boy king, Arthur Pendragon gets Merlin to set him up this hot guy named Lancelot. They hang out together, sword-fighting (ahem) and creating Camelot, decorating the castle just so. Guinevere is never able to turn Lance's head so none of that drama starts. Instead all people are allowed to love whomever they want, and they all drink from the grail at weddings both gay and straight.

Onward....

WHAT IF QUEEN ELIZABETH WERE GAY?
Imagine her in some khakis,
a button-down shirt,
and some Hush Puppies.
Can you say "World Peace"?
Now THIS isn't hard. She'd still have remained single, still have kicked ass in battle, still have been the ruler of the free world -- and she would've gotten to wear sensible shoes and comfy clothes instead of that weirdo kabuki makeup and stuff. The Gay Virgin Queen! Bring on women's lib, Renaissance style! Pants for everyone! Some Italian invents Doc Martins and we all live happily ever after in a Shakespearean sonnet!

WHAT IF RICHARD NIXON WERE GAY?
"Hey, Macarena--YEAH!"
All republicans would be officially gay, by order of the President. End of story.

WHAT IF GLENN BECK WERE GAY?
"All I want is a REAL relationship with a hot and
loving man! Is that so much to ask, people?"

Then he wouldn't be such a fucking douche bag, now would he? He'd demand equal rights for all, collective bargaining rights for all unions, and a permanent social safety net -- all at the expense of bullshit military spending. Oh, we'd still have a military....But WHAT A MILITARY!

Editor's Note: I didn't link to any American soldier dancing videos because, well, how can I put this without insulting our brave men and women in combat? Let's just say that we really need some gays in the military, if only to teach these guys how to dance.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Pulling the sword from the stone?" If that's not a euphemism for some kind of gay sex, I don't know what is.

Also, too, I'm not gay, unless being practical as all hell counts, so does that mean I have to give up my Dr. Martens? That just might lead to a squirmish.

dguzman said...

Kirby--I didn't even catch that one -- good eye! And yes, you can wear Docs. Smart and practical women come in the straight model as well as the lesbo one. Manufacturing processes are just a little different, you know?

Phoenix Justice said...

Great post! Funny as hell! I needed that this morning!

Dejah said...

There are plenty of gay people in the military. My husband is about to retire from the Navy and there are commonly gay, lesbian and bi- people on the ships he's been on. And EVERYONE KNOWS including the captain and as long as the person who is gay doesn't make a big deal about it (because of course, until recently, that meant the captain would HAVE to do something official) sailors are generally cool with it. Often as not (and granted, not EVERY ship might be like this) , it is the homophobes who get the peer pressure to be more tolerant.

On our last ship, there were more than a few guys who could dance...

dguzman said...

Phoenix--welcome to the bloggy! Glad you enjoyed it.

Dejah--also welcome to the bloggy! Two new visitors in one day! I have gay friends in the military, and they're all thrilled about the changing climate and potential for being completely out. Thanks for coming by!

gmb said...

I recall reading that Glenn Beck had some issues with thinking about some man on man love. Rumors about thta evil fuck Limbaugh too. No thanks. The other side can have them.

Life As I Know It Now said...

what a great idea!

dguzman said...

gmb--I don't want them on my team! I heard the thrilling news that Beck got sacked today -- YAY!

Lib--glad you liked it.