On one hand, it's great to see things like the ABC mini-series on the history of the struggle for LGBT rights (and yeah, some of that is a little too personal and as a result really tough to watch, so if, like me, you're of a certain age, caveat emptor, as they say)... ... but on the other, there's my growing suspicion that there's an awful lot of bandwagoning going on as well in pop culture when it comes to our little community. Oh sure, nothing new — 80s glam rock exploited "gay edginess" with a lot of pretenda-bisexuality and 00s saw a rather remarkable number of celebrities coming out as "convenient bisexuals" as well. You know who I mean, those (usually women, are you surprised?) who went running for the cameras to declare themselves bi and bringing along their latest bedmate as proof. For most, it truly must have only been a phase, considering how quickly they abandoned that ploy. Still, I suppose one can only be an outrageous bisexual so long before it loses his caché, so now we're entering the phase where, in order to get that media face time, you have to play the "I'm actually gay!" card. Dont miunderstand: I'm not talking about celebrity LGBT folk who make that difficult decision and then reframe their lives accordingly. Living under a spotlit microscope certainly has its difficulties, and I applaud anyone willing to risk their well-funded career to make such a step. It cannot be easy for them. No, my issue is with those who turn their LGBTness into the sole resource to keep their careers viable — a certain football player, for example, who got a lot of mileage out of the fact that he was the first pro to come out. When he was cut in spring training, he ran to the media to say it was because he was gay... when in reality he just wasnt a very good player. And he's not unique in that respect: we have all manner of folks clamoring for our attention — not because their work is especially good but because they're LGBT. We do have a tendency to fall for it, but happily we also seem to know when to walk away. Thing is: the hot bod and the photogenic smile can only take you so far. After a while, youre gonna have to prove your cultural mettle. Or worse, the straight folk who play the perpetual cocktease as they maintain they're "just trying to be sympathetic to the cause". It's one thing to be an ally. It's another to do it simply by flashing your toned abs and then expecting everyone to rush out to see your movie. Yeah, I know, female actresses in Hollywood have been getting away with that for decades, and maybe it's time for a little equal opportunity of the sexual exploitation. Or maybe it's time we all got a little more discerning about our supposed idols. OK, enough of this. Moving on — a little buffer to decompress, then on to the next story... And as always, thanks for being such great readers.