As a country that thrives on wealth and power, and whose every breath is consumed by the who's who and the who's doing who, the USA is probably the only nation that could care less about who its top ranking homosexuals are.
But clearly, infamous queer mag "Out", believes that the punters are keen and curious and have published (outed?) the Top 50 for all to see.
Leading the dubiously formed list is one David Geffen, billionaire entertainment mogul who shares equal 50th ranking on the Forbes rich list with discount stock broker, Charles Schwab, just behind Steve Jobs of Apple fame. Geffen is the "G" in the Dreamworks SKG team, alongside Steven Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg.
Ellen DeGeneres may not make the Forbes Rich List, but she does outrank every other non-straight woman to make the Power 50 list at spot #3.
The list is overwhelmingly full of names from the fashion and entertainment industries. But there are also a number of names and tangible links to politics that suggest a very interesting road ahead for the coming Presidential election next year.
It brings an insightful perspective together about the roots and drivers of the historical gay rights campaign and also the contemporary same-sex marriage debate. The media is powerful and if a group can have significant sway over the media, it naturally flows that the same power is present in politics.
Some would argue that the "gay agenda" exists only in the minds of the homophobic zealots. As a gay man who understands the machinations of politics, I see every agenda as a real and credible threat to a healthy liberal democracy. Even one that seeks to serve my freedoms and self interests.
I'll wait and see, but Barack Hussein Obama might have a bit of an edge against Hilary Rodham Clinton, despite his name bearing an eerie resemblance to both Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.
It's always been my opinion that in order to serve the interests of "promoting gay interests / change social views" etc (e.g. defeating homophobia, supporting gay marriage), one must seek to have real power and influence rather just yelling in the streets like other activists.
ReplyDeleteLet's face it... that's how the world works. Ideally it may be different, but you have to play the game first :-)