Guerrilla Warfare

Are the breeders trying to take over?

A note from a columnist of Out Magazine, in its latest April edition, struck me as funny. The writer Jesse Archer nearly snapped his neck with whiplash when he entered a gay bar and saw a man and a woman kissing. He went on to fret about how straights, perhaps out of curiosity or a sense of rebelliousness, are invading our gay spots. According to Archer, the straights’ “insistent, increasing appearance on the gay scene is cause for global concern.”

With a nod to interesting timing, Metro Weekly’s latest cover features the trio behind the Guerrilla Queer Bar. The group organizes outings where a bunch of gay men and women descend on a straight bar or restaurant unannounced, kind of a triangle invasion on the breeders’ territory. The whole idea is to promote social integration between the orientations, as it were.

Well, Jesse, there is no homosexual apocalypse on the horizon. In fact, your fears are unwarranted and your thinking is perpetuating a segregation philosophy we don’t need.

First, after bar and club hopping at numerous cities over my lifetime, I can safely say the percentage of straights present – minus the requisite fag hags – has always been very small. It’s more likely that Canada will take over China than straights will take over a gay hangout.

Anyway, I thought Archer’s response, though partly tongue-in-cheek, failed to look at the other side of the coin. How would he respond if a gay couple showed some sign of affection in a place mainly populated by straights, and a few of them gave the couple the stink eye. Surely, he would be appalled at such a negative reaction. We get in trouble often when we have an attitude of someone “not belonging.” Where do we draw the line? Class? Race? Gender?

I get feeling territorial about our hangouts. In sheer numbers, there are more bars and clubs dedicated for straights. So we feel like any perceived encroachment is war. It’s ludicrous to think straights can take us over socially. Besides, our culture often sets trends so it’s no wonder curiosity is sparked.

But I side more with the attitude of the Guerrilla Queer Bar. Groups have their own needs and desires to get together with their own. But people will, and need to, mix sometimes. It’s healthy. Besides, how can we hope to spread tolerance of gays when we steadfastly remove ourselves from the wider world and straights don’t get to know all of who we are?

Sadly, Guerrilla’s current trio of coordinators is stepping down so there’s a big question mark of it will continue. Even if the group becomes no more, I hope the sentiment remains.