Worst Gayest Week Ever

The media is ablaze over an awful gay week. Twitter and Facebook are all filled with people sharing thoughts on the seemingly endless bad news. MSNBC and CNN are going gay-crazy. FoxNews even eased up Tea Party coverage to mention some of what's been happening. I've been trying to wrap my head around it all before commenting.

OK, so first let's review what is going on...

• The Bishop Eddie Long scandal continues to ferment. He gives a sermon without denying the charges and gets a standing ovation to a packed crowd. One of his accusers talks to the media and clearly is telling the truth.
• Several gay suicides including a 13 year old boy who shot himself after being taunted for months for being gay and being a Buddhist.
• A seemingly closeted assistant Attorney General in Michigan is basically stalking and trying to destroy the life of a gay college student.
• Ann Coulter goes on Larry King Live spewing more garbage, a week after being paid by GOProud to spit anti-gay crap in their faces.
• Senator Saxby Chambliss had to fire a staffer who posted "all [gays] must die" on a gay blog.
  

There is probably more, but I'm feeling overloaded and I'm tired of copying and pasting links to terrible things.

Everyone on TV keeps asking why this is all happening and then bringing in therapists and professionals to discuss it. Dr. Phil managed to tell Anderson Cooper tonight that the Rutgers incident wasn't about straight or gay, anyone would have been equally distressed. Really doc? A straight guy would've jumped off a bridge after being caught in college having sex with a girl? Really? Really? College must've changed a lot since my days.

A huge part of the problem are the religious leaders who preach that gay is bad and then undoutably are gay themselves. (Love those iPhone self-pics of you by the way, Eddie.) And, also of course, all the anti-gay politicians who pass anti-gay legislation and are also gay. See Mark Foley, Charlie Crist, Larry Craig, Roy Ashburn, etc.

But another, and I think perhaps even bigger part of the problem, is that we still have virtually no gay role models out there in the media. Yes, we have some gay people on TV, usually to discuss gossip or fashion or to be the sidekick of a reality housewife, but we still don't have any real role models. Just having anything isn't always better than having nothing. And let me be clear, I have nothing against these people, and I'm not judging them at all. I hope they all are who they want to be and are happy, fulfilled people. The problem here is that on one hand the media only rewards gay people who seem to be fabulous, vapid, self-centered fashionistas, and then on the other hand wonders why no gay people have anyone to identify with out there. And then the media wonders why gay teens, who feel profoundly alone because they can't find someone to identify with, suddenly kill themselves.

So, naturally, Perez Hilton, the self-proclaimed "Queen of All Media" tweets about how awful this all is, and various groups start doing videos of celebrities saying it is okay to be gay. And yes, that is good, people seeing that there are people who say it is okay to be who you are. But at the same time everyone knows about all the closeted actors, musicians, TV personalities and news anchors, who all talk about the problem but don't practice what they preach. Instead they tacitly endorse something wrong with gay. And making videos about suicide keeps the focus on suicide, so then all you see on TV are more stories about suicide, and then the same fashionistas and closet cases who wonder why. It is all nobody's fault and everybody's fault at the same time.

It took me a long time in my life to get there, but I wanna say that generally speaking gay people are so much better than straight people. We're funnier, smarter, usually take better care of ourselves, wittier, and yes, even often happier. My gay friends are fun, alive, and engaging. My straight are generally boring and talk about the recession a lot. Sure, I know a couple good ones, my brother, my sister and my friend Jon happen to come to mind, but there aren't many more.

(Sorry straight friends, you guys really are pretty boring.)

I'm not perfect here by any stretch, but I really am trying to do my part in all this. I'm very, very gay. My job is to be gay, pretty much. On The Six Pack each week we talk gay news, we give our opinions, we talk to interesting gay people and allies, and play music by gay and gay-friendly musicians. We don't focus on the negative, something my fantastic on-air partner Ben has preached to me from the beginning, and something I'm only now realizing to be the right way to do things.

Anyway, if you're reading this I have a feeling you're better than all the stereotypes and generalizations. And if you're out of the closet, then you're already doing what Harvey Milk thought was the most important thing a gay person could do, just be seen and heard.

This was probably a bit disjointed and perhaps a little muddled, but being gay 24 hours a day can be exhausting.

You know what makes all of it better, though?

Two hours of The Golden Girls on WE Channel in HD.

Now excuse me, and thank you for being a friend...

On a Comedian I Never Met

Comedian Greg Giraldo died today after a prescription-drug overdose this past weekend. You may not know Greg, he wasn't a huge household name, but was someone who had had some success and was well respected and well liked in comedy circles. (And trust me, it ain't easy to find comedians who are well respected or well liked by other comics.) If you do know him, it is probably from any of the Comedy Central Roasts as he was a mainstay at the events.

I actually never met Greg personally, and only saw him to stand up a few times, but actually we did cross paths quite often and he probably didn't even know it. He lived somewhere up here on the Upper West Side just a few blocks from me, and I would often see him walking his three kids around, including just a couple days ago. Actually, when I saw him the other day I remember thinking how it was nice to see a comedian who had built some kind of normal life for himself.

I also saw him a couple times a week at the gym, which somehow makes this all the stranger. Someone who on the outside appeared to be successful, have a family, taking care of themself and all the rest of it. I'm certainly not saying any of these things weren't true, and the overdose was accidental, but it just shows how tenuous life really is.

Come to think of it, my one other recent thought of him was when I happened to turn on "Last Comic Standing" a couple months ago. He was one of the judges and I kept thinking how tough it must be for a good comic to have to watch all these cookie-cutter, crappy comics, and actually pretend that some of them were good. He did it quite well though, with just enough exasperation to let people know that he knew what was up, and that he got it. I wish I would have asked him about that one of the times I saw him.

In a bizarre but fitting twist to all this, Greg's last two tweets were about a an upcoming gig and another comedian who died too soon...

@greggiraldo
I will be at The Stress Factory in New Brunswick NJ tomorrow thru Sunday night Tix here: http://bit.ly/bkz4vQ
22 Sep

@greggiraldo
Very sad about comedy great Robert Schimmel. We lost a brilliant brave and original comedian and one of the most decent guys I've ever met.

So long to someone I have a feeling was one of the most decent comedians I never met...

She-Ra is 25 and I'm 34

This week marks the 25th anniversary of the Princess of Power herself, She-Ra. For those of you unfamiliar with her (as hard to believe as that may be), She-Ra was He-Man's sister, who was spun-off into her own series with her own villains and with their own set of fairly ridiculous plots. But don't take my word for it, listen to She-Ra explain everything herself...

The show was a pretty big success, though I think we can all agree her catch-phrase, "For the honor of Greyskull", was not as catchy as He-Man's "By the power of Greyskull." Nonetheless, I, along with millions of other children tuned in after school to watch her battle Hordak and his minions of bad dudes. While he was a capable enemy, Hordak was no Skeletor in terms of sheer evil determination and general bad-assness.

Dave, why this trip down cartoon memory lane? It's so out of character for Rubinville.

Right, right.

Well, when I saw that She-Ra turned 25, it reminded me of something else about watching the show when I was a 9 or 10 year old. I do remember having this vague sense of shame, even though I didn't really know what it was, as if I shouldn't be watching a show that was for girls. Really though, there was no reason to think that show was for girls, other than She-Ra was a woman. Besides that, it was pretty much the same thing as He-Man. (Sorry to all of you who want to get really deep on the differences between the two. We can do that about She-Ra and Jem sometime, if you want.)

Ironically, I'd bet that 90% of the kids that watched She-Ra were boys, and I wonder what percentage of those boys were gay and were feeling them same thing I felt. I guess it just shows the subconscious things that kids can deal with while growing up.

Anyway, time passed and I moved onto bigger and better cartoons such as GI Joe and Transformers. Fortunately, neither of those caused any sexual confusion for me, though come to think of it, my two favorite bad guys, Starscream and Cobra Commander were both a little gay. (And voiced by the same guy, Christopher Collins, aka Chris Latta, who in an ironic twist was also a comedian. Sadly, he died a rather mysterious death back in 1994. Man, this post is all over the place, huh?)

Oh, it should be noted that my feelings about this don't apply to all female superheroes. I never really liked Wonder-Woman. The idea of an invisible jet just seemed utterly ridiculous to me.

Now if Betty White had an invisible jet, that would be a show...

A Special White Hoodie

Even though you should all be getting your hoodies at the Rubinville Shop, I'm gonna pimp out another celebrity* clothing line for a moment. Enjoy...

*Oh, let me dream, it's my site, damn it!

They Know What They Like

Check out this little video I took of the sea lions of San Francisco doing their daily routine. Hey, if it works, why change it up, right?

Pondering the Future

Our travels continue, and I am writing this while sitting here in the fake-outdoor space of our San Francisco hotel. The trip has been fantastic so far and you'll hear all about it on Six Pack #53. You did listen to #52, our San Diego adventure already, right? Good.

Anyway, I'm sitting here amongst these plastic trees in an imaginary outdoor space, and while it is actually quite nice, I keep thinking that this is what every day will be like in 2034. You know, as if we'll have destroyed the environment and killed off most of real nature, so we'll have to be indoors all the time with the fake remnants of what once was. Kind of like the movie "The Island", though I at least hope we don't all have to wear those white jump suits, just so monotonous.

Fortunately though, it isn't 2034 yet and we're off to downtown San Francisco to check out the scene, meet people and do a special Six Pack Happy Hour with Equality California. If you're in the area swing by Lookout Bar from 5-9 and join us for a special Six Pack cocktail. I don't know what's in it, but I fully stand by it.

And will fully drink it...

Finger Lickin' Good

Six Pack #52 from sunny San Diego is now on iTunes and SixPackage.com. If this video doesn't make you wanna visit the zoo, I don't know what will...

The Left Hand of Darkness

A new study in one of my favorite reads, The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, says that left-handed people are more prone to anger. I can't begin to tell you how angry that makes me. And you wouldn't like me when I'm angry.

As if that's not enough, the elliptical machine is telling me to run faster. It makes me so angry when machines tell ms what to do.

Speaking of machines, doesn't it get you really angry when machines try to take over the universe like in The Matrix?

Ugh, and The Matrix, I mean what the hell were those two sequels about? Nothing angers me more than poorly thought out, unnecessary sequels.

Damn you powerful right brain for making me so angry. I'll get you and your little dog, too!

(Whoa, I guess they're right, lefties are more creative. Or slightly insane.)

The All-New Ikea Fukn Table

I just wonder if it comes with the Bndvr chair and the Likhere stool...

Animal Fun @SanDiegoZoo

Spent yesterday getting a personal and private tour of the world famous San Diego Zoo. We had no idea we were going to get such special treatment which made the behind the scenes access to the animals all the more amazing.

From hand feeding giraffe's (who have 18 inch tongues, FYI), to actually going inside the elephant enclosure, to an up close interview with Maloo (the koala pictured above), it really was a spectacular day.

Our guide Jorge was a true encyclopedia of animal knowledge. For example, did you know that a flock of flamingos is know as a flamboyant? I mean I guess all that pink was a pretty big hint, but we didn't know that until yesterday.

Big thanks to all the incredibly smiley, friendly people who chatted us up along the way. Working with animals clearly has a positive effect on the human condition.

Oh, but one piece of advice if you ever get to walk into an elephant habitat:

Don't wear flip-flops. Lotta poop there, lotta poop...

Miles Away

I hate to report this all the way from sunny San Diego, but Harold Gould, who played Miles Weber in The Golden Girls has died.

Of course, you all know that Miles was the college professor who was Rose Nylund's boyfriend until it was exposed that his actual name was Nick Carbone and his was a mafia snitch on the run from The Cheeseman.

What you might not know is that The Cheeseman was played by an equally capable actor, Barney Martin, who played Jerry's father on Seinfeld.

Sadly though, Barney also passed away a year or two ago.

As for the writer who decided to have Miles hide undercover as an Amish farmer, I can only assume his career is dead as well.

Betty White will be giving the eulogy at the St. Olaf Cemetery later today.

In less old-dead-man news, The Six Packin' Tour has begun and I am writing this from a bench in downtown San Diego. We're off to the world famous San Diego Zoo today to see if there are any gay animals there. Got any questions for the giraffes or monkeys?

Sorry but I refuse to ask the elephants any questions, they think they know everything...

Apptastic!

The Six Pack app is now live over in the App Store. Extended interviews, Six Pack wallpaper and plenty more bonus content to come. If you’ve got a better way to spend $2.99 we’d like to hear it.

Click here to download

Gay, Set, Match

Sports Illustrated (which still exists, contrary to popular belief) has noted homosexual Carson Kressley rating fashion at the US Open for their website.

Click here to check it out.

On its face, there is nothing wrong with having someone do fashion at a sporting event, and a gay guy should have the same chance to do it as everyone else. Actually, since pretty much all gay guys are on TV are either fashion consultants, hair stylists or sidekicks/assistants to some Real Slut of Something County we should really have more of a chance, but let's just say we should just have an equal chance. You know, kinda like marriage equality. Not anything special, just the same thing as everyone else.

I have no problem with sports and fashion crossing into each other, obivously. But when Sports Illustrated, or any sports website, simply brings in a gay guy to make silly, over-the-top faces and comments about fashion at a sporting even it is actually offensive. This typical stereotyping of gay people is precisely why gay athletes don't come out and why still, in 2010, most gay people don't feel they have any mainstream role models to look up to. Would they have had a female stylist making the faces he's making there? And why is he wearing a crown? Are gay stylists now royalty? (Bravo execs are probably scurrying to write a treatment for that right now.)

I don't blame Carson for this at all, actually. He's just doing what he does and always has done, and that's all anyone does in the entertainment business. And I wouldn't begrudge him or anyone else a chance to make a dime. I fully blame the in-the-box thinkers at Sports Illustrated who decided to do a fashion piece and then figured they'd get some gay guy to really jazz it up. Yippee, a gay guy on Sports Illustrated. We're all so proud. Hey and can we insert little pictures of him making funny faces in each picture? Yea, yea, that's what people expect of the gays.

There's some gay kid somewhere who went to the Sport Illustrated website today to check a late-season baseball score, or see the results of the US Open, and instead got treated to the same cliche idea of gay people that we've all been smacked in the face with our whole lives. Oh, and that same kid is probably on the school football team and not even interested in fashion. (Though to paraphrase Seinfeld, "Not that there's anything wrong with that.")

It's not just closeted Republicans that send us the mixed messages that we get slammed with everyday. It's fools who make editorial decisions for sports websites, it's closeted TV personalities who could make a difference just by coming out, and it's comedians who should probably be doing drag because they'd be a lot more successful.

Now excuse me, I have to go get a brassiere.

What's Wrong with this Picture?

You're looking at a screen capture from the front page of Yahoo! taken just a moment ago. Peruse it for yourself for a moment and then I'll check back in.

Peruse.

Peruse.

Peruse.

Ok, good.

Now, I'm sure you noticed the same thing that I did. Can you believe Perry dethroned Eminem? Did you even know he had his own throne? And somehow they put the Facebook football story before that? It's just so obviously the most important story on that list. There is clearly absolutely nothing else on that list that should be number one there. Absolutely nothing.

Now you'll have to excuse me, I'm off to go pick up some supplies like candles, tuna and a shot gun. You know, cause of the Perry/Eminem situation...

(Note: I was actually talking about the MASS EXTINCTIONS COMING SOON, just in case that wasn't quite clear.)

Poor Anderson

The cable news ratings, via DrudgeReport:

CABLE NEWS RACE
MON. AUG 30, 2010
VIEWERS

FOXNEWS O'REILLY 3,977,000
FOXNEWS HANNITY 2,645,000
FOXNEWS BECK 2,600,000
FOXNEWS BAIER 2,097,000
FOXNEWS SHEP 1,858,000
FOXNEWS GRETA 1,856,000
MSNBC OLBERMANN 1,078,000
MSNBC MADDOW 1,027,000
MSNBC SHULTZ 699,000
CNN SANCHEZ 676,000
CNN KING 620,000
MSNBC HARDBALL 620,000
CNNHN GRACE 586,000
CNN COOPER 581,000

I guess this all begs the question, if you have a cable show and nobody watches, do you have a cable show at all?

(I look forward to finding out for myself one day. Kinda. Oh, you know what I mean...)