Creator of 'Avenue Q' Tired of Jay Leno's Gay Jokes
Below is a letter from Jeff Whitty, creator of 'Avenue Q', to Jay Leno of "The Tonight Show".
From The Advocate
Posted by Ace
From The Advocate
Dear Mr. Leno,
My name is Jeff Whitty. I live in New York City. I'm a playwright and the author of Avenue Q, which is a musical currently running on Broadway. I've been watching your show a bit, and I'd like to make an observation:
When you think of gay people, it's funny. They're funny folks. They wear leather. They like Judy Garland. They like disco music. They're sort of like Stepin Fetchit as channeled by Richard Simmons.
Gay people, to you, are great material.
Mr. Leno, let me share with you my view of gay people:
When I think of gay people, I think of the gay news anchor who took a tire iron to the head several times when he was vacationing in St. Martin. I think of my friend who was visiting Hamburger Mary's, a gay restaurant in Las Vegas, when a bigot threw a smoke bomb filled with toxic chemicals into the restaurant, leaving the staff and gay clientele coughing, puking, and running in terror. I think of visiting my gay friends at their house in the country, sitting outside for dinner, and hearing, within hundreds of feet of where we sat, taunting voices yelling "Faggots!" I think of hugging my boyfriend goodbye for the day on 8th Avenue in Manhattan and being mocked and taunted by passing high school students.
When I think of gay people, I think of suicide. I think of a countless list of people who took their own lives because the world was so toxically hostile to them. Because of the deathly climate of the closet, we will never be able to count them. You think gay people are great material. I think of a silent holocaust that continues to this day. I think of a silent holocaust that is perpetuated by people like you, who seek to minimize us and make fun of us and who I suspect really, fundamentally wish we would just go away.
When I think of gay people, I think of a brave group that has made tremendous contributions to society, in arts, letters, science, philosophy, and politics. I think of some of the most hilarious people I know. I think of a group that has served as a cultural guardian for an ungrateful and ignorant America.
I think of a group of people who have undergone a brave act of inventing themselves. Every single out-of-the-closet gay person has had to say, "I am not part of mainstream society." Mr. Leno, that takes bigger balls than stepping out in front of TV-watching America every night. I daresay I suspect it takes bigger balls to come out of the closet than anything you have ever done in your life.
I know you know gay people, Mr. Leno. Are they just jokes to you, to be snickered at behind their backs? Despite the angry tenor of my letter, I suspect you're a better man than that. I don't bother writing letters to the "God Hates Fags" people, or Donald Wildmon, or the pope. But I think you can do better. I know it's The Tonight Show, not a White House press conference, but you reach a lot of people.
I caught your show when you had a tired mockery of Brokeback Mountain, involving something about a horse done up in what you consider a "gay" way. Man, that's dated. I turned the television off and felt pretty fucking depressed. And now I understand your gay-baiting jokes have continued.
Mr. Leno, I have a sense of humor. It's my livelihood. And being gay has many hilarious aspects to it—none of which, I suspect, you understand. I'm tired of people like you. When I think of gay people, I think of centuries of suffering. I think of really, really good people who've been gravely mistreated for a long time now.
You've got to cut it out, Jay.
Sincerely,
Jeff Whitty
New York, N.Y.
Posted by Ace
This entry was posted
on Sunday, April 23, 2006 at 8:13 PM.
Want to discuss? Leave a comment below.
ByListen thats all I hear, here in the Bible Belt, God Hates Fags, God Hates Homosexuals. So there's this Fat Ass preacher near here that preaches against Homosexuals, I wrote him a letter, it went like this!
I suppose that it never occured to you that, that wonderful almighty God you love so much allows Siamese Twins joined at the head to be born or joined at the waist or feet, and allows people to be born with Down Syndrome, or born without limbs or born blind or mentally insane.
Why not could a male be born with female chromosomes and attracted to someone of the same sex, which would seem perfectly normal to that person?
or
Why not could a female be born with male chromosomes amd attracted to someone of the same sex, which would seem perfectly normal to them?
Now the people that wrote the Bible, over 2000 years ago, had no medical knowledge, so anyone who did not act or believe the same as them, were cast off as demon possessed.
The irony is that we still have people in 2006 that still believe that same shit 2000 years ago.
Of course I never left my name and the fart bag prob. just threw it in the trash can.
Do you think what I wrote has any merrit? If so please respond and tell me how you feel about this, I think I'm on to something here.
We have to change peoples way of thinking as long as we allow these hate mongers to spew their selfrighteous shit, we will never move forward as a people.
By
I think what you say has merit. But being born lesbian or gay doesn't mean God doesn't love you (which i think is your point). It also doesn't mean God doesn't love people with Down Syndrome. Having a disability isn't a tragedy-- just another perfectly natural, ordinary fine way of being.
By
Side note - Jeff Whitty is/was a Portlander.
Anonymous: I hope I am reading it wrong... you aren't saying that being gay or lesbian is a disability right?
By
Ben, I believe you are right on. The point is that lgbt and those born with disabilities should be both thought of as things coming from nature. Because it's obvious that no one thing from nature is the same. So, how can something coming from nature be wrong, such as a sin. It isn't consider acceptable to discriminate against those with a disability. Then why do some think that it is alright to discriminate against someone based on their sexual orientation. Just because they don't like it. I might not like something about someone, but I'm not going to put them down.
By
I'm not saying people who are gay and lesbian have a disability (except that we all have some sort of disability).
Are you suggesting that a disability is a negative thing or an insult? What is wrong with being a person with a disability? There is nothing negative or demeaning about that.
I'm simply stating that being hetero, gay, lesbian, a person with a disability, etc. are all equal, dignified, natural and normal ways of being. There is nothing wrong with any of them, and I would not consider it insulting to be grouped in with any of those groups.
By
Never said that having a disability is a negative thing or an insult--I just don't equate those two things as being one in the same.
As a gay person, I would not say that I am disabled in the same way that someone who say was born with a physical disability.
Let's not get off topic though - sorry.
By
Great letter by Jeff!
By
Without wanting to trivialise this thread, because I totally approve of the letter to Jay Leno, but my boyfriend suggested that, if we're disabled, shouldn't we get parking spaces?
Now THAT would be an upside!
By
With the parking comment and with the comment about disability bringing negative baggage I'm feeling dismayed. It is unfortunate to see disabled folks sold out.
I personally believe that having Down Syndrome is no insult, and am happy to say having Down Syndrome is as natural and good as being glbt, straight, or ....
Why demean others? What's the point?
By
He is a native Oregonian, but never lived in Portland.
By
can someone help me here.
were homosexuality to become the norm how long would our specie continue to exist ?
It is a recipe for extinction
By
Are you worried about homosexuality becoming "the norm"?
By
It is the norm and has been. There have always been gay and lesbian people throughout history. We are now simply being ourselves. There will always be an abundance of straight folks to populate the world. That should be the least of your concerns.
By
NOTE: I APOLOGIZE FOR POSTING THIS AS "ANONYMOUS," BUT I AM HAVING TROUBLE SIGNING IN UNDER MY NAME, JACKIE BEAT...
Dear Mr. Whitty,
Anyone who thinks that Jay Leno or The Tonight Show is in any way responsible for violence against gay people is just plain reaching.
Homophobes are looking for any reason to express their ignorance and hatred. Should the film “Brokeback Mountain” not have been released simply because it’s very existence could possibly inflame more anger or incite more violence?
Gay people have fought to be accepted and I for one am happy that we are so mainstream now that we’re “fair game” when it comes to comedy. Jay Leno is personally responsible for the fact that millions of people now welcome a young gay man into their living rooms on a regular basis. Does that man talk about gay rights and gay marriage and his personal life? No. He’s too busy doing his job — making people laugh — WITH him, not AT him. And to those few who may indeed be laughing AT him, nothing is going to change their closed minds. Not all the assimilation and butching-it-up and “See?-We’re-just-like-you!” in the world. When you attend Gay Pride are you embarrassed by the drag queens and the leather daddies because they are somehow fanning the flames of homophobia? “If they would only tone it down and stop making it so hard for the rest of us.”
You claim that when Mr. Leno thinks of gay people, it’s funny. Could that possibly be because he is a comedian? When Mr. Leno (or more accurately, his writers) thinks of anyone or anything, it’s funny. Images of people being brutalized have no place within a comedic monologue. That, unfortunately, would undermine the comedy. Mr. Leno also thinks that Women, Blacks, Teenagers, Asians, Celebrities, Latinos, Stupid Criminals, Old White Politicians, Lousy Proofreaders and even Our President, are funny. He does not feel the need to include serious commentary on sex discrimination, abortion, spousal abuse, hate crimes, slavery, racism, classism, etc. Since he does not balance his comedy with the complex reality of social issues, does that mean gay people are completely off-limits to him?
Why is it okay for gay people to cash in on stereotypes (Queer Eye’s fab five sashaying into some clueless breeder’s tacky apartment and giving it a gay makeover), but the moment someone we assume to be straight does it, we start crying homophobia? Would it be different if Jay Leno was gay? Bisexual? Experimented in college? Where is that line, exactly?
Black comedians do impersonations of boring white guys who can’t dance with nerdy newscaster voices. Women and gay stand-ups make fun of straight men all the time. Does Jay Leno write them letters? Nope. And I won’t even get into the fact that Christian bashing (of which I admit I’m guilty, they make it so easy, the jokes just write themselves!) is prevalent and unchecked among most left-wing comedians. It’s okay to make fun of them because they’re stupid and wrong, right?
Be honest, are you totally comfortable with everything that comes out of Margaret Cho’s mouth? Is comedy about being comfortable or about pushing the envelope? Why is Ms. Cho’s material not only acceptable, but lauded, while the similarly foul-mouthed shock comic Andrew “Dice” Clay was practically burned at the stake? Perhaps it is because Clay did not make it crystal clear that he was a character who was playing devil’s advocate. Margaret Cho is NOT a gay man, but I can laugh at her gay jokes, impersonations of drag queens and even when she says that England is where white people go to begin the whitening process. Or something like that — I was laughing too hard to get every word.
The truth is, you cannot please everyone. There will always be someone who will be offended. “This is too gay. This is not gay enough. This does not represent me.” When you attempt to please everyone, you please no one. I heard many people complaining that “Transamerica” was not an accurate portrayal of M to F transsexuals. Guess what? It is only ONE story. AND it’s a fictional movie, not a documentary.
Why do people get so up in arms when we have the audacity to actually admit that people are different? News flash: Gay people are different than straight people, AND THANK GOD! That does not mean we are aliens or monsters. It simply means that we are different, just like Blacks and Latinos and Asians and Whites are different from each other. There is a time and a place to celebrate and focus on what makes us all alike and a time and a place to celebrate (yes, celebrate!) what makes us all different.
Several of the new gay networks have approached myself and/or friends of mine to develop Saturday Night Live-style sketch comedy shows. After submitting outlines we have actually been told that they do not like our “tone” — that our style is too edgy and too mean-spirited. Hello? And speaking of SNL, I adore their “Gays In Space” sketch — overflowing with lisping, snapping, mincing, crotch-obsessed queens. To me, the joke is that any genre can easily be “fabulized” and made gay. Personally, I am more offended by GLAAD favorites “Will & Grace” (and it’s supposedly all-straight cast) and “Queer As Folk.” They’re not my cup of pee, but I can stand back and say, “Go on with your bad (writing) self!”
My point is this: Stereotypes and broad strokes have always — and will always — have a place in comedy. In our overly-PC world, we have become so hypersensitive that the arts and especially comedy have become safe and boring. Thank God the pendulum always swings back and we get in-your-face bitches like Lisa Lampanelli and tell-it-like-it-is geniuses like Dave Chappelle. To paraphrase Justice Potter Stewart’s infamous quote regarding obscenity, “I may not know the definition of homophobia, but I know it when I see it!”
Sorry, but I just don’t see it when I watch Jay Leno.
Sincerely,
Jackie Beat
Los Angeles, CA
www.jackiebeatrules.com/blog
By
I'm sorry but I'm so tired of ridiculous comments like "if homosexuality is the norm the human race would die out". It's a natural variation, found in nature and has been around since the beginning. Homosexuality is only not the norm if you're equating "majority = norm". And the only people that brand it "abnormal" are religious zealots and homophobes. They show how threatened they feel by the "if gays take over the human race will die out" arguements. Give me a break . . . if anything (with the population issues the world has) I think gays are one of nature's ways of putting the brakes on the section of the human race that breed irresponsibly. Many of us even take up the slack by trying to adopt some of the unwanted children brought about by this. And that will be the next Karl Rove brainchild to fire up the bigotry; they can't marry, let's make sure they can't adopt either and make the world a better place for some of abandoned children who need good loving homes. What WILL mean the end of the human race is this sort of homophobic stupidity that runs rampant these days.
By
I, too, grow tired of Leno's potshots at GLBT people.
I don't buy Beat's suggestion that we should all be happy that gay people are now "fair game when it comes to comedy" and Leno is simply "doing his job" of "making people laugh". GLBT people have always been the butt of insensitive jokes. So what's new? That doesn't make it right.
Why is it that comedians NEVER make jokes about being straight? You know, "This one guy was so straight..." Think about it.
I guess they think it's much more fun to act out locker-room mentality: "Look at that gay person swish" or whatever, so they will appear 'macho' to each other. Here's a stereotype: all gay men are effeminate.
"Would it be different if Jay Leno was gay? Bisexual?"
Well, actually, yes. "Fag" jokes do not go over well unless told by fags.
Jokes about people of color are no longer tolerated, and jokes made at the expense of gay people should stop also.
By
Everyone gets made fun of, and has jokes told about them. There's probably a joke being made about you right now, someone is probably talking about some annoying habit that you have, or something you do that they hate. why weren't you concerned about that until now? Cause you didn't think about it!
Waste your time continuing to be the victim, or just get over it, and get on with your life !!!! Honestly if the biggest goal you have is to be gay and to make sure everyone knows, you don't have much of a life. there's so much more! quit just trying to help your self, and help someone else. It will get rid of all kinds of problems.
By
I am a straight woman who feels a stab in my heart every time I hear Jay Leno or anyone else make a distasteful joke or innuendo about homosexuals.
No intellectualizing on my part--just a deep feeling of pain.
By
People are not born gay. Being gay is a form of sexual perversion. A lot of prisoners end up having sex with each other because they claim there are no women. They turn to gay behavior. Its a choice, a perverted choice, but a choice none the less.
By
Take a joke, like the rest of humanity does.(Except muslims, lesbians, democrats, old hippies, Berkely and Columbia profs and Obama.)
Otherwise, suicide is ALWAYS an option.
In any case, don't abrogate ANYONE's right to free speech.
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