Re: coming out

["Stuart M. Castergine" <scasterg@dispatch.com>]

On Tue, 28 Oct 1997, K Bacon wrote:

>         Why some emailers here feel they have to go out of their way to
> ridicule or 'disprove', or describe the 'unreasonableness' of my (and
> others') interpretation instead of just letting me (and others) enjoy the
> song how we want is beyond me...of course the fact that some people have
> *only ever* gone out of their way in *this case* to disprove a *gay*
> interpretation would have *NOTHING* to do with homophobia, would it guys :)

No, as a matter of fact it wouldn't. I've been on love-hounds for about
seven years and for all that time it has been one of the most
non-homophobic groups and mailing lists I have ever been involved with.
Kate has written some beautiful songs that have gay themes (Wow, Eddie the
Queen, others). Most of us are aware of that and it is one of the reasons
many people like Kate.

We have had some pretty lively discussions over the years about song
interpretations. The fact that many of us are big enough Kate enthusiasts
to have read "A Book of Dreams" or to at least have a familiarity with it
certainly colors our perceptions aboput the meaning of one of Kate's most
propular songs, and probably makes some of us rather opinionated.

But disagreeing that a song is about "coming out" as a gay, even
vigorously so, does not in any way equal homophobia! You start lashing out
with that accusation and tar people as homophobes because they disagree
with you and that makes me angry.

The argument on this discussion probably has a whole lot more to do about
two competing and valid schools of interpretation -- that there are both
valid and invalid interpretations of a song's meaning, or that any meaning
that the listener derives from the song is a valid meaning. This
controversy in itself causes arguments.

Nobody said being gay was bad. Nobody criticized homosexuality. People
just think "Cloudbusting" isn't about coming out. That's not homophobic.
That's just an opinion. You calling them homophobes is a really cheap
shot.

Stu

mailto:scasterg@dispatch.com == Stuart Castergine
 All young gentle dreams drowning
 In life's grief
 Can you hang on to me? -Kate Bush, _Big Stripey Lie_