In my pursuit of true freedom and equality, I have discovered a great medium in which to project not only my fabulousness but also spread the message of acceptance and tolerance:
Online avatar communities.
Now, I know, that this is hardly any kind of revelation to those who are already familiar with the internet. It may seem at the time of this posting that your old pal Hero Queero is behind the digital times, but I assure you that I know my way around a browser or two. The thing is, however, whenever I create an avatar and join a virtual community, I rarely run into others who choose to play a queer persona. But then that makes me wonder: Well, what IS a queer persona?
Raised by teevee, it may seem easy to suggest that 'queer' is drag queens and old torch song standards. That 'gay' is synonymous with snappy attire and interior design. And that all women who wear pants are lesbians. Richard Chamberlain recently proclaimed that it's impossible for gay actors to convincingly portray straight characters, even though many of us successfully pretend to be hetero for much of our lives. As much as we want to believe otherwise, our world still hasn't fully accepted homosexuality, which I also consider to be the third sex.
So, do we still want to nurture these outdated concepts and stereotypes? No, of course not. But some people can make it difficult to change that perception, especially if those people run television and movie studios. Even after Ellen came out and Neil Patrick Harris announced the arrival of his twins, we, as a world still resist the truth: that queer is not actually 'queer'. That is to say, that being free to love whoever who want is not strange; it is completely normal. And wonderfully human.
But how does a society evolve to a place of acceptance?
It must be given the freedom to do so. And to do THAT, those who are not currently accepted must become commonplace. They must become the "norm". And for that to occur, there must be a PRESENCE of those that wish for equality in such great numbers that they become impossible to ignore. It happened in the "Black Movement" and in the "Women's Liberation Movement" and it can happen in the "Gay Movement". I use quotes just to remind everyone that all these movements are really the same. They are all a facet of the bigger "Equality Movement". If we all truly desire equality, then all who strive for acceptance must be PRESENT.
Which brings me back to the original thought: Online avatar communities.
I signed onto gaiaonline.com, registered my info, and designed my digital avatar. As you can see, I spared no virtual expense and whipped up an avi that would make Ru Paul's and Elton John's love child jealous. As for my username, why ruin a good thing? I typed in 'Hero Queero' and I was off wandering in the online rooms, RPG, and communities. After several days of interaction, I began to notice that they're weren't many other obvious members of the GLBT community. I did locate a queer forum for folks to find each other, but in the virtual setting there still seems to be an adherence to what was male and what was female. Girl avatars dress as girls and boy avatars appear to be butch and manly. And none of this would normally bother Yours Truly, but then it happened:
I walked by a group of folks who began to tell another avi that their outfit was "gay". The group, like so many other ignorant folks in the real world, laughed and jeered, clearly enjoying the ridicule aimed at the "gay" avatar. I then realized that without an obvious queer presence, the stereotypes and out-dated concepts would continue to exist, even in a virtual reality where you could be anything you want. Except gay.
With my obvious username and bold presentation I have yet to encounter those who would aim their insults at me, but that was the hope. By being obvious and proud I strip bullies of their power to bully me. Being comfortable with who you are also creates an atmosphere that encourages others to be open as well. And the more of us there are, the more comfortable the atmosphere becomes. That is why I hope to encourage others to log into virtual social networking communities and create obvious queer personas. When we are everywhere it will become commonplace and then the terms 'queer' and 'normal' can be redefined as simply, 'human'.
Until next post, my loves. And maybe you might just find me gallivanting around the world at gaiaonline.com.
