Comments
by Java Mann 
My
limited experience with the phrase "straight acting" has been in connection
with personal ads, were it's a euphemism for "closet case". In my humble
opinion, when a gay guy describes himself as straight acting, he is in
fact announcing to the world that he is insecure with his sexuality, and
that he is overly concerned with the opinion of others.
Recently a friend e-mailed
about StraightActing.com.
The page features a quiz to determine (on a scale from 1–10) how straight
acting you are. A score of 1 indicates you are John Wayne, and a score
of 10 means you are Dame Edna Everage. I scored a 3.
Being unable to leave well
enough alone, I began engaging in a bit of research. I sent this address
to a select (mixed) group of individuals, asking them to take the quiz
and report their scores back to me. If nothing else, I’m curious to see
how straight acting some of my straight friends actually are.
In the brief time I spent
poking around the quiz and its related pages, I rediscovered that there
is some controversy concerning the term "straight acting". On a connected
bulletin board, more than a few people took offense to the fact that the
quiz even existed. I suppose they see it as promoting straight acting,
and thus is anti-gay. I personally don’t see it.
I also recall a radio interview
with the former editor of local newspaper whose duties required him to
edit the personal ads. He single handedly changed the papers policy, and
stopped permitting the phrase "straight acting" in the ads. His argument
was that they wouldn’t even think about printing an ad that read "white
acting single black man…".
In reality, I don’t know
what straight acting is. One might argue that it is the absence of any
stereotypical "gay" quality. Since gays are notoriously emotional, is it
straight acting to be devoid of emotion? Since gays are known for their
appearance and personal grooming, is it butch to be a slob? I don’t know.
What I do know is this: As
a rule I am opposed to labels. For the most part they are vague (or open
to interpretation) and tend to de-humanize. For good or bad, we are a collection
of individuals and most similarities (and differences) are inconsequential.
The depth of personal character cannot be classified, categorized, monitored,
measured or numbered. The most sophisticated computer program ever written
cannot assess the human heart, no matter how many questions it might ask
about your grooming habits, taste in music or mechanical aptitude.
The quiz is a lark. Laugh
about it, talk about it, and share it with friends. If, however, you find
yourself taking it remotely seriously, turn off your computer and go outside.
You are obviously in need of immediate social interaction.
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