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I'm weary of deciphering truth from Hollywood-speak, sifting the facts from the BS in the PR. While I'm not unappreciative of the true support — even the morsels offered up by the famous, I sometimes feel as though I, along with millions of other queers, am caught in the middle of a nonsensical meeting between an egoist who can't see us in a room full of mirrors and an unimaginative PR agent who can't hear us over the sound of his own rap.
The gay community could be worse off as a result of the hype, that's true. But I don't think it ungrateful to suggest that if stars want to support us, they should do something, and not just talk about what they want to do or, like Brad Pitt, what they won't do.
In a town where “Action!” is the word every actor wants to hear, the definition of the word clearly escapes some of them.
Wouldn't it be great if Eva Longoria, for example, stopped talking about wanting to be a lesbian and just became one, for crying out loud? And if she has no intention of ever having lesbian sex on screen or off, wouldn't it be nice if she just shut up?
Wouldn't it be refreshing if instead of telling actresses to use the word “lesbian” in a sentence as often as possible, agents told them to think before they speak or, in some cases, not speak at all?
On that note, let's Shimizu.
Made somewhat famous by Calvin Klein, who captured her androgynous look in his CK One ads, lesbian Jenny Shimizu is recognizable enough to put her face behind a queer cause and say and do something useful. Yes , she's waved a lesbian banner, so to speak, on the large screen and small, but the queer cause she's obviously most interested in promoting is her own — specifically, her past sex life with Angelina Jolie.
It was interesting when Jenny first spoke of her relationship with Angelina, that's true. But now, it seems every time Brad Pitt makes a statement about his relationship with Angelina, Jenny counters with an anecdote of a past sex-capade with his girlfriend, and it's getting old and sort of creepy. And mean. And pointless.
We get it, Jenny — you had sex with Angie; you're a love machine. Now do something beneficial. Move on.
Better yet, move in. Maybe if you, Angie and Brad lock yourselves in a room for a while, you'll stumble upon the obvious: If you all put your resources, talent, clout, and contacts together, you can make a compelling documentary about what's really going on in Washington and in State Houses around the country. You can investigate the people and motivations behind the ‘family values' propaganda and the efforts to prevent gay marriage, and record your findings. You can even ask Eva Longoria to help!
It's just a matter of time before someone like Michael Moore or even Oliver Stone realizes that there's a civil rights scandal happening in America right now — one that's rife with hypocrisy. Why wait?
Opportunity is knocking on Hollywood 's door. Brad? Angie? Will someone with a conscience please answer?
Kim Ficera is the author of Sex, Lies and Stereotypes: An Unconventional Life Uncensored. Her bi-weekly column Don't Quote Me is dedicated to all the folks in and out of Hollywood who talk without thinking or who don't know when to stop talking. Email her at kim@kimficera.com.
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