The Dawn Of A New Day In Sexual Liberation

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The faculty of arts at the University of British Columbia is a vibrant community of scholars whose expertise ranges from the humanities to creative and performing arts, and social sciences. Here we continue a series of essays that aims to deepen our understanding of the world in which we live, and offer provocative and informed views on cultural issues.

Nancy Gallini, dean of arts, UBC

As the glitter settles on the Queen Elizabeth stage after three consecutive performances from pop iconoclast Lady Gaga, the cultural ground is rumbling: In the realm of human sexual expression, a seismic shift in underway.

Gaga, who identifies as bisexual and flaunts an unabashedly raunchy and celebratory brand of female sexuality, is only one wave in the sea change taking place.

All in the space of the past few weeks, actor Meredith Baxter (from Family Ties) came out as a lesbian after three marriages and five kids. The video game, Dragon Age: Origins, features a gay love scene between an elf and a warrior. And both Gaga and her male cultural counterpart Adam Lambert launched albums that boldly peddle pansexual play and experimentation. The hinges that hold fast the institution of monogamous, marital heterosexuality appear to have come undone. And this is good news for society.

My infatuation with Lambert began the moment he emerged in all of his sparkly, cocky glory under the tattered tent of that travelling circus, American Idol. I'm a 50-year-old lesbian sociologist (hardly a targeted "tween") and still he took my breath away. His flamboyant clothing, eyeliner, black nail polish and jewelry defy normative masculinity while his voice is Olympian in quality. Similarly, Gaga irresistibly plunders the wardrobes of rubber fetishists and burlesque queens without pandering to the rigidly defined notions of female attractiveness that constrict the Beyonces and Britneys of the music industry. She dreams of having sex with a woman in her arresting tune, Poker Face. No wonder Gaga is a gay icon!

Both performers unapologetically announce that public expression of homo-and bisexual desire matters. It matters to them and to fans of all ages who crave evidence of same-sex love and lust in a world awash in tired tales of "opposite sex" romance. It should matter to us all as Statistics Canada reports that 32 per cent of queer youth attempt or commit suicide in response to systemic dispossession, torment and bullying in schools.

Popular reality TV shows, including So You Think You Can Dance, Battle of the Blades and Dancing with the Stars flagrantly showcase hyper-sexualized moves by hetero-couples in curiously skimpy, sequined and satin outfits. Excluded from the rote "boy gets girl" fantasy of fairy tales and Disney's animated films, young queers and gender non-conformists struggle for visibility, recognition and belonging.

As Barbara Walters interviewed Gaga this week as one of the 10 most fascinating people of the year, the singer and performance artist said that the motivation behind her provocative music, persona and costumes is to send a message to the "freaks" of the world that they are not alone, and that it is okay to embrace and express your authentic self.

Lambert's homoerotic indulgence at the American Music Awards, including a juicy lip-lock with a male guitar player, was raw and unrehearsed. But the cancellation of his post-AMA appearances on TV in response to outraged critics reminds us that debates about the complicated state of human sexuality and gender identity are far from settled.

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, American zoologist turned sexpert, Alfred Kinsey, conducted interviews with 11,000 women and men about their sexual activities. More than 37 per cent of the men and 28 per cent of the women disclosed stories of their same-sex sexual activity. Horrified by Kinsey's revelations, moral conservatives catalyzed a frenzied protest. Back then, the "closet" afforded scores of gay men and lesbians the promise of safety and security when the paralyzing fear of discovery, coded language and underground networks prevailed.

The ascendancy of Lambert and Gaga to above-ground celebrity reminds queer folks and allies that we need not settle for crumbs -- a charged glance between Batman and Robin, the sappy domesticity of Will and Grace or the colourless chastity of gay characters on Six Feet Under and Brothers and Sisters.

Lambert and Gaga brashly borrow from and remake the glamour, sexual savvy and brazen gender subterfuge of Ma Rainey, Liberace, Janis Joplin, Divine, Prince and Madonna. Released from the punishing vise-grip of closetry and buoyed by gains made by sexual freedom-fighters since the 1960s, Lambert and Gaga symbolize titanic shifts in what counts as sexually "normal" and "natural." Rather than provoke fear in young people, they herald an ethos of kaleidoscopic gender and sexual diversity. Theirs is a newly liberationist message that's gone mainstream. Is there something unhinging about that?

http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/dawn+sexual+liberation+upon/2334269/story.html

This article is an interesting read and gives support to Adam's response to a comment about women being attracted to him, in which he stated that "sexy is sexy". Adam has been described as "sex on legs" and other titles by admiring fans. He does "sexy" very well and his vocals are as enhanced as a siren's call. Double hook.