Doonesbury by Garry Trudeau for July 11, 2014

Joanie, you don’t look that cheerful at this moment.

A huge deal in the comics back then.

What a difference a couple of generations make!

Being gay might be “no problem” in the comics now, “no problem” in real life, to the current generations… or to me….

But it will always be a big deal to the one who fell for someone of incompatible orientation.

Joanie’s sorrowful “Oh my God” is about her own heart, and probably some embarrassment at not realising sooner…. but NOT about his revelation in societal or moral terms.

In high school there was a fellow, a year ahead of me, with the name, “Gaye.” And there’s author Gay Talese, now in his 80s. Chances are we won’t see that name for awhile.

I know a couple teachers and a school nurse who are also named Gay. They are all in their 60’s, all women.

“I mean we can still have relations but I’ll be thinking of some other fellow at the time.”

In the ’60’s there was an old, old couple who lived next to us. Their last name was “Gay.” The man died of emphysema, and the woman sank deeper into Alzheimer’s, till another neighbor arranged to have her put into a nursing home.

Been there, done that. Sigh.

What is it with women that can’t tell if a guy is gay?

I wonder when the term “gaydar” entered the lexicon? @OlongapojoeI once asked out a lesbian, not realizing she was, so making a mistake like Joanie’s isn’t that hard to understand.

This happened to my mother in the early 50s. She fell for a gay guy and had her heart broken.

@OlongapojoeMany, I mean many, of those in the film industry, and likely TV as well, aren’t straight. They’re actors. And maybe that is a contributing factor, that they’ve had hide it so well. Who would have guessed that Rock Hudson, Errol Flynn, and seemingly countless other weren’t straight?

Well, the last republican primary season certainly had the flavor-of-the-month candidates dancing to the far-right’s tune.And whoever called Obama a liberal? Except that same far right?

I am reminded of some massive longitudinal study of several thousand people from birth at least through age twenty. They reported that of the males one year old noted as having “effeminate” characteristics, 90% listed themselves as gay by age twenty.I wondered about the other 10%, if they really weren’t or simply denied.It also didn’t mention frequency among those not showing those qualities, nor the female equivalent.Perhaps they reported it but I missed it.Perhaps they ignored females altogether in the study.. I used to be amused by preachers who claimed we are all attracted to other men but must fight it. I knew I wasn’t so I assume they were in denial about themselves..I suspect the most homophobic are in denial rather than holding the “live and let live” attitude.

Don’t worry, Joanie. There’s a nice fellow named Rick waiting for you.

Even when this was first published in the 70s, I got the impression that this was the final nail in the coffin for the word “gay” as defined as “cheerful” or “happy” or “festive”.