Monday, January 23, 2006

Essay 354


The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is criticizing two judges’ performances on American Idol. Simon Cowell and Randy Johnson were targeted for insensitive comments made during the premiere show. Cowell suggested a male contestant should “wear a dress” — plus, he insisted the guy would make a great female impersonator. Jackson asked another male wannabe superstar, “are you a girl?” “The real offense here was in the producer’s decision to add insult to injury by turning a contestant’s gender expression into the butt of a joke,” remarked a GLAAD spokesperson. Over the years, Cowell has consistently made statements that could easily be viewed as homophobic, racist, sexist and more. But it seems odd for GLAAD to get mad. After all, American Idol helped launch the career of the blatantly queer Clay Aiken. Plus, everyone knows Cowell and Ryan Seacrest are gay lovers.

1 comment:

Irene Done said...

Of course, all this could have been avoided if the contestants had been able to, you know, sing.