Gay Function

Function is the key word of the week. Saturday I went on a bus trip to the fabulous New Orleans for the fabulous Mardi Gras. Sunday I rested (me and God got that in common). And, on Monday, I had to function again. Job interview, shopping for new clothes for new job, reading sociology articles on crime for a quiz this thursday, and reading the book Guilty by Reason of Insanity for my class on serial crime. Fun reading, let me tell you.

But functioning means a little more for me this week besides dragging my butt through the mall and arguing with the Express sales clerk. To sociologists, function represents an entire school of though. According to the funcionalist theories, every group or faction or social bond has a specific function to society. If it did not have a purpose, it would not exist. Even crime has a function; the deviant behavior of others serves to show us what is considered normal and proper and what isn't.

So, a functionalist believes that every social group has a purpose. Which leads me to think about the gay population. I've been reading a LOT of scholarly articles and not a one has mentioned the function of the gay population. But that's okay, that's what I'm here for.

There's one, admittedly bleak, way of looking at it. The gay population is considered a deviant population. Before you get your thongs in a twist, you should know that the word deviant just means against the norm; to a sociologist, it does not imply "good" or "bad" behavior, just contrary behavior. An estimated 6% of the population is gay, i.e. a minority. We go against the grain; we deviate from the norm. So, we're a deviant population. Which means that our deviance serves to show the community what's normal and what isn't.

I know...it isn't exactly a ray of sunshine. I mean, crime is considered in much of the same way. This explanation pretty much puts that femme fagale or butchy lesbian on the same level as a burgalar or car thief or, dare I say it, rapist or murderer. Not exactly a great category to be in. So, being force-fed this explanation like a baby being spooned mushed peas leads to the obsessive search for something with a bit better public appeal. What is our function in society? Besides the designer clothes, the ripped bodies, the Broadway shows, the exotic floral designs or that fabulous set of curtains that you just can't believe your gay friend got at the flea market, what do we have to offer?

I think the answer is in the word. Homosexual. Sexual. What makes us different from the other 94%, what makes us deviant, is how we live our sex lives. We pair up, make love, fuck with the same gender. But that's it. Other than that, we're pretty much the same. Of course, there's the typical stereotypical gay man or lesbian, but I've seen lots of straight folks dancing and exercising and arranging flowers over the years. You see those stereotypes because you've been taught to see that behavior or pattern as homosexual. You forget that there are spies among you. That the man in the tie and suit in the elevator with you on your way up to the office said goodbye to his boyfriend that morning. Or that the women in front of you at the grocery store is buying the ingredients to bake a cake for her life partner's birthday. We're only different from you in that one regard: who we love.

And what more deviant behavior is there than love?

Sincerely,
Your Spy