Where's the love?

Here's another "Accent" article that bugged me. This one is about how "girl on girl" kissing is becoming more acceptable.

Yeah, you read that right. The gay civil rights promoter is bugged by the whole girl on girl kissing thing. Here's why. The article starts out be referencing Madonna and Britney's much-ballyhooed televised kiss. Right there it's very clear what we're talking about. This isn't about acceptance for people who are different than us, or about giving people the freedom to express their feelings for someone they love. This is about entertainment. Madonna and Britney aren't in love or testing the waters of a relationship. They're performers trying to titillate the audience.

Acceptance for same-sex couples isn't helped by the idea that it's okay for girls who aren't attracted to girls to kiss each other in order to get attention from boys. The whole concept of sex-as-entertainment cheapens the entire concept of love. MaryAnn Kincaid, a 24-year-old lesbian interviewed for this article, points out the pitfalls:

She says men will try to buy her a drink in a bar, and when she tells them she's a lesbian the automatic response is "Can I watch?"

"It's not a sideshow," Kincaid says, her voice tinged with exasperation. "This is my life. I'm not here for your entertainment value."

Now don't get me wrong, I like to watch a good, sexy, romantic love scene (in a movie, though, not in a downtown bar!) as much as the next person, and I think lesbian love stories can be every bit as beautiful and romantic. (As can love stories about gay men, but we're not seeing guys kissing on TV or straight guys kissing casually in bars... hmmm, wonder why that is??) The problem is, there's no love involved here. Madonna/Britney and girls making out with other girls to make their boyfriends hot is pornography, pure and simple.

I hope for a world where people have the freedom to figure out their sexual identity and orientation without fear. I hope for a world where people can love who they love and make life-long commitments to them without the government telling them their love isn't as good as mine. I do not hope for a world where anything goes so long as it's sexy.