Mutant Pride: Ellen Page Represents

I am tired of hiding and I am tired of lying by omission.  I suffered for years because I was scared to be out.  My spirit suffered, my mental health suffered and my relationships suffered.  And I'm standing here today, with all of you, on the other side of that.

Good for Ellen Page.  I don't imagine it's an easy thing coming out, or even admitting to yourself that maybe you aren't what society expects you to be.  There's got to be some cognitive dissonance that goes along with that which must be taxing.  It reminds me of a quote from X-Men: First Class - 

 "If you're using half your concentration to look normal, then you're only half paying attention to whatever else you're doing."

The X-Men have often been used as a metaphor for people who are stigmatized for their differences; it's worth noting that gay actor Ian McKellan has said friends and colleagues told him his acting improved after he came out, as though he was suddenly better able to inhabit his roles.

Both Ellen Page and Ian McKellan play the roles of mutants in the X-Men franchise.

Accompanying Page's coming out has been the usual trolling responses anyone gets when they come out as gay, having a mental illness or anything else that makes them "extra-normal."  Straight people don't make a big deal out of their sexuality, why do gay people have to parade themselves in front of everyone?

Reading these comments got me thinking - why does it matter that people public declare themselves "extra-normal?"  

It matters internally for the reason stated above - no one should have to live in denial of themselves.  Of course, no one should have to fear reprisal for being themselves, either, but that's clearly still not the case.  

From Toronto Mayors to Russian Presidents, LGBTQ people are still heavily stigmatized by many for something other than the content of their character.

Which is why coming out matters externally, too.  Whatever we tell ourselves, gay people are still considered "extra-normal" in the same way that you don't see that many women on Bay Street or black men in politics.  It's considered a kiss of death to publicly disclose you have a mental illness - and this in spite of the grand tradition of great leaders, innovators and catalyzers all being a bit "extra-normal."

When a black man becomes President or a popular actress comes out of the closet and retains her career afterwards, a message is sent to others in society that it can be safe for them to live externally who they are internally.

In essence, the message conveyed is that mutants can co-habit successfully with their more normal (straight, white, whatever) peers.

Of course, the end goal should always be to get to a point where there's no need for people to come out, because we'll have an expanded enough understanding of what it means to be human that it really won't matter what your faith, sexuality or any of it is.  You'll be exposed to variety and encouraged to find and be true to yourself from day one.

That vision of society is still a long way off, though.  In truth, we may never get there.  

So I'm glad that people like Ellen Page are prepared to stand up and take pride in who they are, "extra-normal" or no.  If we're ever to retire the notion of "extra" from humanity, it's going to take people folk like her to lead the way.

1. Caroline O'Connell @Gruaig_Rua

   @Poynter Silly @guardian. You can't catch gay by hanging out with #LGBT people. But you catch Awesome from hanging out with @SirPatStew!

Patrick Stewart        ✔ @SirPatStew

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MT “@Gruaig_Rua: @Poynter Silly @guardian. You can't catch gay by hanging out with #LGBT people."

1:46 PM - 18 Feb 2014

Vladimir Putin Reads WAKATA

The Rossiyskaya Gazeta, the official government newspaper, published the presidential decree Friday, listing an array of measures tightening security in the Olympic host city, including the ban on public assemblies. All "gatherings, rallies, demonstrations, marches and pickets" that are not part of the Olympics or the Paralympics will be prohibited in Sochi from Jan. 7 to March 21, the decree said.

First, there was Martin Goldfarb.  Then came Stephen Harper.  I have a sneaking suspicion Bob Rae might have paid me a visit.  But this trumps 'em all.

The day after I post on the inevitability of LGBTQ protests in Sochi and how bad it'll be for Putin, he puts out a notice that protests are banned.  Yay for me, I've influenced Russian policy!  (It's at least a possibility - I have had 206 hits from Russia so far this week.  That's gotta count for something.)

Alas, even if I have inspired Putin to action, the poor fellow seems to have missed the meat of my advice - stifling dissent isn't going to work.  Not in a forum like the Olympics.  They'll never be able to screen out all protesters, nor scare everyone into submission.  With celebrity interest in the event there will inevitably be people of global profile poking the bear over gay rights and doing so in a public way, making Putin look like the tyrannical stick-in-the-mud he is.

How he'll respond to that communications crisis will be interesting, but even more important will be the international community's response to him.  We've had a lot of vague protests from Western governments against an increasing number of volatile, civilian-threatening situations in the world, but that's been about it.  Should, say, American or Canadian citizens are mistreated while defending human rights in Russia, they (and the IOC) are going to have to show some sterner stuff.  Their constituents will demand nothing less.

The simplest way for the West to head-off any difficult scenario around the Olympics would be to push for them to instead be held in Vancouver.  Russia would definitely respond to such a slight, though - and it wouldn't do anything to address the root cause of the conflict.  

The best long-term solution would be for Putin to have a Damascus moment, quit being a thug and start showing some true leadership by rescinding the law and promoting equality for all Russians.

If he keeps on reading WAKATA, I'm sure he'll find something to help him along his way.

UPDATED: Wrestling with Russia: There's Something Queer About the Sochi Olympics

The letter still leaves open the question of what would happen to Olympic athletes or fans if they make statements or gestures that could be considered propaganda.

It doesn't take a genius to see where this is headed.

The Olympics is an international event meant to unite the world in a spirit of friendly competition.  Everyone is equal regardless of where they come from or what they look like - it's all about skill.

International events like the Olympics draw international audiences.  People will stream into Sochi from all over the world, trying to take in the sports, go to the cool parties and just be present for something special.

As with other world-stage events - the Toronto G20 comes to mind - you're also going to get advocacy groups showing up, using the platform to raise their voice or to protest injustices like, I don't know, the suppression of LGBTQ people and allies in Russia.

Russia (though not Putin) has said everyone will be welcome to the Games and the IOC seems to be taking that assurance as enough.  Thing is, Russians are still going to be persecuted regardless of what happens to outsiders.  Russia may try to pull a North Korea (these people are our people - back off, International Community!) but if they think they can shut out all the potential rabble rousers around gay rights, they're delusional.

Sochi will be filled with Gay Rights activists.  There will be enough gay-friendly activity on display under the international spotlight that other people with a bent for human equality are going to get in on the game.  Without question, Russia's anti-gay law is going to be challenged to the max, putting the Russian government - ie, Putin - in a corner.  On top of this, you'll have the rabble-rousers, the carousers - and the anti-gay rights camp will be out in force, too.

Russia or the IOC could take a page out of Apple's playbook, play on this emerging social zeitgeist and pull a brand-building win out of doing the right thing.  Trouble  is, Putin is a bear-wrestling tough-guy who doesn't like to be challenged.  It'll be mighty tempting for him to enforce his reputation and bring down the hammer.  That would not be a pretty scene. 

The IOC, focused solely on their Games and brand, need to take a step back and make a thorough assessment of what to expect and what repercussions they are prepared to own - because, at the end of the day, the Olympics are their party, we're the guests. 

Or, they can decide there's nothing to be done to change what will come and stick their heads in the sand.  That's a conundrum for them to wrestle with.


UPDATE:  The scuffles started after anti-fay protesters tore a rainbow flag out of a woman's hands.  The St. Petersburg City Government had sanctioned they rally despite the Russian Government's June passage of a contentious law outlawing gay "propaganda." Gays in Russia have faced increasing pressure and threats of violence from homophobic vigilantes.

That scuffle has left us with this ionic image of the sort that comes to define the stories of our time; they are the ones that matter, because the folks in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't.  They kept going.  Because there were holding on to something...

With one of those iconic images that comes to define the stories of our times - the ones that matter.  Folks in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't.  They kept going.  Because they were holding on to something-

The notion that ideas are bullet proof.