GAYLETTER

When Irish actor Rory O’Neill (who is also known as the drag performer Panti) was interviewed on a popular Irish talk show about his experience with homophobia, specifically in certain Irish newspapers and on the Internet, the last thing he expected was to be then lambasted by the media as a homophobe himself. Rory’s comments were pretty tame, and certainly justified, yet that didn’t stop the TV station from removing the segment and making an apology.

“The only place that you see it’s OK to be really horrible and mean about gays is on the internet in the comments and people who make a living writing opinion pieces for newspapers,” he said and then when on to name a few columnists he believed had written homophobic things in the past.

What happened after the interview is truly bizarre. The Irish media utilized a trick often employed by the fuck faces over at Fox News. It’s truly brilliant and horribly evil. They responded with mock horror and great offense at being labelled homophobic and instead claimed that Rory is the one who is intolerant. He is the one who can not accept their bigoted opinions, he is the name caller, the bully, the homophobe, and it is they who are the victims of oppression.

Rory addressed the controversy the other night at The Abbey Theater after a performance of The Risen People. I’m aware this story is unlikely to garner much press in the US, however Rory’s speech speaks to the experience of all oppressed people and is well worth a watch. It’s beautifully and powerfully said, and a good reminder that while queer oppression is not as blatant as it used to be it still exists in many subtle yet annoying ways.