Lowering the Barr

On Tuesday, Roseanne Barr dealt a blow to gays and lesbians on her radio show by declaring:

"They don’t care about minimum wage. They don’t care about any other group other than their own selves because, you know, some people say being gay and lesbian is a totally narcissistic thing, and sometimes I wonder."

Isn't that a kick in the groin? After years of support from the LGBTQ community for her stand-up routines, her television series, and her failed public appearances, this is what we get. We have accepted Roseanne in spite of herself and this is the gratitude we receive! We have accepted Roseanne as the serial bride, the serial dieter, and, up to now, the serial offender. The worst part is that what she said was not funny. It wasn't meant to be funny.

If you want to joke about the amount of time gays take to get ready, the amount we spend on clothes, the amount of product in our hair - I get it. But to say we don't care about any other issue or group is both ridiculous and highly incendiary. There are Queer brethren in every facet of life performing every imaginable service from political lobbying to hands-on delivery of social services. There are cops, doctors, lawyers, and child-care providers that are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered taking care of people's parents, siblings, and children. Please, Ms. Barr, tell me again how narcissistic and self-absorbed we are.

I am a free speech advocate. I encourage Ms. Barr to exercise her right to free speech. As for me, I will be exercising another right - freedom of choice. I will be exercising this right as I choose radio show other than Ms. Barr's.