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Issue 1004
March 25, 2008
Bette's True Colors

I am sorry Bette Midler feels it will "take time" for people to accustom themselves to the idea of gay marriage. She has shown her true colors. I say this to her: "Get with the 21st century, Bette." I am sure there were many people in 1950s America who needed 'some time' to accustom themselves to the idea of non-segregated restrooms and restaurants. Wake up, Bette! Get out of your bubble. You may have been in the Continental Baths years ago, but guess what, the culture and the world have moved WAY beyond the bathhouse. Have you? With all the retrospectives you have done, from Clooney albums to a Vegas show that lives in the past, you obviously are oblivious to the current state of the world. Bette, it is 2008, not 1978, OK? As an American forced to live overseas in Denmark with my partner, I am a direct 'casualty' of a law that allows heterosexual partners (if one is American) to reside in the USA via a residents permit. You see, the USA directly discriminates against gay people regarding partner immigration. On the other hand, nations such as Denmark, Spain, France, the Netherlands and others already recognize partnerships of gay people as equal to that of heterosexuals. There are no issues around immigration related to sexual orientation partner status in Denmark. My partner and I had to move from the USA so he could work in his industry. It has been emotionally and financially draining, but we have had to adjust. We have had to make choices that heterosexuals do not have to make. Bette, how long do you think it will take for people to get used to it? Should we wait forever and let it just happen organically? I would have hoped more from you, something akin to a leadership position, but alas, you are just as conservative as many others, regardless of your start in the bathhouse. Yes, you said it right, "you used them." You are still using us, Bette. Take off your wigs and your makeup and your flashy clothes; put you in a couch in your L.A. home and we will see what you are: someone who uses those she needs, but snidely disses them when she's not onstage. Your colorful outfits may be fine onstage, but your true colors show clear by your response to gay marriage.

James Schmidt
Copenhagen, Denmark
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