Jeff Whitty's Letter to Jay Leno

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 6:54pm

Seth Rudetsky posted this searing note on 'the other board' but I thought it was too great not to post here as well. (If you're reading this Seth...I'm glad you posted it and Jeff...I'm glad you wrote it, and I hope you don't mind my picking it up, as it were)


Jeff Whitty letter to Leno


Posted by: SethRudetsky 06:12 pm EDT 04/21/06

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I just had this emailed to me from a casting director...I don't know if Jeff wants to in the public eye, but I think it's incredibly well written so I thought I'd post it.

Dear Mr. Leno,



My name is Jeff Whitty. I live in New York City. I'm a playwright and the author of "Avenue Q", which is a musical currently running on Broadway.



I've been watching your show a bit, and I'd like to make an observation:



When you think of gay people, it's funny. They're funny folks. They wear leather. They like Judy Garland. They like disco music. They're sort of like Stepin Fetchit as channeled by Richard Simmons.



Gay people, to you, are great material.



Mr. Leno, let me share with you my view of gay people:



When I think of gay people, I think of the gay news anchor who took a tire iron to the head several times when he was vacationing in St. Maarten's. I think of my friend who was visiting Hamburger Mary's, a gay restaurant in Las Vegas, when a bigot threw a smoke bomb filled with toxic chemicals into the restaurant, leaving the staff and gay clientele coughing, puking, and running in terror. I think of visiting my gay friends at their house in the country, sitting outside for dinner, and hearing, within hundreds of feet of where we sat, taunting voices yelling "Faggots." I think of hugging my boyfriend goodbye for the day on 8th Avenue in Manhattan, and being mocked and taunted by passing high school students.



When I think of gay people, I think of suicide. I think of a countless list of people who took their own lives because the world was so toxically hostile to them. Because of the deathly climate of the closet, we will never be able to count them. You think gay people are great material. I think of a silent holocaust that continues to this day. I think of a silent holocaust that is perpetuated by people like you, who seek to minimize us and make fun of us and who I suspect really, fundamentally wish we would just go away.



When I think of gay people, I think of a brave group that has made tremendous contributions to society, in arts, letters, science, philosophy, and politics. I think of some of the most hilarious people I know. I think of a group that has served as a cultural guardian for an ungrateful and ignorant America.



I think of a group of people who have undergone a brave act of inventing themselves. Every single out-of-the-closet gay person has had to say, "I am not part of mainstream society." Mr. Leno, that takes bigger balls than stepping out in front of TV-watching America every night. I daresay I suspect it takes bigger balls to come out of the closet than any thing you have ever done in your life.



I know you know gay people, Mr. Leno. Are they just jokes to you, to be snickered at behind their backs? Despite the angry tenor of my letter, I suspect you're a better man than that. I don't bother writing letters to the "God Hates Fags" people, or Donald Wildmon, or the Pope. But I think you can do better. I know it's "The Tonight Show," not a White House press conference, but you reach a lot of people.



I caught your show when you had a tired mockery of "Brokeback Mountain," involving something about a horse done up in what you consider a "gay" way. Man, that's dated. I turned the television off and felt pretty ****ing depressed. And now I understand your gay-baiting jokes have continued.



Mr. Leno, I have a sense of humor. It's my livelihood. And being gay has many hilarious aspects to it -- none of which, I suspect, you understand. I'm tired of people like you. When I think of gay people, I think of centuries of suffering. I think of really, really good people who've been gravely mistreated for a long time now.



You've got to cut it out, Jay.


Sincerely,


Jeff Whitty

New York, NY

Updated On: 4/21/06 at 06:54 PM

[C is for Company]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 6:57pm

He's quite well-spoken

[Cruel_Sandwich]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 6:57pm

That's AWESOME.

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 7:02pm

I do think that's a very well written letter.

However, I do think that Jeff Marx posts here and I'm not sure he would want to see this posted as it may also be seen by Whitty.

I don't know if Jeff Whitty meant for the letter to be for Jay Leno's eyes only or 'the internet in general.'

Just trying to keep private things, well, private.

Edit: I know it was posted on 'the other board'...but posting it here is just spreading it more.

Updated On: 4/21/06 at 07:02 PM

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 7:02pm

*applauds him*

Wonderful writer.

[MasterLcZ]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 7:04pm

SweetQ, If either Jeff objects to my posting it, I will delete it.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 7:05pm

I'd like to assume that Seth cleared it before he went and posted it on the internet. He's a good guy.

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 7:08pm

That is a great letter.

[Enjolras77]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 8:04pm

This thread just got deleted over at ATC

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 8:05pm

Uh oh. :-/

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 8:13pm

I thought this would eventually happen...

[Luscious]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 8:17pm

3...2...1...

Great letter, though. I never could stand that assh*!e, Leno!

Updated On: 4/21/06 at 08:17 PM

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 8:23pm

"When you think of gay people, it's funny. They're funny folks. They wear leather. They like Judy Garland. They like disco music. They're sort of like Stepin Fetchit as channeled by Richard Simmons."

That describes most of my gay buddies pretty well.

[Dre2387]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 10:21pm

that was a great letter. i do believe it does talk balls to come out.

[Tag]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 11:10pm

Although he makes some good points, the letter, to me at least, is not serious enough. When you start writing things like big balls and curse words you loose respect.
Also, 'silent holocaust' come on. I'm gay but even that term goes over the edge.

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 4/21/06 at 11:50pm

Oh, Jeff. You've got to learn how to pick your battles.

After all, everyone's a little bit homophobic, right? Maybe if we accept that, we could all learn to get along?

[Corine2]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 12:33am

That made me cry.
I want to thank Jeff Whitty for contributing to one of the greatest works ever created.
PS Avenue Q, is not only for now.
It is FOREVER.
I love Avenue Q.


Updated On: 4/22/06 at 12:33 AM

[SweetQintheLights]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 12:34am

AMEN

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 1:20am

The larger question is why anybody with two brain cells to rub together is watching Leno?

[Corine2]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 10:21am

Pizza Monster-
Time to buy a ticket to Avenue Q.

[Jane2]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 10:46am

"The larger question is why anybody with two brain cells to rub together is watching Leno? "

Because Letterman isn't funny.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 11:49am

Well, Jane, I guess we're just going to have to agree to disagree this time rather than getting into another back and forth about What Funny Is.

However, one of the most side-splitting stand up comedy routines I've ever seen was by the gifted comic Andy Kindler who had me howling in both shock (that somebody would say it out loud onstage at a major comedy gala in Montreal known to be prowled by bookers for TV chat shows) and recognition, because he dared to speak out loud about the comic void that is Jay Leno.

It began "That Jay Leno, what a piece of **** comic that guy is." He then did a perfect impersonation of Leno's voice as he said things like "See this ad? Hee heee. It says 'Muneral Parlor' but it's supposed to say 'FUNERAL Parlor,' hee hee hee heee."

I would think that somebody like Jeff Whitty wouldn't be a Leno watcher at all. Leno's, like, safe and beige enough for people's grandparents.

Posted: 4/22/06 at 11:55am

you know Tag, when you're in the hospital with brain damage get back to me on how over the edge the "holocaust" reference is.
Updated On: 4/22/06 at 11:55 AM

Posted: 4/22/06 at 12:07pm

I never watch Leno, Letterman, O'Brien, etc. In my opinion, late night talk shows lost their relevance to intelligent adult banter about the time Carson picked up and moved away from NYC to the land of the lowest common demoninator. Letterman and O'Brien simply brought that mentality East.

Corine, with all of the great works written for the stage, I will forgive you for saying, I want to thank Jeff Whitty for contributing to one of the greatest works ever created, because it is known that eating suishi does things to brain cells.
Updated On: 4/22/06 at 12:07 PM

[Corine2]

Posted: 4/22/06 at 12:07pm

Jose,
I said ONE OF THE GREATEST.
And, to be frank, Avenue Q, speaks to me in ways you might not understand.
I adore the production. If you don't, it really sucks to be you.

(Additionally, everyone has a favorite. Q, is mine. I have seen it 7 times)
Updated On: 4/22/06 at 12:07 PM