The stereotypes about gays-loving-musicals is so frustrating to me. I grew up in a family that had season tickets to the Chicago Cubs, but who also went to see every Broadway show that had a tour stop in Chicago. So I enjoyed both.
In high school, we went to basketball games and to musicals. I still wasn't aware of the musicals/gay connection. Then, sometime in college, I finally had people telling me I must be gay if I like musicals. And my reaction was always "huh? Musicals are something you go see with your family when youre 10 years old....how is it gay??"
Yeah I've heard all the nonsense theories that connect gay people with musical theater, but it still is frustrating. I post a lot about taking my inner-city high school students to shows. The cool part for me is taking our seats and seeing our fellow audience members roll their eyes and groan when they see 7 black teenagers sit in front of them. Then when I make the kids verify their phones are off and review all the rules about theater behavior one more time, the people around us are watching with their mouths dropped.
For whatever its worth, I always have male students ask to go on more trips to see Broadway shows, and it seems like its mainly because its just something so different and exotic to them. I know half of you will say condescending remarks about how I'm too dumb to realize they're gay or whatever, but I really dont see any gay tendencies in these kids. Who knows, maybe they are, but the point is, I dont think they like seeing b-way shows because they're gay.
