Stereotyping any type of person is problematic. The LGBT+ community, like many others, is rife with preconceived false notions of what 'should' constitute an LGBT man or woman. A prevalent stereotype of gay men is that we love pop divas and their music, think Cher, Madonna, Kylie - and while that is true of plenty of gay men around the world, the sheer scope of exposure afforded to this cross-section of gay culture is somewhat isolating to the rest of us.
Obviously gay periodicals and news channels like HuffPostGay, Gay Times and Attitude will commercially benefit from covering news stories pertaining to the aforementioned artists, and I'm sure many gay men have a vested interest in these people but that doesn't mean that their excursions constitute 'gay news'.
There are many gay men who are interested in sport, politics and other types of music, to name just a few examples. Shouldn't gay news outlets publish gay features on a plethora of interests or more simply just cover gay and LGBT issues, rather than paying disproportionate attention to stereotypical music tastes? Printed versions may have to restrict the range of news covered due to lack of space but online, where many of these outlets operate, there is no such excuse.
Of course, these celebrities can largely attribute their popularity among the gay community to their do-gooding, and it remains imperative for rights activists in the media to be reported on when they are active in that process. However, it isn't factual to suggest that Kylie and Madonna, to stick with earlier examples, are only reported on for equality campaigning. In contrast, Maroon 5 front-man Adam Levine and pop band Fun get nowhere near the same level of coverage despite similar if not excelling levels of activism themselves. Well, Adam Levine does get coverage, but a different kind. In recent years Levine has persistently and vocally championed equal rights and Fun have co-founded the Ally Coalition that encourages the idea of straight allies.
The point I'm trying to make is that the release of Madonna's album is not 'gay news'. Liza Minnelli going back to rehab, though sad and upsetting for some, is not 'gay news'. In fact, just yesterday Attitude published an article listing all the instances of self-reference on Madonna's latest release, Rebel Heart. I mean really? For the record, I think Attitude is an excellent publication but why are certain gay men's interests more important than others? I'm sure many consider these stories important or interesting but it isn't gay-specific news and the sole focus on trivial topics like these only propagates stereotypes of gay men and isolates those who don't fit in to these conventional interests.
There are a couple of ways that gay news carriers could correct this, and to be honest, it's surprising it hasn't already happened. They could either stick to LGBT specific news or feature a wide variety of interests remarked on from a gay angle. Let's be fair, a certain genre of pop music is not under the ownership of all in the gay community. In modern times, we are told repeatedly that gay men are a diverse group with a wide range of interests, views and beliefs - and rightly so. But why is it that in 2015, we still assume that disco pop is the only thing that gay men are interested in outside of being gay? Obviously, I don't expect a horse racing pull-out and a motorsports section but why are, for example, potential features on homosexuality in football or even the LGBT policy proposals of political parties being displaced by Britney Spears' latest robotic effort?
While I concede that it makes financial sense to include these stories in gay magazines, it doesn't make much sense to exclude other interests held by gay people that may transcend other spheres. This, remember is a community that added a '+' on to the LGBT acronym to be wholly inclusive - it's time to walk the walk. LGBT men and women should be able to purchase, follow and read gay news and have their other interests covered if the stereotypically common interests of other LGBT people are. Let's not isolate gay people via the media because they don't conform to traditional typecasts. It may seem like an over-the-top reaction to a seemingly minor issue but pigeon-holing people is never a good idea, particularly when these outlets are supposed to be representative. Let's not give others the chance to stereotype those in the LGBT community and embrace the wide variety of interests we share - that's the right attitude.