Entertainment Matters More Than You Think

Recently, I read rants on Facebook in response to an entertainment-related article posted by an Advocate editor. Several people expressed their opinion that all entertainment content should be relegated to sister publication Out and that The Advocate used to be a “good” magazine that covered politics.

But politics is not just about what people are doing in Washington. It’s about the people, the population, and the society that population creates. The Advocate is not called The Extreme Political Activist.

I’ve interviewed a number of people, ranging from obvious gay advocates like Kathy Griffin to celebrities who may not be as well known to the LGBT community, including one of the original members of Destiny’s Child, LeToya Luckett. Let me tell you a quick story about this interview.

One of my coworkers is an African-American woman with whom I have a unique relationship. In fact, early on she revealed to me that I am the first white friend she has ever had. We’ve enjoyed many candid—and no doubt politically incorrect—conversations. Some have been challenging, but all have been worthwhile. And one day this woman—whose perspectives on many things are vastly different than my own—asked me if I had recently talked to any famous people. I told her yes, actually: a singer named LeToya Luckett.

“You interviewed LeToya!!!” was her reply, exclamation points included. It was quickly followed with “Wait—was that for the gay thing? Why would you interview her for that?”

“To promote her music,” I answered. “And to let gay people—as well as her fans—know that she supports gay rights. She even basically said she supports gay marriage.”

My friend kind of winced. But after reading the article she told me it was really good—a lot more interesting than she had expected. She even shared it with several people.