Brody's Scribbles... Gay Liberation Front: Manifesto. Have We Made Progress Since 1971? (Part 15)

By Tim Trent (Dartmouth, England) MAR 19 | I skimmed the next section of the Gay Liberation Front 1971 Manifesto in order to start to write the introduction. I should have restrained myself. I could weep hot tears of anger over it.

THE YOUTH CULT

Straight women are the most exposed in our society to the commercially manipulated (because very profitable) cult of youth and 'beauty'- i.e. the conformity to an ideal of 'sexiness' and 'femininity' imposed from without, not chosen by women themselves. Women are encouraged to look into the mirror and love themselves because an obsession with clothes and cosmetics dulls their appreciation of where they're really at . . . until it's too late. The sight of an old woman bedizened with layers of make-up, her hair tortured into artificial turrets, provokes ridicule on all sides. Yet this grotesque denial of physical aging is merely the logical conclusion to the life of a woman who has been taught that her value lies primarily in her degree of sexual attractiveness.

Gay women, like straight men, are rather less into the compulsive search for youth, perhaps because part of their rebellion has been the rejection of themselves as sex objects-like men they see themselves as people; as subjects rather than objects. But gay men are very apt to fall victim to the cult of youth-those sexual parades in the 'glamorous' meat-rack bars of London and New York, those gay beaches of the South of France and Los Angeles haven't anything to do with liberation. Those are the hang-outs of the plastic gays who are obsessed with image and appearance. In love with their own bodies, these gay men dread the approach of age, because to be old is to be 'ugly', and with their youth they lose also the right to love and be loved, and are valued only if they can pay. This obsession with youth is destructive. We must all get away from the false commercial standards of 'beauty' imposed on us by movie moguls and advertising firms, because the youth/beauty hang-up sets us against one another in a frenzied competition for attention, and leads in the end to an obsession with self which is death to real affection or real sensual love. Some gay men have spent so much time staring at themselves in the mirror that they've become hypnotised by their own magnificence and have ended up by being made unable to see anyone else.

Even in 1971 this was propagandist posturing and ranting. It proposes supposed facts without offering citations to validate them. I suggest that this is because they are not capable of validation.

Yes, youth and beauty is profitable. It was then, it is now. Then we had moisturisers and makeup, now we have anti-ageing creams and potions, moisturisers and makeup. Then we had cosmetic surgery, now we have botox.

How much this is to do with some sort of cult, and how much it's to do with younger people being simply more attractive than old people I have no idea. I know that, given a choice between going to bed with a 58 year old like I am or a svelte 19 year old like either of these toned young acrobats I am not about to choose the 58 year old.

Above are Edward Upcott and Adam McAssey, world Acrobatic Gymnastics champions and fine athletes. Look, here's another fine athlete just below. Olympic Gold Medallist Steve Ovett:

Steve Ovett, three years younger than I am

Ovett's still lean and fit, but it's no contest. It's Edward or Adam any day. I know the manifesto was talking about women, but my illustration is to show that we hanker after youth in our desires, not just the way we imagine, want, ourselves to look.

We then get told that Lesbians aren't into youthful looks. I wonder. Any Lesbian ladies care to answer that one?

Following that there is a diatribe about younger gay men parading on beaches. The truth of what is said is masked by the tone. But, male or female, homosexual or heterosexual, it is true. We like our partner to look good. It's sexually arousing. That's normal, natural and wholesome.

Now, if you spend your life in promiscuous casual encounters, your youth is important. Oldies get fewer quickies, probably. So, if the manifesto is about sleeping around, and this was pre HIV thus in safer times, then I sort of see its point, half, in an unappetising way.

I think what I'm starting to see is that this manifesto only represented stereotypical promiscuous homosexual men. That isn't me. If it's you, that's fine. Practice safe sex and live your life well. We're different, but I am no more right than you are.

But have we made progress since 1971?

What on? On Human Nature?