having gone through my own negative experiences in school for being gay (not out, but gay nonetheless), I think Sarah has become a safety net, a bubble of sorts for anyone who has felt discriminated against. I found that the more I was being bullied or harrassed or whatever, the harder I held onto Sarah's music.

Very good point. I think you're on to something.

Perhaps its that we're irresistibly drawn to the joy, to the positive energy, positive vibe that Sarah exudes. Especially in contrast to the seemingly un-ending negative crap that life can dish out at times.

...jim

exactly

I've had a horrible few days, and those last three or four posts brought a smile to my face. Thank you

[quote:4cfc89281b="Sweet One"]I've had a horrible few days, and those last three or four posts brought a smile to my face. Thank you [/quote:4cfc89281b]

Ya gotta love it.

Even Sarah's message board spreads joy!

...jim

We've all been infused with Slean-joy, now we get to spread it (with love) like a terrorist.

Sweet One, sorry to hear you've been having a rough time. Hope things start coming up roses soon.

Thanks BoyWonder, jim

Whoa,

I totally forgot to check in on this thread that I started oh so long ago.

It's been cool to see some positive discussion happening.

Overall, it's pretty clear that when an artist has a gay following, that it's generally a compliment to the artist and subsequently a compliment to gays in general.

I'm sick to death of talking about it though, i'm not GAY, i'm Trevor. It's easy to slip into the trap of using GAY to identify everything that you are...

Save labels for clothing.



Trev

Hehe. I love the label talk. I agree whole-heartedly.
Sometimes it's just easier to say "I'm gay" than to say "I'm bisexual but I'm mainly attracted to men" or "I'm Neal, stop trying to label me" lol

sometimes i worry that people will miss out because of an artist that is labelled with having a hug gay following....it would never ever deter me from checking out a new artisit, but i know that some people turn right off when i mention ani difranco to them.

i think that some people are put off by music with very open themes about situations they are unaware of either by choice or circumstance. for me as a female i see ani's lyrics about relationships/politics and the likes as empowering on an individual level regardless of my sexuality. i'm an open heterosexual: "it's just desire!!!"

and i think it may be frustrating to ahve that label put on you as an artisit because the moment you "stray" from the label that's been put upon you there is some hesitation by that specific fanbase.

i don't think sarah's artistry varies from anis in where one is subtle ampowerment and one is overt empowerment. both are amazing in their own way 8)

in conclusion [haha] i don't think sarah's gay following is as obvious as other artists.

did i make a point? i hope so....

Sarah's gay following is likely less noticeable than other artists because she doesn't talk about it (which, I don't blame her on... is it really all that relevant?). Artists like Ani, Cher, Madonna, etc who all have gay following and are either queer (Ani, Madonna?? lol) or who talk about their gay followings (CHer, Madonna) get that label much easier.

As to whether or not it's a deterrent... well... if it is that's unfortunate, but it's definitely the loss of the person being deterred, y'know? If someone is going to miss out on the magic that is Sarah Slean because they are worried they might be labelled as gay, or simply because gay people like her then, well, that's kind of sad.

PS I love that you are 'out' as a heterosexual. There needs to be more of that in today's society

[quote:4824cbf2fa="Sweet One"] If someone is going to miss out on the magic that is Sarah Slean because they are worried they might be labelled as gay, or simply because gay people like her then, well, that's kind of sad.
[/quote:4824cbf2fa]

Abso-f'in-lutely!!

If enjoying the wonder and magic of music like Sarah's means I "might" be labelled gay, then you know what, colour me gay, baby.

I'm a ridiculously tolerant fellow, but as time goes on I'm finding I have less and less patience for these sad, closed-minded individuals that seem so frightened and threatened by another person's sexuality.

Seriously, WTF is up with that? :evil:

Argh....

okay, enough rant. I feel better now...


...jim

[quote:017c7f8fc2="Sweet One"]

PS I love that you are 'out' as a heterosexual. There needs to be more of that in today's society [/quote:017c7f8fc2]

haha, i think more people hsould be open about their heterosexuality these days :P ...it's a rarity what with "bi-curious" being all the rage....labels make numb inside.....arg....haha

and you're right....the artist acknowledging a gay following thenmakes it more apparent to the audience i suppose.....really, it doesn't matter to me because i don't think that way....i've just met some sad, close-minded indivicuals who are....their loss....

[color=darkblue:130f99548f]I can safely say that I have never thought that if you listen to a certain artist that you were gay. If that was the case I'd better have a long talk with my boyfriend who is really into Sarah Slean. How does one know that an artist has that label?[/color:130f99548f]

:shock: I never really thought about all this. I mean I know some artists have gay followings but I never thought about how that would affect others giving those artists a listen to.

Unfortunately it is true with less known artists, and Sarah Slean is one of those who I think has the ability (especially after hearing the new record) to make it in the mainstream even if it is just the Canadian mainstream. Whether or not she wants to is another thing...

But anyway, not that I feel I need to make it known but seems to be the theme of everyone's posts... "I am a straight male listener of Sarah Slean, and damn proud of it!"