I initially was going to call this blog 'The New Homosexual' but realised it was a bit too audacious to call a blog that… just like Baz Luhrmann calling his film ‘Australia’… it already carries so much expectation and assumption that people are going to be disappointed… not that I essentially want to impress… but calling this blog 'The New Homosexual' could mean a messy start for your entertainment (and mine). And we don’t want that dear reader, do we?
Instead, I’ve named this blog ‘Reinventing The Closet’. This title can denote more than just the literal meaning within the context of coming out. Popular belief could suggest the ‘closet’ is, after all, yet another way to help us understand the main rite of passage that every LGBT person will at some point face. It could also suggest a closet is something that is eventually disbanded and stored away for a rainy nostalgic day or for an It Gets Better Vlog. It’s something that is different for everybody. Some people hardly ever have one, while others feel the need to lock themselves in and swallow the key for most, if not all, of their lives (with occasional attempts to try and look for said key every couple of weeks down at a local sex beat or on ManHunt).
I could fill the stereotype of self righteous over-informed angry homosexual and suggest that we ALL have the potential to come out of a closet (I mean Jesus Christ… Eminem explicitly stated he was going to clean out his years ago)… but I know none of you want to hear my droning Kinsey argument drivel yet again (we’ll save that for when the joint is being passed around, shall we?). But to all you people out there that fall into the ‘Heterosexual’ category, I urge you to perform a simple Google search and Wikipedia the hell out of Alfred Kinsey and his theories. Kinsey at least begins to try and understand the complexities of human sexuality that makes the traditional politically incorrect question are you gay or are you straight? seem ludicrous.
Anyway, calm down dear reader. That's hopefully the last time I play the ‘everyone is queer' card... at least within this initial entry ;)
Anyway, calm down dear reader. That's hopefully the last time I play the ‘everyone is queer' card... at least within this initial entry ;)
Truth is I’m just gonna be a crazy fucker and suggest that the closet is NOT only there to help us understand a gay person's rite of passage; it's not just there to stay in or come out of. I’m gonna suggest that it is intrinsically a part of us (no matter how great or small) and something that could be inherently the soul of a gay identity or a soul in general. Essentially my blog title refers to the attempted redefinition and reclaiming of the word ‘closet’. I believe a closet, at least for myself (a gay male), is something that has still lingered and found a new meaning in the wake of me coming out of it 4 years ago. And no, I'm not referring to it as a place to hide my sexuality when I choose to. I speak of 'the closet' as my ever-changing sense of identity. This blog is my closet and its potential for reinvention will hopefully be on par with that of Lady Gaga, Björk and any other reinvention-hungry gay icon (well one can dream). Afterall, is the soul not ever-changing? Does it not transcend space and time? My closet holds my memories, my education, my talents, my loves, my hates, my passion, my past, present and future. It holds my secrets, my skeletons, my guilts, my fears, and my subconscious. And this blog is a representation of all of that... And if you’re picturing a young gothic Winona Ryder wearing a black veil, just like she wears when she attempts to write a suicide note in BeetleJuice – I really don’t blame you and I beg your pardon. Just let me get the sand out of my vagina, and I'll continue.
Fear not dear ryder reader, this blog will NOT be solely saturated content regarding my sexuality (no-sir-ree-bob), but rather my sexuality will simply be a platform from which I can give perhaps humorous perspective and insight on everyday occurrences (both mine and the world’s). Take this entry as my introduction (duh) and glean from it whatever mission statement you think I’m trying to blog under. I actively speak from a queer perspective. I do not think however my sexuality is my life, but rather an interesting piece of the puzzle and a piece that could potentially help me flex my idealistic muscles before I become a less enthused and disaffected 30-something. This will be my tangible proof that I was once perhaps slightly philosophical and believed in blind ideals and head-strong artistic expression. Who knows how the world will change in the future which could in turn weaken and water down my reality of ideas. Via this way of thinking I hope to draw upon all forms of art and pop culture, the world’s under-developed theoretical approaches to rapidly developing social media and any other wank of a subject that I or others find interesting, appealing or important.
In addition, and without a doubt, this blog will document and try to understand my life’s musings and misadventures as I try to live out the tale end of my impressionable years and embark on my quarter-life-crisis. Yes, a first world problem if there ever was one… but trust me, quarter-life-crises are the NEW puberty blues and DAMNET my feelings will be deconstructed, dissected and analysed to the N’th degree and then there will be a party (and I’ll cry if I want to). Who needs a psychologist when you’ve got a blog, right? Oh shit, this is definitely an episode of Stage 5 Gen Y wah-wah. But who wouldn't want to tune into that shit? Just look at Gossip Girl, it's now in its 5th fucking season! (but yes I know I'm no Chuck Bass).
I’m 23, I left a steady income, sacrificed a relationship, left my family, my friends and love of sun behind for Merry Ole London. I’ve been living in the UK since April this year. I’m working in a pub and still looking for professional work… but I’ve only really just got serious about the whole steady income thing… travel and hedonism is a bitch when you're seeking everyday routine. I finished a degree in media communications and film history last year and ultimately want to work in film. I have minimal professional experience with an abundance of student films and webisodes under my belt, but this is London and there’s no such thing as ‘paid internships’ but rather unpaid coffee-making opportunities where making a single contact that is going to help your career is only still a slight possibility. But hey, somehow, I am still having the time of my life. Reinvention happens when we're consciously making the effort for change OR when change happens organically without you really noticing. We walk in and out of our closets like we choose to walk in and out of a supermarket so we may replenish what we need to get through day-to-day life (did I really just compare a closet to a supermarket?). This blog will document my bittersweet affair with London, the rest of the world, and my closet... and it is you dear reader, who will bear witness. For that I say 'godspeed' and to quote a venturesome Albanian from the action flick ‘Taken’: Goodluck. *CUE dial tone*
