Another conversation between me and my mother.
"So what have you been doing lately?"
"Working. Stuff like that. I went to a party on Saturday, though. That was fun. It was, like, a "themed" party, so I went all rockstar, and painted my mohawk silver."
"..."
"Hello?"
"I'm still here. What do you mean, silver? Are you, like, going in drag now?"
"No, mom, I'm not going in drag. There's nothing at all the same between having a silver punk mohawk and being a drag queen. Besides, does it make you feel better to know the silver washes out?"
"Yes, it does. Anyway. I'm watching this Cher Farewell Concert thing on T.V. It's pretty good, and she's great to walk on my treadmill to. It's just the right beat, doonk doonk doonk."
"Yeah, I like me some Cher."
"Now, Cher kind of looks like a drag queen. Is it true that she's, like, some kind of, I don't know, like gay icon? Like, her and Bette Midler?"
"Oh, Cher? God yes. There's a bunch of 'em. Like Cher, and Madonna."
"Madonna? No way. MadONNA? Are you SURE?"
"Oh my god, mom, she's the biggest gay icon I can possibly think of right now. I know guys who would saw off their arm to go to one of her concerts."
"Oh. Oh, I think I get it. Like, Cher just came out on stage in leather, holding a whip."
"Mom, gay people don't like Cher because she uses whips."
"But she's feeding into that stereotype, I mean."
"The gay-people-use-whips stereotype? I know there are several, but I was unaware that using whips was one of them."
"Oh, you know what I mean! Just, like. The sexual stereotype kind of thing."
"Um. Right. (note to self: just let this one go) And for a different crowd, there are people like Barbra Streisand."
"WHAT?? Barbra Streisand has nothing to do with gay people."
"HAHAHAHA! I think she might be surprised to hear that."