walk the walk, talk the talk

the trip to the clinic the other day wasn't without it's plus sides. one particular source of amusement was the guy sat next to me in the waiting room. he was a bit of an odd one really. from what i can establish he was on the phone to his mum - i wasn't deliberately being nosey and listening in, honest - whose name was mary. it's all a bit beyond me to be calling your parents by their first name, mum or 'you' usually suffices. anyway, this guy, let's call him julian for arguments sake, is chatting away to his mum, telling her all about his little trip to the gum clinic and how he fancies the nurse who does the test. all of which is in the most outrageously camp voice going. apart from his laugh, which was deep enough to give brian blessed a run for his money. so the question is, is julian really a screaming queen or is he putting it on? and if he is putting it on why? i'm sure he's a perfectly lovely, reasonable guy, and i've got nothing against camp guys in principle, but i just wonder why certain people think they need to fit a certain kinda stereotype to feel part of the gay community. maybe it's just that, while in the closet these guys tone themselves down for general consumption and then when they do come out, revert back to their natural state. either way, if they're happy, so what? it's just bizarre. being gay you can find it hard to be accepted by straight society. but equally i reckon some guys must find it hard to feel accepted by the gay community unless they wear the right clothes, go to the right places, walk the right walk and talk the right talk. and what do we end up with? a scene full of standard issue Sohomo's. and i reckon that is that's at the expense of people just being comfortable being themselves, it's a bit of a shame.