Gays are some of the most loyal fans on the planet.  Last night, I went to a few bars in West Hollywood, which, for the evening, had been transformed into WhitneyWood.  Queens belted out all of Ms. Houston’s greatest hits.  Even the strippers had a moment of silence.  Well, not silence.  A moment of suspended gyration? 

The gay community is drawn to divas with drug habits. I think gay men relate to their drama and struggle. Gay bonding overwhelmingly takes place in bars and drug-fueled night clubs, after all. We understand demons and love talent. Even when we made fun of Whitney’s addiction and her HIGHlarious Diane Sawyer interview, we did so with love. Lambasting (aka “reading”) is a form of celebration in the gay community, a mode of laughing thru the tears. 

Oh, Whitney! For years you struggled with rumors about your sexuality.  You always denied you were gay.  You may not have been a lesbian but you WERE most certainly queer.  Your life was put on display and judged, as if castigation were a sport.  You are loved and will be missed.  ”I learned from the best/I learned from you.”