I’m not a movie critic, although I probably could be. It seems that most movie critics simply see a movie, form their own opinion about it, and then share that very opinion with the masses. Pretty much anyone could be a movie critic really - all you need is an opinion and a pen. So, when I read the reviews for Alexander the Great, I took the criticism with a grain of salt. That is until I read one certain comment that made me tilt my head to one side and mutter, “hmmm.” “Is Alexander too gay for audiences?”

What exactly is “too gay”?

I think I need to break this concept down a bit.

First, let’s look at it from a “straight” point of view. “Too gay” could mean that the heterosexual audiences of America just aren’t ready for a gay war hero, (especially the red states.) In other words, “too gay” for comfort. Alexander was an aggressive, daring warrior; one of the most feared men in history and for most of the heterosexual population, associating an individual like that with being gay is somewhat of an oxymoron. They are used to gay men being a little femme and passive, often displayed comically in roles like Will and Jack in Will & Grace. And instead of wheeling a weapon of some sort, they are used to seeing gay men like the fashionable men of Queer Eye wheeling hair dryers and moisturizing cream. Maybe it’s time we show them a different kind of gay man because there are gay men out there who aren’t feminine and who could care less about a manicure. Then films like Alexander wouldn’t come across as being “too gay.”

Now let’s look at it from a “gay” point of view. I’ve often heard some outwardly flamboyant gay men and extremely butch lesbians referred to as being “too gay” by other gay individuals. Why is that? Some people just flat out don’t care what you think about them. They live “loud and proud” and strut their stuff on the sidewalk as if they are walking a runway in Milan. Does that make them “too gay” for the rest of us? I don’t think so. I think it just makes them who they are.

I’m a little different. Walking the runway has never been my style. First, I can’t really wear heels all that well and second, I’ve never been one to stand out in crowd. I like to consider myself a moderate lesbian. I don’t own a lot of rainbow paraphernalia, and the most telling bumper sticker on my car says, “Sista Hoops.” Besides the fact that my hair is short and spiky and that I would never actually choose to wear a skirt, there isn’t much else about me that screams, “lesbian.” Most of the time, people who meet me either had no clue that I was gay, or they knew the first time they shook my hand. I guess it’s just a feeling they would get. One person, I recall, who was surprised when he found out about my sexual orientation said, “well, you don’t flaunt it.” This is true. I don’t flaunt it and I don’t see the need to - but that’s me. So, does that make me not gay enough?

I think what it comes down to basically, is stereotypes. Our society has depicted gays and lesbians to fit a certain mold – which is that most lesbians are like Ellen and most gay men are like the guys on Queer eye. But the reality is that we come in all different varieties and it’s our own individuality that expresses that. Regardless of how outrageously obvious or behind the scenes your gayness may come across, you are still and always will be gay. The “too gay” or “not gay enough” label only encourages limited thinking.

So, what exactly is “too gay?”

To me, it’s just a bunch of bologna, from an either gay or straight point of view. I believe that there is no such thing at “too gay.”

So, even if Alexander got up on his horse with two-inch heels and a Tierra, I’d simply smile and say, “You go girl! —- Lyndsey D'Archangelo