Anton Lipovetsky in Dave Deveau’s My Funny Valentine
Alright, I’ll admit it: some posters on straight.com get up my nose.
This week, I reviewed Zee Zee Theatre’s production of Dave Deveau’s My Funny Valentine. I gave it a mixed but overall favourable review. Elements of both Anton Lipovetsky’s performance and Dave Deveau’s writing are lovely.
Then somebody who calls him- or herself Hazlit—and who posts a lot—posted: “Something Colin likes! Shocking. I’ll get flamed for this, but could it have to do with the fact that this is a gay love story?”
My Funny Valentine is not a gay love story. It’s based on the 2008 murder of a 14-year-old boy named Lawrence King. A few years ago, Larry asked another boy in his Oxnard, California high school if he would be his Valentine. That boy responded by shooting Larry twice in the head. Not what most people would call a love story. That’s all in the review. You’d think Hazlit might have noticed.
And what is this noise about trying to dismiss me because I’m gay? Yes, I’ve got biases. Everybody does—including straight people. I’ve also got critical faculties and decades of experience. I don’t like everything that has gay content. And I like plenty of stuff that has no gay content whatsoever. Dancing with Rage and The Secret Mask are both solid recent examples.
Sheesh.
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