Some homos take their Madonna very seriously.
A “former” reader wrote in to kvetch about our this morning’s Madge-related remarks, which were actually pretty neutral. Oh, except for calling her new single “shitty,” which it is…
Anyway, the aforementioned reader wrote in to yell at us and at least some of you:
I just read your little post about Madonna, and I have to say I find it very rude. Not to mention all the rude comments your readers have left. Kind of makes me wonder what kind of website you are running here. Is this a bitch fest, where you and your readers can put down people who support the gay community?
Madonna has done nothing but support the gay community her entire career, even when it was taboo to do so! I don’t think its too much to ask to show her the respect she deserves. You want to hate on those who don’t support gays, and those who do, then who do you got left? Not me, thats for sure.
You spoke too soon, mister.
What’s this garbage about Madonna “supporting” gay people? We can’t find any reference to any charitable work she’s done for the homos. In fact, it’s we gays who have been supporting her ass. Sure, she does interviews with gay magazines and the such, but that’s hardly a laudable contribution.
It’s great that Madonna has come out and said “I’m cool with gay people,” but that doesn’t make her some sort of untouchable saint. We like some black people. Does that mean all black people need to like us? No.
MikeNYC
Whoever is the author of this site I ADORE. He’s right. Prove to us she’s been this big supporter for gay rights. Go ahead. I dare you. I haven’t see her give money to HRC…I haven’t seen her donate a plaque to a GLBT center anywhere or help gay, lesbian, trannie teenagers…have you?
What…because she sings dance songs we have to support her? And do you really want to discuss ‘rude’? What is really rude is this woman panders to gay culture, doing interviews, acting as if she fucks women and men and you and I both know it’s all PR, honey. Pure PR and pull business bullshit to sell albums, sell magazines and books and what not to keep the bitch in the luxury we supply to her.
Fuck that. She is an unpleasant woman who only says she is ‘cool with gay people’ because she knows some gays boys run to the store to buy her album the day they are released (and they don’t buy the albums, honey, they buy the remixes).
Ellen interviewed her once for her horrid Confession album and Madonna sat on a couch and stared at Ellen and didn’t engage and looked bored out of her mind.
If this bitch is worth the $400M+ I see listed everywhere, then what is she doing with all of that money? Where is the proof of her giving to charity?
Be real honest — with that mean look in her eye and her business savvy does she REALLY strike you as the long-time Humanitarian For Homos boys seem to want her to be?
Love your pop stars (hello? Cyndi Lauper?!) if you want but just because she records dance songs that we fags love doesn’t mean she likes US…she likes our pocketbooks.
But hey…maybe we’re wrong. Show us the proof she gives to gays and not just with a ‘really fabulous’ dance song.
Maybe I’m getting too fucking old, but the hypocrisy of the entertainment industry and the bullshit these stars say and do to make money is making me sick to my stomach.
Get real and start to think independently.
Michael Duquette
Okay, seriously you at queerty have your lycra aussiebums in a bunch. How can you question Madonna and her support of the gay community. She was one of the first celebrities to lend her voice and support of several AIDS research groups even speaking out against the anti gay histeria that AIDS has caused. She has always been very vocal of her love of the gay community and always has the gay community near her in everything that she does. One doesn’t need to march in a parade to be a supporter of the gay community. By that alone, it would seem Paris and Kathy Hilton would be far better suited as gay icons to you people. Madonna’s brother Christopher is gay, it was her gay dance instructor in Michigan who introduced her to disco and encouraged her to move to New York. Without the gay there would be no Madonna and for me, I wouldn’t be a proud gay man without Madonna. I grew up in a very small Texas town and it was Madonna’s love and understanding (i.e. Truth or Dare, Vogue, SEX) that made me accept myself. I will never forget her and its a shame that some bitter queens are so quick to write her off. Its about respect bitches. So take a break from being on your high horse, pull your head out of Obama’s ass and get a grip. This site used to be so great, but its becoming more and more negative everyday.
steve
lol
the new song still sucks
god knows the money i spent that woman’s 12″ vinyl alone was enough for her to orchestrate the hijacking of abba
screw her, sorry
she’s been churning out little but robbed rubbish since 1992
she’ll steal anything that’s not nailed down
the bones of dead producers are somewhere in her wine cellar
and how the bloody hell is singing crappy music with justin timberlake helping the gay community?
James
Jeesh. Madonna fans don’t play. They are the older version of Clay Aiken vixens.
MikeNYC
“Money is what we need, not complacency…”
Jimmy Sommerville
MikeNYC
Marry me, Steve.
noah
It’s interesting to compare Madonna to someone like Henry Rollins who does actively support gay rights. Over on Towleroad, Rollins work was congratulated with accusations that he must be gay by some commenters.
I wouldn’t toss stones at Madonna, but I wouldn’t toss roses at her feet either. There are celebrities who are sincere about using their success to help others. As much as people deride Oprah, she’s given away $200 million dollars to charity. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie moved to New Orleans and put their money to use there.
Ultimately, Madonna is just like most people who travel through their lives and don’t make great waves in charitable causes. They show acts of kindness to individuals and toss a few dollars in the collection plate then go on with life.
Patrik
“We like some black people. Does that mean all black people need to like us? No.”
What kind of boneheaded (nonsensically racial) analogy is that? Maybe she can’t devote all of her time fighting for assimilative equal domestic rights for the gay bourgeoisie because, I don’t know, she’s found more important causes to work on, like, say, an entire nation of impoverished AIDS orphans. How dare she! Let’s crucify her.
And please don’t WE me. I’d sooner be grouped in with apes.
Michael Duquette
Re: James..
Older version of Clay Aiken Vixens? Im 24, so fuck off. As far as charitable donations go, do we gays really need any? Were the top consumers in America. Madonna is putting her money where her mouth is by helping millions of orphans in Malawi, a cause much greater than our own. We’re not starving AIDS stricken infants and 8 year old girls left to take care of an entire family. Now she’s building a school over there. I say mad props to the woman. She’s worked her ass off to stay where she is and I am very shocked at this behavior. Must be bitter Mariah fans who are miffed that 4 Minutes is outselling Touch My Body. Who cares? Move on…
johnstar35
i saw madonna on ellen…she was very into it, and even danced with ellen. very fun and into it.
face it madonna fans, there will always be madonna haters, and I LOVE THAT. it’s part of what keeps her around. so hate away…
🙂
steve
sure mikenyc, let’s go for it
i’ll put wirwais, shep pettibone, stuart price & william orbit on the guest list
provided their bodies don’t turn up on the banks of some river before then
and missing persons can be the band at the reception
Bitch Republic
It’s ridiculous to question Madonna’s gay cred. She’s always been supportive of the gay community.
It’s also ridiculous to say that Oprah has donated $200m to charity. Oprah has donated $200m of OTHER PEOPLE’s money to charity. She has actually donated little of her own money. If you look up every one of Oprah’s charitable initiatives, it’s always her soliciting funds from various organizations, trusts and the general public to donate money to her causes. Sure, it’s great that Oprah is rallying money to various charities, but much of the money from organizations and trusts would already have gone to charity without Oprah’s involvement.
M Shane
I could never quite get this business of dancing with Ellen. She dances like a truckdriver. If madonna gets “into” it then I’m without words; it seems to me that another all american cow paddy was on her show telling it like it is.: HRC . Even American pop culture has become entoiletated. Its all run into a wallalong with U.S political colapse. a symptom?
Frunced
Madonna is tired and her new single IS shitty, and this is from someone who loved her unconditionally… right until she started doing the stupid accent.
ctSF
Why the hell did Madonna partner with Timberlake anyway??? She doesn’t need him. He is so annoying and now her shit sounds like his shit. Madge, you’re too good to depend on the Pop du Jour likes of Justin. I’ll probably get flamed for this cos Timberlake is cool with The Gays, too.
kelly d
Many of you don’t even seem to know that Madonna’s brothers are ALL gay, too. And she has ALWAYS worked with gay people her entire career, she loves them, and you should be a fool to not believe this or to think that she just finds them “ok” because she doesn’t just find them “ok”, she LOVES them. and if you cannot realize that you obviously don’t know what you’re talking about. she doesn’t just give some millions to charity like all celebrities can do to seem like “the good person”, come on, give money when you have tons is EASY, at least she always opened her mouth about gays and wasnt afraid to say what she fucking wants, thats more important, to have a voice about the gay community and support them this way, than taking the easy road and giving cash. she always showed that she loves the gay community, just look at what she’s done, gee, even questioning this is not understandable unless you have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.
kelly d
Also: Madonna tired?? OHMG. you’re not making any sense. she’s doing a million things at once and you know it. we all know it. all she does is work. wtf are you trying to prove by saying she’s something everyone with a common sense knows she’s not?
and a fake british accent? well, babe, if you talk a language you talk the accent. besides, if you work with a lot of english staff, have an english husband, and live fucking britain, OF COURSE you get a mixed american/english accent. its human nature.
some people are SO ignorant and stupid, I can’t believe they’re so shameless about it.
Trick
Here’s a website that shows the charity work Madonna has been involved in http://www.looktothestars.org/celebrity/201-madonna which includes AMFAR and other Human Rights works. Look at her song, In This Life, with lyrics “He was lika a father to me, nothing in the world that he wouldn’t do, taught me to respect myself, said that we’re all made of flesh and blood, why should he be treated differently, shouldn’t matter who you choose to love”. That was in reference to one of her first dance teachers, who took her to the gay bars and eventually died of AIDS. And, if you don’t think speaking out about gay rights, being in the spotlight having close gay friends and speaking to the gay press is important to our cause…then you are a fool.
Mike
I loooooooove the new single and the album from what I have heard.
See, I’m a fan. That’s all, a fan of Madonna.
So you can all look up the definition of that.
I’m gay and loved her since I was 12, i’m now 35.
I don’t care what she has done for the gay community, she is an entertainer I admire and am ENTERTAINED by.
Isn’t that the point.
Who gives a shit what Queerty says about her?
Questioning her talents and relevance seems like a real waste of time. Something I find I’m doing the more I visit this site.
I think I’m done with Queerty now.
Thanks for the ride !
M.
hells kitchen guy
Isn’t “crazed Madonna fan” redundant? This thread is living proof of that fact.
It is cute, though, the way some of The Gays think they’re keeping it real by identifying so strongly with an entertainer.
alan brickman
she spoke about aids when no gov’t was doing so so maybe thats why some many gays who wish to please the conservative establishment are so against her? token gays need not apply…
alan brickman
are cetain gays too fussy maybe….
Michael Eric
Madonna has supported gays throughout her career, that’s true. And in turn, gays have helped make her FILTHY rich.
The woman has done many impressive things in her career, and she has done some terribly embarring things as well. There is nothing wrong with applauding the good and holding your nose at the bad.
I think “Hung Up” was one of the best things she’s ever done. This new song, video, and accompany facelift are missteps in my opinion. She’s made missteps before and she always bounces back.
If we don’t point out when people misstep, then they start to believe their own hype and become Sharon Stone. Madonna has always said that she pays more attention to her critics than the people who praise her. Perhaps that’s why she continues to evolve and does something truly impressive every 4 or 5 years.
slider
Madonna outed her brother in the Advocate without his permission. As a result, he didn’t speak to her for a few years.
Madonna steals a lot of ideas (remember “Vogue”) which she stole from “Paris is Burning” documentary and claim it as her own ideas.
Tell me what money she has donated or raised for the GLBT community?
We helped Madonna make those $400 million of her fortune and her dancers, creative behind the scenes geniuses are “family”….
My guess is Madonna gives to Kabalah causes (forgive the misspelling) and so I often do wonder how Madge skillfully gets away with being a Gay icon yet some how really not being a Cyndi Lauper trailblazer, who has done HRC concert tours to raise money for the GLBT community. Cyndi’s sister is a lesbian and Cyndi has always been very vocally supportive of her sister and the entire GLBT community. Cyndi just did a public service ad regarding Lawrence King. Where was Madonna?
Cher is a Gay icon who stands up for us….
Madonna not so much…..which pains me to say since we have so made Madge what she is today….very rich.
Tom
I guess it is a sign of the times that this little hissy fit over Madonna garnered more responses than the news directly above it concerning Florida’s attempt to ban gay marriage.
I don’t know if that means we really don’t give a rats ass about gay marriage. Or we are just simply burnt out on the issue. Or, God help us, Madonna means more.
In any event, despite her name and how she may think of herself, she is just an entertainer. And trust me on this, she ain’t going no where, she’ll be like Mick Jagger…her grand kids will be going to her concerts.
Mike
Hey Tom, I’ll be at her concerts too!
Sorry everyone for being a fan of Madonna.
Nail me to a cross and get it over with.
Tom
Mike, forget the cross, there’s enough of that already with the Pope in town. How about if we just nail you instead?
afrolito
Madonna is, and has been ally of the gay community for her entire career. You don’t have to like her music, but to question her suport is laughable. The very first person she thanked at her Hall of fame induction was a gay man (Christopher Flynn) who taught her to believe in herself, and there were many after him she acknowledged as well.
I’ve often thought that the snarkiness directed at madge by gay men is because she never panders to them like other “Divas”. She challenges them, and takes them to places they aren’t always comfortable in. She’s also not tragic and self destructive, and some queens can’t handle that in a strong woman.
Btw, wtf does this mean?
“We like some black people. Does that mean all black people need to like us? No.”
Perhaps that’s a freudian explanation for the constant morning goods vanilla?
dgz
can you really not handle negative feedback? you write a blog for gawd’s sake. get over yourselves.
if you hate on people, you may get the same back from others. whether your criticisms are reasonable or not, if you can’t stand the heat, get out the damn kitchen.
Mr C
Say what you want. This chick is definitely at The Top of the chain.
No other BITCH can really fuck with her when she enters into the room. The Confessions Tour when it was on the road played the same time as Beyonce’ and Christina A’s tour played and she performed less shows and was still the TOP DRAW at that time. Overseas and stateside. Teach the youngling’s how it’s done.
She is the queen publicity and a marketing GENIUS! And has been a LOVER of the Gay community for years. Like her or not. She is a name that stays in your mouth when she has a project coming out and that is all she wants to do.
It really doesn’t matter if the music isn’t the same she is a chameleon and can take the current sound and create her own.
IT’S FUCKING OVER FOR YOU MADONNA AT 50 AND STILL TURNING IT!
Mr C
BTW That comment about: “We like some black people. Does that mean all black people need to like us? No.†was very illmannered and not called for!
Do you say that when that TOP BLACK MAN is tearing your bottom up?
Chris
I agree with the Queerty opinion on Madonna and her lack of compassion for anything and anyone that doesn’t contribute to the glory that is Madonna.
Madonna is nothing but an aging, “desperate for attention”, media whore. She is responsible for brainwashing millions of gay men into worshiping her every move and convincing them that she has done more than anyone in contributing to the advancement of the LGBT community.
She has used Justin Timberlake in order to gain another radio hit since she can’t get airplay in her own country. She did the same thing to poor Britney Spears and then just dumped her after pretending to be her best friend. Where was Madonna during Britney’s breakdown and crisis? Did she step up and support her? She could have been right there and offered some kind of support
for her. I think she looked pathetic and soooo old next to Justin at the Hall of Fame induction.
Anyone who disagrees….I have the unretouched pics of this tired diva to prove it.
This woman is overrated in every way and this is one gay man who has not been fooled.
Cary
Although I like a lot of Madonna’s songs, something about her has always made me dislike her as a person. From the first time I saw her in the early 80’s she’s seemed very cold, mean spirited and nasty and nothing’s changed. I’d like to think there’s a warm human being in there somewhere, but probably the only warm thing in her is Guy Ritchie’s cock.
Ian J UK
Isn’t it nice to see gay folks discuss the important political issues of the day!
Ian J UK
No 33 Gary.
Thats just the fealing I get every time I see HR Cliton.
“From the first time I saw her in the early 80’s she’s seemed very cold, mean spirited and nasty and nothing’s changed. I’d like to think there’s a warm human being in there somewhere, “
sugarsmack
Madonnaloonies are just one part of the gay population. They get the most representation in pop culture because their devotion backs another commercial product and fuels the stereotype of a gay lifestyle that can be downloaded and paid for. But what annoys me is when the Madonnaloonies freak out when they discover not every gay man shares the same taste as they do. There is alot of different music out there, as this site always displays, and Madonna’s popularity doesn’t eclipse everything else for everyone else.
allen bardin
Madonna hasn’t got a good voice or singing style, can’t dance and is a lousy actress. And completely charm-free. The whole career has been based on gimmicks and a knack for generating publicity about herself. The days of divas being glamorous, smart and truly unique and talented have been long over.
spunkbox
hmm, she’s a bit boring and Skeletor-ish, but what really turns me off is that she sometimes wears eyelashes made out of mink and her and her talentless husband have fox hunts at their estate. I don’t know if she loves the gays, but she sure hates animals.
Geoffrey
Wow…..I’m hard pressed to think of another issue that gets us in a tizzy. Madonna is who she is. Fact is, she HAS supported the gay community vocally and financially but no she isn’t our patron saint, and praising the homos full time is not her job. Her live concerts though fun to watch demonstrate she is not a solid vocal talent but her studio work is much better. You have to hand her props that she lives her life as she sees fit, makes a ton of money and sits back and watches the public (us included) bitch about her. No one is ever perfect but she seems to have made a very full life.
KPB
Prediction: 50 years into her career there will be a brand new bunch of queens on the rag talking about how her “new” sound just ain’t as good as the old days when she was “innovative” and was actually relevant. She’ll bee 100 and doing back-flips. Britney will be long dead. And the “queens in the know” like all those who posted above me will be as bitter as they ever fucking were.
Pal N Drome
Yawn. Madonna fan? No damn way!
Z.
I LOVE MADONNA!!!
I totally agree with that guy
http://www.ilovezeren.com
Steve
I couldn’t care less what other people think about her music, like it or not, doesn’t affect me.
However, in the 80s and early 90s she was outspoken, about many things, pushing buttons and people’s limits. You don’t need to toss money at an issue to be supportive. However, to talk, very publicly, about issues like AIDS and being gay does a lot more to solidify your standing within a community, and your commitment to them. Especially in a time when AIDS and gays were much more taboo than now. People are so quick to forget the environment of the past, and think that things were always as they are now, but things were worse. She was incredibly relevent in the 80s-90s, and she had most of the world following her every move. And she used this to talk about the issues that were important to her, and two of those were AIDS and gays. This was very empowering to me and my other out high school friends as she was not afraid to give a voice to those people who were so vilified.
Hate her music, hate her acting, hate her kabbalah, etc. But you really have no leg to stand on when you question what she has done for gays in her time. Over the years she has become less relevent(after an artist has been on the scence for 25+ years that tends to happen), but that shouldn’t overshadow what she has done in the past.
John
Ummmmmm…are you guys still talking about this?
Peter
#37 Allen Bardin: you hit the line drive. She has a truly lousy voice – no vocal prowess whatsoever and she cannot even emote on screen despite being directed and edited by very talented filmakers. Now on the other hand we have someone like CHER …………
rob
nobody hates Madonna more than herself!
Bob
Sigh. Another opportunity for the oh-so-cool gays to shred an icon they previously adored. Seriously, people, do we have to hate everything and everyone? Frankly, I’m sick to death of the bitter, acerbic, and caustic nature of gay men. My people, how they shame me …
Tim
Okay, serious kudos to Queerty and the community who pounced all over this hooplah. Maybe I don’t get out enough, but I haven’t laughed so hard in weeks.
Madonna means nothing to me. Perhaps I was never properly initiated. But watching a gay community draw battle lines and hash it out over their favorite, or not so favorite, entertainer? Irresistible.
And SO much easier, more interesting, readable, and remarkable than gay marriage bans wherever they happen to be cropping up to ridicule and express contempt for. At least among ourselves we know no one is going to do anything more than puff up her feathers for a fun little showdown when we voice our opinions. One would think it was a classic case of transferrence.
kb
Girls Girls.. get a grip. I love me some M-Dolla and this is just what keeps the old gal going. She loves dialog like this and this is what keeps her in our minds forever.
I’d like to see any of these 50 year old posters on this site get up and do what she’s doin. She don’t give a hoo ha what you think and thats why M-Dolla will always rule the world.
aloha
KPB
Out of curiosity, is her new single more or less shitty than Queerty’s short-lived revamping of the website.
barile
My God – she’s really pushed your buttons. The girl done good again!! Face it- you can’t stop her whatever you say.
You’ve got such massive egos to go with your extremely small brains – well it seems that way anyway cos before you start spouting ‘facts’ you should check you’ve got them right.
Who was the first celeb to give $1 million to New Orleans AND send out millions of bottles of kabbalah water – go on that’s an easy question! Oh yeah – and is that CHARITY?
Question 2 – Who has given $6 million to build a school in Malawi for Aids orphans?
Oh jeez – these questions are tooooo easy!!!
Question 3 – Who’s done Dancethons since the early 80s supporting Aids Foundations?
More? – Who recently persuaded Gucci to back a Charity Auction funding event for Unicef and Raising Malawi which raised $10 million?
Aw.w.w.w. – right everytime. I could go on and on and on ….but I’ll leave that to Madonna… amd she will. You’ll never beat her down – she’s a survivor man!! Long live the Queen!
mag90069
I’ll be the first to agree that the new single sucks. It’s like low-rent Nellie Furtado. Derivative of all that’s really bad in the post-Brittney apocalypse that is pop music these days.
With that said it would be a bit unfair to deny Madonna her place in queer history. For anyone who came of age in the 80’s and came out in the shitstorm that was the beginning of the AIDS crisis, Madonna was a beacon of support. She performed at countless GMHC functions in NY and was always on hand for an AMFAR benefit etc. She wrote a song dedicated to those she lost (on Erotica I think) and was one of the first celebrities to acknowledge and stand up for queers disenfranchised under the Regan administration in the US. She showed courage and compassion when it was common to ostracize and marginalize gay people and people with AIDS. And let’s not forget her brief time as a dyke with Sandra Berhard. At a time when gays were well on their way to being public enemy number one she joined our ranks…if only for a brief time. I’m sure she gave quite a few your gays and lesbians a better feeling about themselves. At a time when gay people had precious few friends and virtually no positive role models nor a voice in the broader culture, she out herself out there to fill in a void. Could she have done more? Yeah, probably. Was it a long time ago? Clearly since so few but us oldsters remember! But that doesn’t make the contribution unreal. For many of us it was very real…and still is.
So she gradually sunk into suburban respectability with her husband. Yeah, it makes me want to gag and certainly makes her irrelevant to me as a gay man now, but to deny her contribution at a critical time in our history is just unfair…
Wondermann
Ok this is crazy. She is not all that, the song sucks and gay people please wake up. Why are the first to get on the fool bus and the last to get off?
She does things for the hype, she always have and she always will
Her contributions to our community is not as big as we like to think. There are people who are working in shelters, teen centers, and lobbying to politicians for our rights everyday…that’s real contribution to our community.
Oh, the song sucks
Gay men please find a new champion, or someone who will do the job. Which is standing up for our rights and challenging ignorance, someone who uses the spotlight to change the world, and someone who will give up everything in order to send a message.
Martin
YES, MADONNA HAS ALWAYS SUPPORTED GAY RIGHTS! At any opportunity she has spoken out on behalf of us, she took us out of invisibility by including gay themes in her videos and by talking highly of us.
So who do I love unconditionally? MADONNA!!!
And who do I hate unconditionally? Morons LIKE YOU!!!
MADONNA IS JUST AMAZING, INSPIRING AND WONDERFUL.
So go home and fuck your daddy, stupid IDIOT!!!!
Darcy
What a lame article.
Madonna RULES!
End of story.
Darcy
According to MediaTraffic, Madonna’s 4 Minutes has now reached the #1 spot on the United World Chart Global Track Chart.
She’s topping the charts all over the globe.
Craziness! And, unexpected!
Madge’s single is Number #1 on the iTune Charts in 14 countries out of the 22 top countries listed. From the remaining 8 countries, she’s #2 or #3 in six of the them. Only Greece and Japan didn’t list her on the top 10… yet.
She’s worldwide!
Mhenad
Whoever wrote that needs help. She’s been a gay icon. That doesn’t make her a supporter of gays. It makes gays supporters of her.
I love the woman, don’t get me wrong, but damn… It isn’t that serious.
The single isn’t that great. She relied on JT for a hit and let’s face it, he’s a nobody in comparison. Her duet with Britney was better!
That song is nothing but good beats and JT overpowering her and the video is nothing more than confusing and lacking choreography.
Sorry. She can do better.
Mhenad
WOW. Some of you are crazy.
She’s a great artist. She’s an icon. She’s an amazing performer. Yes, to all that. But damn… She isn’t free of sin. Why are some of you making her out to be a saint? The song is not that great. It’s good but not great. Have any of you compared this to the songs that are out on the market right now? Have you compared it to any of the songs on Ray of Light? Have you even compared it to Britney Spears’ “Break the Ice?” Even Britney, drugged the f*ck out, can make better music than this.
Nannette
Know what? Madonna does whatever the hell she wants to… Because she can. She’s a fun performer. She’s an interesting personality. But as a human being? It does not seem she ever does anything unless it’s in self-interest. She has exploited many people and then deserted them; that’s what she learned how to do early in her career, that’s her track record. She has also had to pay-off a lot of people close to her to get them to keep their mouths shut. These patterns don’t seem to change, so she does what works for her.
Wondermann
A friend just posted a great blog with an excellent point.
This concert in Dubai, where she’s getting 25 million for, support negative treatment of women and hates gays. In fact homosexuality there, is considered illegal.And she knows that. So there’s your gay icon at work.
Brian
“We like some black people. Does that mean all balck people have to like us?”
I’m really surprised that this remark didn’t receive more comments. The most obvious problem with it is the implication that people are not “real” members of the gay community. Or did Queerty suddenly become a blog for only white upwardly-mobile gays? Judging by the concerns riased in these comments, that would seem to be the case…
Brian
CORRECTED (sorry for the typos):
“We like some black people. Does that mean all black people have to like us?â€
I’m really surprised that this remark didn’t receive more comments. The most obvious problem with it is the implication that black people are not “real†members of the gay community. Or did Queerty suddenly become a blog for only white upwardly-mobile gays? Judging by the concerns raised in these comments, that would seem to be the case…
Wondermann
That’s a good point, Brian. But you see Moo-donna’s spellshas some people so locked up that they can’t see reality.
KPB
Wondermann, I’ll assume you never buy anything made in China, correct? I love how you hold Madonna to some standard that I *GUARANTEE* you do not hold yourself to. I’m admittedly a fan of hers but not so much that I can’t fault her when I disagree with her. But to fault her for playing a concert in Dubai is silly. We all disagree with policies of many countries. In fact, we all probably very much disagree with the policies of our OWN country yet we choose to live here and earn money here.
Nick
When I get REALLY excited about something, I like to PUT it ALL in CAPS, that way people KNOW I’m EXCITED/FRUSTRATED/ANNOYED/*/etc.
Nick
Martin No. 54:
Did you ever see that episode of Friends, The One With Ben Stiller In Which He Plays The Explosive Boyfriend of Rachel?
M Shane
I take great exception to the notion that I choose to live in this hell incarnate. Most foreign countires don’t want Americans since they guess that we are all retarded. The fact is that the dimbos who live here choose not to discent before it’s too late: which in likelihood it is.
Wonderman is a prime example : who would be so simple minded as to miss the point that
you don’t go changing cultural ideals by punishing people. That’s the commonest root of terrorism. If she had a successful concert
there the peole cantbe that backward. In fact The United Arab Emerates are Making bombastic efforts to build one of the worlds greatest projects of Ultra Modern Architecture.
Homosexuality has been commonly practiced throughout the Arab countries for centuries. Their homophobia is just a rejection of what they see as a whole package of western perversity. Also women are frequently very free to have educations and careers. Thousands of years of habituation don’t just change. Many women are very happy with their roles as mothers and wives and are revered. You’ve had to much propaganda shoved down your throat by the right wing.
The only ugly thing happening in Dubai is that Cheneys Halburton moved their headquarters their so that they don’t have to pay U.S taxes after soaking the US for 20 billion dollars. I just saw a movie of Iraq before the invasion–I was beautiful and modern–women walking a round in modern cloths–it had tthe highest literacy rate in the world– looked like a sunlit Paris. Now America has left it gutted. No sewage even. Yet we pay nearly 300billion a year to private contractors to commit fraud with.
M Swan
I Am Because We Are is a 2008 documentary directed by Nathan Rissman and produced by Madonna. [1]
Documentary
This movie documents the concern over the millions of orphans in the African country of Malawi who have lost parents and siblings to HIV and AIDS, many of which live on the streets. The film also shows the efforts with Madonna’s charitable organisation Raising Malawi in helping with improving their lives and conditions. [2]
The film is scheduled to be released in 2008 and was described by long-time friend Rosie O’Donnell as “devastating and amazing.” [3] Both Madonna and O’Donnell attended a private screening on October 11, 2007.
M Swan
Grammy winner ANNIE LENNOX has thanked MADONNA for her support in raising awareness of AIDS in South Africa.
The former Eurythmics star was thrilled with The Material Girl’s contribution to the starstudded charity track Sing, which raises funds for South Africa’s Treatment Action Campaign. She says, “It was really cool of her.
“Madonna has a huge audience and her involvement will help to spread with word wider.”
M Swan
It was in this climate of mass fear that Madonna’s friend Martin Burgoyne told her that he had AIDS.
From that moment in the summer of 1986 until he died late that year, she supported him both emotionally and financially.
Even though the ambitious young singer was, during this crucial stage of her career, doing everything in her power to make the leap from being merely a star to being one of a handful of superstars, she talked to her former roommate by telephone at least once a day and visited him several times a week-never hesitating to kiss him on the lips.
She also took full responsibility for Burgoyne’s expenses, providing more than $100,000 to cover his medical bills and paying the rent on the new apartment where she moved him so he could be closer to St. Vincent’s Hospital where he was being treated.
Madonna’s commitment soon shifted from the private support of a friend to the public role of one of the country’s most dedicated AIDS educators.
Her initial step was to become one of the first stars who was willing to talk with reporters about having a relationship with a victim of the disease.
“I cried like a baby when Martin told me,” one newspaper story quoted her as saying. “I still cry when I think about it.”
But, in her next breath, she went on to insist that-fear and stigma be damned-friends of AIDS patients should stand by them.
“I’ll stick by Martin no matter what happens,” she told the newspaper. “He was there for me when I needed him, and I’m going to be there for him now that he needs me.”
Madonna’s unflagging support was particularly challenging because of another man who had ascended into a major role in her life: Sean Penn.
She had met the young actor during the taping of her “Material Girl” music video in February 1985, and they had become husband and wife a mere six months later.
Although the marriage was plagued with a variety of problems including Penn’s moodiness and hot temper, Madonna’s commitment to Burgoyne added to the difficulties.
“It’s ironic that a gay guy has come between macho Sean and his sexy, feminine wife,” one friend told a reporter. “It sickens him that Madonna wants to continue her longtime friendship with a gay man who has AIDS.”
The singer herself was quoted as saying, “Sean is scared I might pick up the virus. He keeps insisting that it’s possible because not that much is known about AIDS. I tell him to grow up.”
On several occasions, Madonna’s AIDS activism led to conflicts with her husband. When she modeled in a fund-raising auction at Barney’s department store and again when she attended another benefit specifically for Burgoyne, Penn refused to accompany her-both incidents were reported in the National Enquirer.
One very public confrontation played out on the lot of Universal Studios. According to published accounts, Penn screamed at his wife, “You’re more concerned about your damn friends than you are about me. You spend more time worrying about your friends with AIDS!”
Madonna was undeterred.
M Swan
She continued to support Burgoyne, even to the point that she purchased experimental drugs from Mexico for him. Her commitment never waned, and she was holding her friend’s hand when he died in December 1986, at the age of twenty-three.
In the wake of her friend’s death, Madonna focused on a second form of AIDS activism by encouraging her fans to be sexually responsible.
One of the innovative features of her 1987 Who’s That Girl tour was incorporating multimedia components into the productions in the form of gigantic video screens that towered over her. The most memorable message to flash on those multi-story panels came in two dramatic words that no other musician had ever had either the will or the courage to mention, much less communicate so dramatically: “SAFE SEX.”
She followed that special-effects extravaganza with other cautionary messages.
On dozens of occasions, she gave concert audiences practical advice about avoiding the HIV virus by using condoms, saying-both whimsically and directly: “Hold on, don’t be silly. / Put a rubber on your willy!”
During one Madison Square Garden fund-raising event, she talked emotionally about the disease that killed Burgoyne, including the statement: “AIDS is a painful and mysterious disease that continues to elude us.”
And the lyrics she wrote for the ballad “In This Life” expressed her continuing sadness from the loss of her young friend. “He was only twenty-three / Gone before he had his time,” she began and then moved into the chorus, “In this life, I loved you most of all / Now you’re gone and I have to ask myself / What for?”
At the same time that Madonna increased AIDS awareness at a level of public prominence that was matched by few-if any-other celebrities, she also made significant financial contributions to the effort to fight the disease.
It is impossible to know exactly how much money the superstar has given to the battle for a cure because many of her donations have been anonymous, but even a conservative estimate places the figure at more than $5 million.
Many people have strong opinions-not all of them good-about Madonna’s music as well as her motivations for taking certain actions and for sending certain messages during her career.
But no matter what a person’s feelings toward the megastar might be, we should have nothing but praise for her work as an AIDS activist.
During a time when the disease was ravaging the American population, this highly influential celebrity communicated important information to her fans-most of whom were, at that stage of her career, teenagers.
Indeed, by sending the messages and taking the actions that she did, this “tarted-up floozy” may well have saved the lives of an untold number of her followers.
John
Defending violent homophobia because it’s seen as a rejection of white supremacy is absurd. That’s like saying it’s perfectly acceptable for African-American youth to beat up random faggots because it’ll increase their self-esteem. Likewise, if you’re an Arab teenager in Damascus, and the sight of a white man in a speedo sends you into a homicidal rage, I’d say you’re behaving a bit irrationally.
As Cornell West, Desmond Tutu, and others can attest to – one can be against neo-colonialism without praising homophobia, sectarianism, terrorism, and sexism. Those are not mutually exclusive positions. And radical leftists undermine their own credibility when they suggest otherwise.
There’s no doubt that homosexuality has been practiced in Arab countries for centuries. But what is that suppose to prove exactly? It has been practiced in every other region of the world for centuries too. The evidence suggests there was plenty of same-sex activity in ancient China, Japan, India, Mexico, etc. That doesn’t mean there are no cultural taboos, legal prohibitions, or societal intolerance associated with such practices. Nor does it mean those attitudes are just and fair.
Super Cherry
Everything for madonna, Catholic through and through, is career move.
Dead Mommy Explotation Song
An interesting thing one finds when debating with Madonna defenders is that the majority of them are VERY racist Gay white males. I’ve alway seen Madonna as using, with the media’s help, blacks as props, Now she has child who has become a prop when not being raised by nannies. The parts of Gay culture she exploited and mainstream, Bondage, hardcore porn, salad tossing, stylists who design for women like madonna who have no delineation between their hips or waist aka built like boys, I could have done without.
LacroixSweetie
ALthough it is very difficult to focus on JUST the music and not her, try to. The point is this: forgetting everything else and her controversies, her music is not that great anymore. Sure, I love to work out to COAD and Hard Candy might be fun, but from what I’ve heard-it’s awful, beyond awful. 4 Minutes is terrible and should not have been the debut single. WTF is she thinking? Her new single with Justin? I think she’s lost focus, but I still love her. As far as her contributions to the gay community, come on! She’s made amazing contributions to us and we should be grateful. I think she does things “quietly” now in some way or another (besides posing for pictures); her whole life has been influenced by gay men and she knows that. The one thing she isn’t is a fool. And while Cher is a goddess, she didn’t initially support Chastity. I think M would love her gay child unconditionally (if Lola, Rocco, or David were to come out). So some of you Cher lovers should not forget that–she was NOT happy with Chastity’s lesbianism. That is fact, not fiction. I never felt Madge was stealing idea’s, but now I am starting to see it…she is acting like Nelly Furtado in some way or another, as well as Peaches. It just doesn’t fit. COAD was ok, not great, but ok. This new concept, new album cover, etc is a disaster. She needs to release a pop album and go back to her roots. We all know this, but she doesn’t. She’ll always be there for us, but you also have to remember that she isn’t as outspoken anymore. She is almost 50, not 30. M may not let age define her, but things change. People change. I think those days of singing live about AIDS are over (ie “In This Life” Girlie Show), but she’ll always defend us…but you have to admit that someone like Cyndi Lauper certainly does A LOT more these days for the cause. She never let her fame go to her head and that is why her albums seem to be consistent and good, though they don’t sell as well (who cares, though!).
James
Madonna is about two things: Madonna and sexuality. And don’t you forget it.
She has always championed sexual expression in the face of an oppressive Catholic world force.
She is hated by the Pope and Jesus lovers everywhere, because she stands for freedom (whether it’s sex or making shit-loads of money).
Wake up!
J
I don’t really mind Madonna. But I can’t stand Madonna fans, and this thread reinforces their silliness.