When we first saw this new picture from the No H8 Campaign, we thought, who is that genderless, tattooed woodland nymph creature?
But then we remembered that the No H8 Campaign hates wrinkles, frown lines, blotchy skin and acne scars as much as it hates homophobia. It was then that we realized we were looking at a picture of the equally revered and reviled Courtney Love. (Although, if someone was to tell us this was an aggressively Photoshopped picture of Bret Michaels, we might believe it.)
Though we might joke about how much the No H8 Campaign wants everyone they shoot to look like a pre-teen, gay-friendly alien version of themselves, we do have to tip our hats to them: Their continued dedication to using celebrities to raise awareness about homophobia is definitely a good thing.
But doing a photo with them is not a get-out-of-jail-free card.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
We’ve been Courtney fans through thick and thin: back to when nut-job theorists swore she killed Kurt, through her various tangles with the law and a variety of plastic surgeons, the America’s Sweetheart album that even she ragged on, years of paranoid rants detailing that people were conspiring to steal from her, and even when Frances Bean Cobain said she didn’t want to hear from her anymore.
But in the past year Courtney has warned Lady Gaga of the perils of surrounding herself with gay men and allowed her drummer to encourage audience members “The Foo Fighters are gay.”
Does getting a No H8 pic taken give Love license to make digs at gays? No, just like it doesn’t for Isaiah Washington and Patti Stanger, both of whom popped up gagged and tattooed after accusations of homophobia.
But does this pic serve as proof that, despite what may fly out of her mouth or be tolerated on her stage, Love ultimately an ally? Maybe.
Images via Fuck Yeah Courtney Love, Tom Edwards
ottocrash
This just shows how rooted this crap is in society. I doubt she’s actually a homophobe. A woman her age should know better, but for Courtney, marshaling her mouth has never been a strong suit.
T
Love is an ally. She is a crazy, narcissistic, insecure, famewhore as well. So her actions are not always well thought out. In her quest for relevancy she often will try the ‘hip lingo’ of the kids thinking she’s being more with it.
Her music is a revelation and her talent unfortunately has been overshadowed by her public life. But she has been an ally since the early days of Hole. Lets not forget she did marry a drag queen ; )
calvin
with friends like these who needs enemies?
Kev C
meh, at least she doesn’t exploit gays for money like Madonna or Lady Gaga do.
Cam
“”But does this pic serve as proof that, despite what may fly out of her mouth or be tolerated on her stage, Love ultimately an ally? Maybe.””
____________________
Gee, she took 5 min out of her day to put some tape on her mouth? How dedicated.
Seriously, nothing that doesn’t take any effort should be used as an example of how supportive somebody is, unless appearing in these ads are risky for them. Courtney has zero risk and zero effort here.
christopher di spirito
Courtney sucks. She’s a shitty rocker. Flush. Next?
Charles
Can we please keep the tape on her mouth forever? She’s a cunty trainwreck. And the Foo Fighters are much better musicians than she’ll ever be. And the Foos are much better gay allies than she is.
SharonS
why don’t ppl stop bashing on everyone and look at themselves in the mirror. Why do gays think badly of a celebrity being nice and friendly to another celebrity who may or may not be homophobic. I personally like Courtney and don’t waste my time attacking people. Wish these so called pro-gay people would just stop talking about what others are doing and start being more vocal about the movement in the public eye.
MKe
LoL she warned Gaga not to surround herself with gay people. Maybe Gaga needs to warn her not to surround herself with drugs.
Bryan
Of course it doesn’t give her or anyone else a free pass to talk smack about gays. Not even Lady Gaga who has probably been one of the most active celebs for gay rights in the last 3 years gets a free pass.
seth
Since the majority of Courtney’s close friends are gay men, all these accusations are kind of absurd. Homophobes don’t chose gays as friends…
bagooka
I don’t think so. I wouldn’t trust a person who makes dead baby jokes to tell people about nursing.
Tonic
I was once a Love fan, even finding some of her trashiness amusing – but whatever she always finds new ways of being gross and insane, which got tiring.
I don’t really think any group or person would benefit from having her as their advocate.
Allen D.
@Tonic: I’ll take her over Gaga any day. I still maintain that a crazy bitch, who thinks it’s “artistic” and “deep” to wear a meat dress, showing up and SCREAMING like a psycho at the DADT rally was a bad thing.
Long live Courtney. And don’t start your usual bullshit of “Gaga’s done more for the gay community than you ever will” & “Gaga is such a great ally!” because I don’t care & I still won’t like the bitch.
arbiter
I’m with @Allen D. She just runs her mouth. People like Lady Gag-uh are better suited to maintaining their manufactured pop acts and gluing sequins to things. Love has probably done and seen shit we can’t imagine and is the stuff of pop/grunge/alt legend. She’s a mess, no doubt, but still Hole put out more good music than Lady Caca ever will, and I’d rather have that on my side. “Since when was banality a good role model for our children? I want people who play from their fucking HEEEAAAARRRTTTT!!!!” –Bill Hicks
mattsy
I’ll take her as an ally any day!! (As long as she takes her happpy pillz!!)
Spike
The only reason why the gays accept her is because she is a mess, a modern day Judy Garland of sorts, and we only stay tuned in waiting/hoping to have a front row seat to her final demise.
Opheliac
Well, Courtney’s had relationships with at least one woman, but probably two. She’s confirmed the Kate Moss thing, and there are still rumours about her and Emilie Autumn.
Opheliac
Oh, and Lady Gaga isn’t an ally. She’s openly bisexual.
Kev C
@Opheliac: But she’s a closet heterosexual. Always hiding her boyfriend from the camera.
Tommy
Courtney definitely has her faults, but I think you’re a little harsh here. When she said the Foo Fighters were gay, she was obviously using the word in its other definition which means lame, not literally saying the Foo Fighters were homosexual.
I think our community spends too much time going on a witch hunt to find people who might have said something foolish, but aren’t really homophobic instead of fighting the real enemy of right wing homophobes.
Too often in the discussions of Courtney, Madonna or even Gaga the latent misogny of a certain segment of the gay male community comes out which I find disturbing.
Allen D.
I also love the line “allowed HER DRUMMER to encourage audience members ‘The Foo Fighters are gay.’”
So she didn’t even fucking say it. No retraction, Queerty? Why the hell not? Sensationalizing dicks.
Liberation
Courtney has a diverse group of fans, a lot of which are gay. Having attended three of her shows last year I’m starting to think we are her ONLY fans. 🙂 It’s been printed in several bios that drag queens and gay men raised her as a delinquent teen. She’s BFFs with Karl Lagerfeld and Elton John for god sake.
Liberation
People should be more concerned with the cultural fraud that is Lady Gaga. All she does is rip of the work of other people, pass it off as her own and rarely, if ever, gives credit. Lady Gaga panders to the gay community so much that I’m surprised they aren’t more skeptical.
Tony Longshanks LeTigre
I’m always inclined to take Courtney’s side given the vast majority of what is written (and commented) on her on the World Wide Cobweb is such hateful, lopsided drivvel. As far as I’m concerned La Love has a lifelong “get out of gay jail free” card owing to the fact she is a female drag queen with a guitar. And if you watch the awesome Patty Schemel doc “Hit So Hard” (which you really should watch), you see footage of Corky back in the glory days of Hole challenging the homophobia of a huge rowdy audience of mostly young male rock fans. She’s a messy girl, but we’ll forgive her.
glenn
I LOVE Courtney
and think she is good for the campaign everybody hate her and what she did say fuck u!!!!
this is what we need to do say fuck u !!!