Well isn’t MickeyRants (real name Senny Dey) the eloquent youngster! If you happened to tune in to last night’s episode of A-List: New York, you’ll know exactly what he’s talking about: The cast “presents a poor image to gay youth,” but on YouTube they’re “trying to promote anti-gay bullying.” A half dozen queens manage to escape childhood without killing themselves because of classmate torment, only to turn into sniping gay adults who call each other fat, talk shit behind each other’s back, and force an unrealistic idea of beauty and status upon other gays. “When you grow up, you little gay depressed teenagers, you can deal with people like me. I’ll judge you, don’t worry. You don’t have to have the homophobes judge you, we will.” Maybe Ronnie Kroell was on to something. Or maybe LOGO’s gays are just as guilty as MTV’s straights in exploiting the It Gets Better campaign.
The cast’s It Gets Better video:
[via K212]
Mike F
You hit the target on this one! The A-List is too much to stomach.
Kamikapse
“Presenting a poor image” is the only appeal of reality TV.
Besides, they all signed up for this show, and you can tell that most of it is scripted… so it’s hardly the same as actual bullying.
*sigh* @ Queerty…
David
The only member of the cast that is barely tolerable is Rodiney… but that’s only because he’s not bright enough to join the varsity bitch league. If he had 5 more brain cells, he’d head for Miami and never look back.
jackpacer
Does anyone actually watch this crappy show. Its as bad as My Super Sweet 16. Why show the worst of human behavior on tv. “reality” tv sucks ass
Bullcrap
Hold up a second.. its TV people, they do not represent the entire gay spectrum, its a show and its cast to provide entertainment… who the F*$k will watch a bunch of sweet gays, all talking about self esteem, shop at the discount store, dont go to bars, etc. I am so tired of people who need to see only the good side of things, hey we are gay, and have F23K-up lives just like everyone else.
There are tons of positive images of gay people if you need to be encouraged look to those, i did.
David
If Ryan likes to fix people, why doesn’t he fix TJ’s vampire teeth?
scott ny'er
LOL. Where is Austin and TJ? Get rid of Dereck and I’ll be more overjoyed.
Devonasa
Oh give me a motherfucking break, if their bullies than every damn person on this earth is to. Each and every one of us talks crap about someone, whether your gay, straight, bisexual, black, white, Asian whatvever.
I’m sorry, but being a bitch does not equal tormenting someone day in and day out, calling them disparaging names and harassing them emotionally and physically, to the point the want to kill themselves. These men aren’t bullies, they are just like every other person in the world who has doesn’t like someone and isn;t going to pretend otherwise.
Why does everyone act like gay men on television have to be some damn martyr, being perfect and nice..so they can please the big ole bad homophobes.
I guess I’m a bully too cause I saw some guy at school this morning in a head to toe jean outfit, and proceeded to tell everyone how ugly it was….it was atrocious.
Kieran
I don’t know what planet you’re living on, but Reichen, Austin, Rodney, Derek, Ryan and TJ aren’t exactly alien to gay life on earth. Certainly not NY life. They call it “reality” television for a reason. The kids should know the truth.
ATNNT
I’ve never seen this show, but aren’t all “reality” shows supposed to be scripted?
Jeffree
Look at the end-credits for most any reality show and you’ll find a list of “writers” not much different from the list for a sit-com or drama…
Howard Simonsen
I agree with the criticism of the show. But I think we should also note this blog is a variation of a slur that is used by bullies every day in schoolyards across America. Queerty thinks it is being raw and rebellious, but it is really reinforcing the bullies’ message that gay=queer.
rrr
Four out of the five people in the A-list it gets better video are definitely not bullies and aren’t calling people fat behind their back. Reichen, Mike, Rodiney and Ryan aren’t doing the things on TV you have accused them of. Reichen has shown some flaws but not the ones you are describing.
Derek is a bitch but he’s only one person and I’m sure it’ll come to no suprise to gay kids that some bitchy gays exist.
Austin is a mean drunken bully who was just punching another gay for no good reason, but he’s not in the video.
Keith
I SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO agree with Devonasa and Bullcrap. Listening to this kid’s video I felt like I was listening to someone who was just told there is no Santa Claus. Obviously, something about the A-List characters hit home for him. Perhaps he should deal with that.
Message to ALL people: STOP LOOKING TO ENTERTAINMENT for your so-called role models. It is what it is, 30 mins. to 2 hours to disengage your brain. If that’s not your cup of tea, go outside or read a book…
Cam
LOL This kid nailed it.
One add on, Reichen is valuable for one reason. he is the ex boyfriend we all have that wanted to be an “Actor, Model, etc…” that we dump and teaches us to NEVER date somebody like them again. So in that way, people like Reichen and Derek are very valuable to the gay community.
Austin is valuable as well. He is the alcholic ex who gets into trouble every time you go out, so thats a good lesson for future dating “Don’ts” as well.
Fitz
I am totally 100% with you on this. Those “A List Fags” are pretty awful. If I were a gay kid, and I thought that was what I had to look forward to—– I don’t think I could take it. Thankfully for me, I had really good, positive, productive queer role models. Those guys are just gross on every level. Unless your goal is to be a walking, talking stereotype… yuck. Gay kids: some of us are successful, productive, healthy, loving people. You might be one of us someday.
Nathan
Boohoo, get over it. You’re just mad you’re a hairy fatty, try journalism instead of blogging.
Shake-n-Bake
@Kieran: Agreed. Too bad most people won’t.
gina
This is right up there in the hypocrisy stratosphere with Perez Hilton’s video “It Gets Better and… ooo, sorry I called you mean names… hope I didn’t hurt your feelings.”
BubbasBack
IT GETS BETTER has brought out all the fame-seeking whores. Burp.
Franco
This is easy to explain. They’re all fame whores.
jbran
@Cam: Hey, not every actor is someone that shouldn’t be dated.
Randy
@gina:
I agree. The point folks aren’t getting is that the A-List ‘stars’ aren’t good role models. They bully and tear each other down like the bullies do in junior or senior high school.
Sure, the A-List guys are just as nasty and superficial as the women on the Real Housewives series. That’s fine. They just shouldn’t pretend that they are not “mean girls” grown up into “mean gay men.”
Really, if you were a bullied gay kid and watched the A-List, could you see much difference between the jerk making your life hell in the school hall and the idiots on the A-List?
Yeah I Said It
There are porn stars that would make better role models than these tragedies, and their inspirational messages would mean a [w]hole lot more. For real. Who would you rather turn to in your hour of weakness? OKAAAY?!
Steven
This is a disaster. THIS is considered better?!?! Just watching this show could raise the rate of GLBT teen suicides if they this is waht “better” is! On this week’s episode they had a FIGHT and they are talking about bullying?!?! I hope Mike Ruiz is getting huge a paycheck. The entire show should have focuse don him. This is an outrage, though.
Xtian99
“support um… you know…anti-gay bullying n’ stuff like that…”
in their you tube videos, the A-list guys are speaking against anti-gay bullying (as opposed to pro-gay bullying) not supporting it …
valid points but made really ineloquently…
JonJon
My partner and I watched 5 minutes of the A-List last night. Slack-jawed, he turns to me and says, “These people make the Palin family look like intellectual giants.”
What a bunch of appallingly shallow douche nozzles. They make me embarassed to be gay. These people don’t deserve equal rights. They deserve a gulag…in the middle of a remote ocean. What horrendous public relations for gay equality.
Kieran
How about if you don’t like the show you just don’t watch it? That way you won’t get yourself all upset and bothered. Simple solution. Maybe RuPaul’s drag show is more to your taste or a re-run of Buffy the Vampire slayer. Reichen and Austin may not be your thing. No problema. To each his own. Just stop bitching and don’t watch anymore.
Steven
Hey Kieran–here’s an idea–why don’t you stop reading these comments and replying–and go back and watch your A-List?
This isn’t about watching the worst show on television–it’s about the cast coming out against bullying–which is entirely hypocritical.
Now turn off your computer.
Daez
@Bullcrap: Name of a few of these “tons” of positive game images. The A-List isn’t the only culprit, but the vast majority of media shows gays as bitchy little show queens. Anyone growing up in middle America that has no other representation of what gay means will quickly decide they want to be anything but gay. The media has caused more people to want to be ex-gay than religion has.
Fitz
@Kieran: Some of us care about the limited media portrayal of queers to kids who lack a broad enough range of experience to understand that these twits are the exception, not the rule. How about if you just stay in your vacuous world and watch your vacuous shows, and let us real people worry about things like group-slander, and what it tells queer kids.
Ronbo
Give the poor guy a break. Criticize others just half as much as yourself and the world will be a better place. My backfat is simply disgusting. Hand me a loufa, bitch.
jason
These are homophobic homosexuals brought to you by the homophobic organization MTV and their subsidiary in LOGO. Our enemies are the liberal media organizations like MTV.
By the way, where is GLAAD on this? GLAAD is quick to criticize Vince Vaughn’s “the car is gay” line but they’re missing in action when it comes to the revolting queens on The A-List.
rjp
EXACTLY – Congratulations.
These men will be more than happy to admit they bully the rest of the gay community with threats of EXCLUSION if others do not conform and/or worship them.
Sickening — adult men acting like the cast of Heathers/Mean Girls (depending on your generation).
This type really take the joy OUT of the gay community.
rjp
EXACTLY – Congratulations.
These men will be more than happy to admit they bully the rest of the gay community with threats of EXCLUSION if others do not conform and/or worship them.
Sickening — adult men acting like the cast of Heathers/Mean Girls (depending on your generation).
This type really take the joy OUT of the gay community.
And yes Reichen — we KNOW there REALLY ARE gay men like this pile of crap out there.
rjp
@Nathan: Someone misses the point or is trying to be “funny” … I suspect the first.
ousslander
@Fitz: you shouldn’t say Fag, you may be stoned by the p.c. police
Tony X
After watching that video – all I can say is that they are VILE.
The ONLY time they even seemed interested is when the last speaker lit up saying “WE are the cast of A LIST NEW YORK”.
Disgusting.
MICKEY — you are a very smart young man for making this connection and speaking out about it.
BRAVO
Hilarious
@BubbasBack: I agree, but I questioned the motives behind it from the beginning.
There are a lot of people who just wait to jump on issues like these just for their own personal gain, be it for publicity, or money.
As others have said before teen suicides have been going on for a very long time and only now the media suddenly “cares”. Rather than doing something active like going to high schools and colleges so students see the faces of celebrities they know they lazily upload a video to Youtube. Making false promises of it “getting better” as if they know everyone’s situation won’t actually make it better.
Not everyone has or will have access to the funds it takes to make it better. Not everyone can or even wants to move into a gay ghetto and hide from the world either.
To try and make it better these camwhores should try speaking in schools to students, school boards, teachers, and parents…you know where the problem is actually taking place.
It’s not on Youtube.
scott ny'er
After the 2nd to last episode. I’m all in on most of the cast are bullies. TJ, Austin, Derreck and Ryan. Reichen is just a loser who stands by and watches his BF get bullied. Oh, I guess he’s an abuser and cheater too probably. He’s definitely playing games with Rodiney from what they’ve shown us.
Rodiney is the one who seems to have a soul in this cast. Mike is a little superficial at times, but I guess he’s tolerable and not a bully either.
AntonioDL
Do yourself a favor and cancel your LOGO and Viacom stations. They are liberal homophobes who insist on instilling and exploiting the “gay” stereotype to sell more Your Baby can Read commercials, instead of supporting the very community it plays to.
Stop paying these bastards for exploiting our culture.
mikey
grown ass men acting like bitches, what a turn off!!!
mikey
grown ass men acting like bitches, what a turn off!!! i hate that stereotype of gays, pretty boy types obsessed with looks, fashion, haute-couture and bitchy gossip!!
jason
I agree with the notion that LOGO and Viacom are liberal homophobes. They claim to be on our side but all their depictions of us are stereotypical slime jobs. LOGO can fuck off. Viacom is composed almost exclusively of sleazy straight guys and dumb females who don’t understand male sexuality.
Jay
Reichen seems like the only likable character. He has his struggles but works hard to be somebody. I’m not sure why he chooses to be with Rodiney but I guess he’s in love. I don’t why Reichen would waste his time with those three queens, Derek, Ryan and that other queen with the red hair. The three of them are so repulsive and are completely annoying and grating. As for Austin, he’s hot! Reichen and Austin should just do it and get it over with. Fuck him and forget him.
Mike
Seriously if I had friends like Austin, Derek and Ryan, I would probably go berserk and kill them all and feed them to subway rats.
NYC SOCIALITE
THE A-LIST NEW YORK IS SIMPLY A BAD SHOW.
NO ONE THAT IS TRULY A LIST IS EVEN ON IT. JUST A BUNCH OF BITCHY QUEENS.
A VERY POOR REPRESENTATION OF THE GAY COMMUNITY.
I DONT BELIEVE LOGO TV IS WORKING TO HELP THE GAY COMMUNITY AT ALL.
ITS MORE LIKE MAKING FUN OF US BY PUTTING THIS GROUP OF IDIOTS OUT THERE.
PORTRAYING GAYS AS SLEAZY. BACK STABBING, LYING, DRUNK MESSES. UNABLE TO COMMIT IN RELATIONSHIPS. ONLY INTERESTED IN HAVING 3 WAYS ALL THE TIME BECAUSE WE CANT STAND HAVING SEX W ONLY OUR BOYFRIENDS.
THE ONLY SMART ONE ON THIS SHOW IS THE SUCCESSFUL AND HANDSOME, BLACK HUSBAND OF RYAN. HE STAYED AWAY FROM GETTING INVOLVED W THIS SHOW. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, HE NEVER WANTED TO BE A PART OF IT.
I UNDERSTAND WHY.
mikey
Can’t gay guys get better representatives on mainstream media?