Tammy Lynn Michaels Has Something To…Um…Say?

tammylynnmichaelsH.jpg
Man oh man, little did we know what we would be getting ourselves into when we first stumbled upon this story. But, let’s not get ahead of ourselves…we’ll take you through it nice and slow.

It all started when we came across an article headlined, “Gay Actress Offers Washington Her Support”. Naturally we were intrigued and started reading said story, which opens:

Disgraced Grey’s Anatomy star Isaiah Washington has received support from an unlikely source as he battles his homophobia demons – lesbian actress Tammy Lynn Michaels.

We had to stop for a second and think, “Who?” until we remembered that we know TLM more for her role as Melissa Etheridge’s lady lover than for her roles on The L-Word and Popular.

Back on track, we read on to discover that the ladies are apparently friends with Mr. Washington and that TLM’s astonished by the recent outcry over Washington’s well-publicized faggot-flinging. In response to the brou-ha-ha, TLM did what any concerned friend would do: she released a statement on her blog.

In an entry dated January 22, TLM mused:

he
never called
me or honey
a dyke
or
a faggot….
he
came with his cowboy hat
some boots
and a smile that could power Time’s Square
on new years eve
i barely recognized him last week
faggot he said
faggot

the man i have known
is not that man
…
he is not a bad man
he is flawed
aren’t we all
what that must be like
to have one’s flaws
amplified for all to see
and shame
i forgive his words,
because truth be told
i do not believe
the word
faggot
lives in his heart

It does, however, live in his mouth. Or, it did.

While we’re glad to know TLM has faith in her hateful friend, we couldn’t help but wonder why she writes in poetic form. In addition to being an actress, a lesbian, a rocker’s wife and a mother, it seems Tammy’s a psychic, because a few days ago she penned this explanation:

i’ve been writing like this since 1987

since i split my gay self off
from my catholic self
off from my abused self
off from my clown self
off from my depressed self

split
was i
and

jagged became my writing

so my haiku
while it might seem
….unoriginal …..

it’s all i got
all i ever had

Hmm, we don’t want to be picky, but you’re actually not using haiku. If you were writing in haiku, you’d have three lines of five, seven and five syllables. So, you’re actually just writing in verse. As for it being unoriginal…well, yes, you’re right: Rosie O’Donnell does that, too. Don’t worry, though, we think you’re way better. Or, at least, more coherent.

Although, we imagine Tammy Lynn Michaels doesn’t care what we think. What gives us this impression? Well, she wrote this a mere two days ago:

you gotta be kidding me. of all things to blog about, that silly little ditty i wrote about mr wattage makes news. i guess there aren’t many things going on in the news…. not much to write about. war, starvation, genocide, government criminals…. nope. not a damn thing to write about, i guess. thank goodness for me and my blog.

Thank goodness, indeed. You’ve certainly made our lives easier. And more fulfilling.

Don't forget to share:

Help make sure LGBTQ+ stories are being told...

We can't rely on mainstream media to tell our stories. That's why we don't lock Queerty articles behind a paywall. Will you support our mission with a contribution today?

Cancel anytime · Proudly LGBTQ+ owned and operated