(Appeared Sept. 2002 in "The Frequency," the magazine of CSCR Cable FM 90.3, published at University of Toronto's Scarborough Campus.)

First off, I welcome you all back from Summer holidays, and extend my best regards to the incoming wave of froshies!  If you don't know me, or have not read any of my previous articles, my name is Garth - and I'm the openly gay, diva-actor-singer-songwriter-scandalmaker on campus.  If you don't tolerate gay people, then this article ain't for you - but those brave souls willing to read on will hear about my fun filled Summer adventures!

My Summer officially began in May, although I've worked so much that it hasn't really been a vacation.  School was wrapping up, and I had successfully become acquaintances with an open-minded straight guy that I'd been chasing for more than a year.  (Long story short is that he caught my attention, I nicknamed him "Adonis," wrote a play about the chase, and he was cool enough to not be offended by my artistic insanity.)  So with the "Adonis" chase wrapped up nicely, I turned my attention back to my frustration with Ginos.  Ginos, the Kappa wearing, gold chain toting, homophobic dudes that are an endless source of fascination, attraction, and inspiration for me.  (It's almost like a Marilyn Manson song waiting to happen: "I Like Ginos, But The Ginos Don't Like Me.")

I've been working for a well-known major discount retailer where blue vests and yellow happy faces are the norm (Hint - it's not Zellers).  The location I work at is undergoing massive construction work to bring our two-level store down to only one.  So, as you can imagine, stress has been running rampant, egos are clashing, and my only goal is to be a Diva on par with Kylie Minogue - but the last comment is besides the point.  As these battles waged on, a new "chase" began with a punky Italian guy that's the opposite of the open-minded "Adonis" I mentioned earlier.  He also works at this major discount retailer, with his unique brand of cockiness, attitude, with a beautiful blue Kappa jacket, and ignorance to spare.  I'll refer to him as Capital R.  He was nice to me at first, but I was a bit too friendly when I introduced myself.  Soon enough, he became suspicious of my friendliness and asked such wonderful questions as "What's up with that guy? Is he a fag?"  My friends tried to explain that I wouldn't hit on him just because I'm gay, yet, he was still uncomfortable with me.  And what do you get when a young homophobic Italian dude and an outgoing diva-in-training clash? A song, of course - at least according to my own twisted logic!

Some people turn to drugs or alcohol to relieve stress, but I write songs.  So I wrote out a satirical number called "King of The Clubs," which jokingly states that music is about the only thing that can bring Ginos and Gay guys together.  (One co-worker joked that Capital R would think "satirical" is something you eat in the morning for breakfast.)  Suddenly, gossip leaked out about the song, and friends of Capital R wanted to hear it.  I played it for them, they teased him about it, he threatened to take it to the store manager if he ever got a copy, and thus a new drama was born.  (I love Mary J. Blige, but man, oh, man the song "No More Drama" didn't teach me anything...)

However, every drama has a silver lining.  The irony is that Capital R's friends are now cool with me.  And while Capital R is still pretty narrow minded, he cooled down a bit, and now shows a grudging respect for me.  Struggles like this are good in a way because they remind me to appreciate open minded people, and it also reminds me that there will always be negative attitudes to fight against.   These struggles are what fuel my creative projects, and I think I purposely put myself in these situations to gain creative material.  Hopefully my efforts will help people like Capital R become more accepting towards gays.

Lately, as I thrive and survive at the "major discount retailer" that I work for, my Mother has become concerned that part of my stress is coming from being "Gay Garth" rather than "Garth who happens to be gay."  It's a valid comment, but I'm at a point in my life where it's sometimes easier to hit someone over the head with that piece of information *first* so that I can settle in as "Garth who happens to be gay" when the shock is over.  I see a lot of examples of people who have trouble coming out.  One co-worker finally confided in me about the secret that much of the store already knows about him.  What shocked me is not the fact that he has no idea how many people already knew about his orientation - but that he's still afraid to be out, even after I've become the store's unofficial "gay mascot."  As long as people are afraid to be themselves, I'm going to be "Gay Garth."  It shouldn't be such a big deal, considering the fact that no one questions people taking pride in their home countries.  A co-worker who hails from Malta proudly wears "Maltese Pride" shirts.  In a way, I'm trying to do a similar thing, but in a way that "blazes a trail" for people to be accepted.  If I can make it ok for someone to be themselves, or help someone open their mind, then my struggles are worth it, and it'll be "Gay Garth" that helped that come about.

If you're still reading at this stage, the word "gay" obviously doesn't offend you, and I thank you for your superb taste in reading material!  Now I'll leave you with one last event from my Summer!  I went to the Gay Pride March in June and it was wonderful.  Almost a million people came to support the Parade and it was amazing to see.  The atmosphere was filled with diversity, and a queer friendly vibe, with people of all orientations joining the celebrations.  Literally, there were people dancing in the streets with live DJs pumping out music!  The LGBTQ group from Scarborough Campus marched in the parade and we all had a great time supporting each other, our school, and "feelin' the luv" while being surrounded by friendly people.  And I was proud to march with a colourful Pride banner - constructed by about seven of my friends from the "major discount retailer" that I work for.  It read "Happy Gay Pride Week Garth!" and it was signed by all of them.  I was really honoured and touched by the gesture, and it reminds me of the fact that it's important to be yourself, since you'll get all the support you need from those who appreciate you for being you.  Sometimes there are circumstances where you can't necessarily "be yourself" (i.e. high school), but if you can stay true to yourself within yourself, that will generally allow the rest of the puzzle pieces to fall in place.

***Download Garth's controversial song "King Of The Clubs" by visiting:  http://www.mp3.com/garthjensen