Mandouchea

So everyone's panties are in a tizzy over the latest American Idol reject Mandissa (that is, if you give a shit about American Idol). She was so talented, how could they?? Blah blah.

The rumor was that she lost the "gay" vote because she made a comment about overcoming addiction and "lifestyles" before singing a gospel song a couple weeks before she was booted. Because everyone knows that only gay guys and little girls watch American Idol. Okay. So then in the post-failure media blitz that every reject goes through (one final hurrah before we never see their losery faces again), she is asked (even by serious, "hard-hitting" media such as The Advocate) - "where did it all go wrong, Mandissa, say it isn't so, we hardly knew ye," blah blah. And then she gives the usual Christian backpedal, "I don't hate anyone, I'm heartbroken, it's a misunderstanding, Lordy mercy, etc." But when asked if she would ever perform at a gay event (as the more talented and much more gracious Kimberly Locke of the "Clay Aiken" season has done), Ms. Madness proclaims, "No, I do not advocate that," or some shit. When asked if she thought a gay person could be cured (a reference to her worship of some author of ex-gay propaganda), she said "I don't know anything about that." Right. So she is basically telling us that although her pre-song comment had nothing to do with the "gay lifestyle," (something about food addiction) don't get her wrong, she really is anti-gay. But don't worry, she hates the sin, not the sinner. Much like I hate the Christianity, not the Christian.

Okay, girl, you done fucked up. Even if you didn't win American Idol (sorry, but the girls and the gays are all creaming for Ace or Chris, take your pick) you could've had a nice little campy gay diva career full of remixes, circuit parties and breakdowns. Even if you hated gays, you could have kept your mouth shut and racked up a few dance chart hits before spilling the beans (hello, Donna Summer!). So you kept your "integrity." You made very clear the nature of your homophobia. Good for you. I'm sure you'll be welcomed into the gospel community and revival tents all along the Bible belt. Splendid. But you missed an opportunity. You know what it's like to be somewhat of an outcast, to be discriminated against because of who you are (black, female, overweight, whatever - all have been a struggle for you, no doubt). And the gay community would have embraced you not only because of these factors, but also because of your genuine talent. For them, it is sometimes about a funky shiny package (Madonna, Britney), but mostly about what is delivered in that package (Barbara, Cher, Aretha, Liza for Christ's sake!). And as all of these divas have learned, when times get rough, and they've lost their luster with the public, the only ones who stick with them through it all are their gay fans.

But Mandissa shouldn't feel too bad. After all, this is just the latest in a long thread of homophobia running throughout American Idol. There are the thinly veiled homophobic barbs between Ryan and Simon (the latest being Simon's "beard" comment), the way every nelly boy somehow gets voted out and rarely even makes it to the top 12 (Clay Aiken was a rare example because scores of girls mistakenly thought he was crooning to them - hence the recent lawsuit when they discovered he wasn't), and the over-abundance of "aw shucks" country bumpkins who sail through to the final rounds after all the requisite references to God and Jesus and family values. Could a few incensed fags topple Mandissa despite all these factors, a good two weeks after her supposed anti-gay comment? Nah. It's just that her last performance sucked. Furious, out!