You Can Tell Just By Looking And 20 Other Myths about LGBT Life and People by Michael Bronski, Ann Pellegrini and Michael Amico (Beacon Press 2013). $16; 190 pp.
The clichés are plentiful, even the positive ones. Consider the notion that gaydar is more than just intuition. While research shows that lesbians and gay men can identify other lesbians and gay men better than can straight people can, it may only be a matter of desire or empathy.
Or consider the myth that homophobia masks a straight person’s true desire. That belief came from something published more than 50 years ago; the author took the thought in a different direction, but “it became the main idea people took away from the book.”
These are the bugaboos dissected in this treatise. Among the conclusions reached by the trio of authors? Same-sex marriage does not “harm” marriage as a whole; in fact, it may “make for happier heterosexual couples.” Not all religions “condemn” homosexuality. No one race is particularly biased against it. Parenting has nothing to do with the sexuality of the mothers or fathers (“good parenting… is not a biological given”). And coming out today is not necessarily easier than it was a half-century ago.
You Can Tell Just by Looking is filled with deep-thinking research-based information and no-nonsense answers to “myths” that may or may not be widely-rumored. It’s wordy to the extreme, and — although the authors claim that LBGT readers believe myths about themselves — I often wondered if they were preaching to the choir. There’s a whole lotta generalization goin’ on here.
Still, the authors don’t shy away from controversy; they tackle some tough ideas thoughtfully. I appreciated that lack of fear and the willingness they had to confront ill-conceived credos.
Overall, I think that if you’re searching for retorts to blanket-statements about LGBT people, this book may give you what you need.
— Terri Schlichenmeyer
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition May 9, 2014.