Approaching from the bend in the road where 10th Ave turns into Broadway, at first I thought I was seeing some surreal hybrid Easter animal, part chicken, part rabbit. The yellow and orange rain-slickened body of the chick in front obscured all but the pink, floppy ears of the rabbit, with these protruding above the red comb on top of the chick's head like a defiant middle finger pointed skyward, brazenly mocking the Natural Order of Things. As we pull around to the front, I realize that the hideous genetic experiment rendered in jumbo inflatable form that I had first perceived is actually a matching set of giant Easter mascots seated side-by-side, secured to the roof of the gay bar by cable and rocking back and forth in the strong wind.
From the window of the bus I take in the sight of this modest, slightly dingy establishment: A middle-aged daddy hangout festooned with Easter finery, the windows decorated with ribbons and "Happy Easter" banners in bright pink, robin's-egg blue, pastel yellows and vibrant purples. Nothing here would look out of place on Gay Pride Weekend -- change the wording on the banners and leave the colors as they are and I wouldn't even notice. It suddenly strikes me that Easter is pretty gay, as holidays go. This had never occurred to me before.
I mean, not the Jesus part especially: That's really neither here nor there. But all the bunnies and colored eggs and pastels and Easter bonnets? Totally Gay.
Posted by flamingbanjo at March 19, 2005 03:13 PM"as gay as an easter bonnet" is also much more fun to say than "as queer as a three dollar bill". and contains a hidden reference to judy garland, so there's extra points.
Posted by: anne at March 19, 2005 09:40 PMBunnies and chickens are mortal enemies. At the merest mention of one, the other will begin frothing at the mouth/beak, and start doing a little "I'll kill them all!" dance, that if seen out of context is deceptively amusing to watch.
Posted by: KING COMTE I at March 20, 2005 07:02 PMI think the Jesus part is especially gay for some people... I think there is a sizeable percentage of the "Cuffs" crowd that derives much delight from the image of Jesus tied up and being flogged.
I mean the very symbol of christianity is one of male bondage.
side note: (stop me if I've mentioned this before) a friend of mine from AZ had this great philosohpical question, where she wondered what Xtian symbolizm would have been like if Jesus had been buried up to his head in an Ant Hill instead of being nailed to a stick.
Posted by: sven at March 21, 2005 01:50 PMHm, then Andres Serrano's controversial work probably would have been named, "Piss Ant".
Posted by: KING COMTE I at March 21, 2005 02:15 PMon the same spin, i had a shax prof who liked to entertain the idea of "Our Holy Congregation of The Guillotine."
Posted by: raej at March 21, 2005 02:37 PMa friend of mine from AZ had this great philosohpical question, where she wondered what Xtian symbolizm would have been like if Jesus had been buried up to his head in an Ant Hill instead of being nailed to a stick.
I was just speculating about this to The Girl the other day. I was imagining various other guilded objects mounted on top of churches and lit from below: racks, rocks, clubs. What would they use if the Romans had just chucked him out a window? The window or the Holy Splatter?
The thing is, early xtians used the fish symbol rather than the cross to identify themselves. I could be reaching here, but I think the cross was probably adopted because of its similarity to the religions icons of many of the pagan faiths that they displaced in the early medieval (asatru's swastika, the celtic sun cross, etc).
I think if they hadn't gone over to the cross they probably would've stuck with the fish.
Posted by: Joshua at March 22, 2005 10:58 AMAn Easter Fish that left little colored eggs on the lawn would actually make more sense than a bunny, but for some reason I find that image unsettling.
Posted by: flamingbanjo at March 22, 2005 11:02 AMWell the Happy, Spawning Easter Salmon (tm) would certainly make sense around here!
But, otherwise I think bunnies got picked because they're fruitful and multiply -- like rabbits (spring being the time for new birth and all that).
Posted by: KING COMTE I at March 22, 2005 12:08 PMI'm pretty sure that's why Hugh Hefner picked them as a symbol as well.
Posted by: flamingbanjo at March 22, 2005 12:09 PMactually, they stole the bunny symbol as well, from the pagan fertility fests which go on 'bout the same time of year.
drat those thievin' christians! rascaly varmits!
as for hugh, i think bunny is a clear winner over fish. . .though mermaids are pretty hot. . .
Posted by: raej at March 22, 2005 12:30 PM