Says more about him than it does about gay artists, I think.
Christopher Knight at the LA Times wrote a piece which pointed out that the Catholic League’s Bill Donohue’s characterization of David Wojnarowicz’s work “Fire In My Belly” [part of the Smithsonian Hide/Seek exhibit of work depicting gay love until it was removed due to the caterwaulering of the Thomas Kinkade Prints As Fine Art set] as “anti-Christian” was completely incorrect. I would add that it’s asinine and reveals that Donohue either never watched the video installation in the first place, or he is stupid. There are no other choices.
Donohue has now responded to Knight, via e-mail:
“It is a sad commentary on gays that they cannot display gay art that is not homoerotic. But then again, if your sole identity is your sexuality, it makes sense. No matter, don’t ask the public, most of whom are Christians, to fund your pornography.”
Uh. First of all, as Knight points out, the exhibit is privately funded, so stuff it on that point, Donohue.
But secondly, much of the art in the exhibit has nothing to do with homoeroticism, much less anything resembling pornography. Knight posted pictures of quite a few of the pieces, so click over to see them. Here are a couple of shots that, presumably, make Bill Donohue’s bits tingle, due to how homoerotically gay they are:
Romaine Brooks, “Self-Portrait”
Berenice Abbott, “Janet Flanner”
DIRTY!
