Rainbow Red The phrase “self-loathing gay Republican” is used at least once in this issue (by Michael Musto) and produces 2,430 exact matches when googled. It has become an epithet like “rosy-fingered dawn”; but is there any validity to the assumption that gay Republicans are “self-loathing”? In the spirit of the cable series Mythbusters, the Williams Institute set out to answer that question scientifically, through a series of survey questions designed to measure levels of self-acceptance, outness, and thoughts about gayness itself. In their sample of LGB people from both parties, significant differences were observed. For example, 41 percent of Republicans said they “Would want to be completely heterosexual,” versus 17 percent of Democrats. Fully 38 percent of Republicans agreed that “Being LGB is a personal shortcoming” versus 16 percent of Democrats. Other responses suggest that Republicans are less likely to see their sexual identity as an important aspect of their lives. So, in the immortal words of Adam and Jamie: “Myth confirmed.”
Geek Chic Election night dragged on for days in early November, which gave viewers of MSNBC ample opportunity to 
watch election analyst Steve Kornacki in action. It’s always a dazzling experience for data geeks, but it turns out the openly gay Kornacki has a much wider fan base—wide enough to land him on People magazine’s list of the “Sexiest Men of 2020.” It seems people were watching more than Kornacki’s amazing ability to reel off the latest returns down to the precinct level while accurately predicting electoral outcomes; there was much talk of his Gap khakis (“palomino brown”) and his “adorable” manner of delivery. Also noted was his preternatural ability to keep going almost nonstop for hours on end without sleep. Needless to say, what launched Kornacki to cult status was not his ratings on MSNBC but the trending of his hashtag and the buzz on social media, where his various nicknames include “Korsnacki,” “Map Daddy,” and “Chart-throb.” Despite his deadpan manner, his gayness undoubtedly comes through. But what are we to make of New York magazine’s comment that he was “the only cute thing about the election”? One could question whether a similar comment would be made about a straight commentator, though it’s hard to argue with the sentiment.
Smart Cookies The American Family Association (AFA)—speaking through its shell operation One Million Moms—has 
called for a boycott of Oreo cookies following the release of “Rainbow Oreos,” whose creamy filling comes in six colors to form a Pride flag. Nabisco launched the product in a TV ad depicting a daughter introducing her female partner to her parents. Of course, the boycott is merely silly—if lethal amounts of refined sugar don’t stop people from eating Oreos, rainbow colors won’t—but it points to an interesting cultural shift. Some of us can remember a time when the AFA went around ferreting out “hidden” or “subliminal” messages in various cultural products. Jerry Falwell was famous for hallucinating that the toddler TV show Teletubbies was sneaking in a gay message with its Tinky Winky character, while others claimed they saw subliminal gay messages in the Disney movie Frozen. So the AFA has stopped trying to sniff out hidden messages and now goes after ones that are fully intended to be LGBT-positive. The lesbian introduction in the Oreo ad ends with the voiceover: “A loving world starts with a loving home. Show you’re a proud parent.” Happy boycotting!
Impacting the Bottom Line One of the unforeseen consequences of Brexit will be a drastic rise in the price of sex toys, as suddenly every order of dildos will entail a delivery charge of £17 and a “European cost” of £25. A report in Britain’s Pink News enjoyed the opportunity for double entendres: “stiff charges” will be “slapped on the back end” of all imports of sex toys. Importers were seen as “the latest victims to fall into the gaping sphincter that is Brexit.” Sex toy retailers could be harmed, as “the charges threaten to penetrate their profits”—which may have taken it a pun too far. Nevertheless, the problem is real—a high-end butt plug would jump from £15 to £57—so people in the business have been in serious discussion to find ways to mitigate the impact. Following a sober analysis of the economics of the situation and possible solutions, Pink News concludes that the export industry in Europe “is also probing long-term solutions.”
