...I was gone for THREE DAYS internet

So, I was on vacation this last weekend, with no internet access. And in that time, The Babadook became a LGBT icon.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the top-hatted entity, The Babadook is the titular character from an Australian horror film; he moves into the home of a grieving wife and mother, tormenting her and her son. He also may be a physical embodiment of depression. Or not exist at all.

It's a really good, intense horror movie, with pretty much no gay over or undertones that I recall.

So why all of this?

For some reason, Netflix shuffled this into their LGBT category, and the internet ran with it. So, if you see a goth-looking specter at your local pride rally, that's why.

I'm not really sure how to feel about this. I've never seen a horror icon embraced so wholeheartedly by the LGBT community. Not even when Freddy Krueger was in the gayest horror movie of all time.

Seriously, there's a scene in a leather bar,  a guy is whipped to death, Freddy is trying to get into a young man's body, and the lead actress looks like Meryl Streep.

I'm not offended or displeased as a horror fan. My only worry is when people actually go watch the film. They are in for one hell of a shock. The Babadook is REALLY hardcore. It is not a loving, supportive entity. But if you want him for that, hey, more power too you.

Plus, I'd love to go to a rally and get a picture with some cosplayer...

Scarecrow's Pants

So, in honor of LGBT pride month, Billboard released a list of the top 20 gay anthems. Somewhere over the Rainbow is number #14. Should have been higher in my opinion, but hey, I'm not LBGT.

My letter falls under the Q, or A however.

Something people have also attributed to The Wizard of Oz is Jack Haley's performance playing the Tinman as gay.

Now, if you're less of a Wizard of Oz fan than I (and lets face it, who isn't less of a Wizard of Oz fan than I) you probably haven't heard the interview where Haley says the voice he was using in the movie was the same one he used to read to his kids. I.E. at least not trying for a "gay" voice.

For more info on sounding gay, watch this. Seriously. It's fantastic.

More than that, I'd argue that the Tinman isn't gay because in the movie (unlike the original book or Wicked) he's just a being made of tin. No sexual organs, no sexual feelings, no purpose for the tinsmith to include those as options, if he even had the ability.

We can clearly see the lack of sexual organs here:

The Lion is a biological being, so presumably could be attracted to another lion (or whatever, I'm not here to judge). But of the animated inhumans, the only one you could make an argument for is Scarecrow, since he has pants.

Not that I'm saying he DOES have straw-man-bits. It's merely possible. And I'm sure there are a bunch of X-rated parodies where things go on, but I'm not looking for them, you sickos.

In short: let the Tinman be nothing, because he literally cannot be anything else. Or don't. I'm not the boss of you. But at least look at the logic and facts in this movie about magic shoes taking a small-town girl to a glittering city where she and her three male friends go to the salon.

....I may need to rethink my argument.