"United States of Tara " (2.02) Mini-Cap: "What Kind of Gay Do You Want to be When You Grow Up?

This week's episode of United States of Tara was all about the rather unique issues faced by some gay boys as they come to terms with their sexuality. Namely, am I really gay? And what kind of gay guy do I want to be? In this case, it's Mainstream Gay vs Radical Gay with Marshall as Mainstream and Lionel as Radical.

While your more Mainstream Gay (MG) doesn't have a problem being gay and wants equality, he doesn't view his sexual orientation as being central to his identity and doesn't feel the need to advertise the gender of the person he's sleeping with. Meanwhile, your Radical Gay (RG) does see everything through a prism of "gay" and feels it's perfectly fine to be confrontational and "in your face" in our quest for equality. 

So our confrontation between MG and RG starts in a high school classroom where Lionel and a small group of other students are apparently just forming a GLBT alliance. Since he's the RG, naturally Lionel is leading the group and he wants to call it the Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Transgender Association which he pronounces Glib-ta.

When Courtney asks about adding something to represent the straight allies like herself, Lionel goes all bitchy queen on her and says she should start a group called Frenemas which he explains is a friend you can call to come over and help clean you out before a big date. 

And I, along with the other kids, gag. This is the worst kind of RG behavior that is needlessly confrontational and off-putting. Marshall quite reasonably suggests that since only eight kids out of the whole school turned out for the club, maybe Lionel shouldn't be quite so exclusionary.

He also reminds Lionel that since they are kids, not everyone has it all figured out and some are even questioning. Marshall even wants to add a new letter — I — for "Independents." That would be those who don't want to broadcast who they are sleeping with because it doesn't "...need to be some kind of headline. Making it this narrow thing marginalizes us. Or ... people."

Clearly, Marshall hasn't quite decided just where he fits in while Lionel looks less than thrilled with the idea. But Courtney is all for it. Turns out Courtney is going to be for all sorts of things.