Jade Esteban Estrada, gay performers and gay audiences

This may fall outside the bailiwick of AfterElton, but it's incredible that there is this whole industry of people who have careers born out of performing for pride events, gay conferences, gay festivals, etc. This may seem odd because I write for a gay site, and this is America, a country with huge problems with gays, but I think of AfterElton.com as being about the broader pop culture. Yet, there is a parallel gay entertainment industry universe out there that's not part of the larger culture. I found this story about a gay entertainer, Jade Esteban Estrada, who received a standing ovation at North East Regional Pride Conference, an event that I never knew existed. The story about Mr. Estrada got me to thinking about how much else is out there. Certainly, there is the controversy surrounding Shirley Q Liquor. I had not heard of his act, and, frankly, I would have preferred to leave his act in obscurity. I don't like giving attention to acts like this. It seems the equivalent of Andrew Dice Clay, shock for the sake of shock. However, there are acts that are not controversial, which are well known at pride events. Do people like Ari Gold constitute gay performers or performers without the adjective or both? What are the boundaries? Should there be boundaries? How do these performers want to be perceived? How do we want to perceive them? These are all questions that come to mind when thinking about what one may want in entertainment. Afterall, think of performers like Rufus Wainwright, who are gay, but with broader appeal than their gay fan base. Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk is one of my personal favorites. It never mentions that Wainwright is gay that I can hear, and yet the song draws from his experiences as a gay man. Maybe, at the end of the day, this is about a gay aesthetic, and whether one can exist outside of pride that communicates to both us and wider audiences. We know such divas as Cyndi Lauper can have this appeal. If True Colors is not about being gay, I don't know what is. However, with actual gay performers is that what we want? If you are wondering whether I am going to answer any of these questions, the answer is no. I am more curious about what you think about these things. So, this is my official completely unscientific poll- tell me what you think.