Me: 'Yeah? You sleep with him last night?'

Frd: 'Huh? Noo geeze His gay lover talked to the NE. You didn't read it?'

me: 'Uh no - You believe what you read in that thing?'

frd: 'Well of course not but this guy passed a lie detector test.'

me laughing: 'Probably asked him to confirm the name of his dog.'

frd frustrated: 'Well where there's smoke there's fire.'

me: 'Sometimes the smoke is just dust kicked up by people with an agenda.'

frd even more frustrated: 'Well he looks gay.'

me: 'You can tell by looking at someone? Is that a useful skill?'

frd: 'What?'

me: 'I'm just curious why do you need to know? You don't like his music anyway.'

frd incredulous: 'Well I don't. You don't care?'

me laughing: 'No. I don't. It's unfortunate that anyone does. It’s more unfortunate that someone with supposed intelligence would believe anything they read in NE.'

frd more seriously: ‘Ok so it’s far fetched but it could be true.’

Me: ‘Why?’

Frd: ‘Look it is possible the guy isn’t telling because it could ruin his career and you know it.’

Me: ‘Unfortunate but possibly true. But I believe Clay is an honest man. If he were gay he would have said so long ago. He says he is not. I’ve no reason to believe he is a dishonest man. On the other hand – I have plenty of reason to think this NE person is liar.’

Frd: ‘Why hasn’t Clay called the guy a liar then? Huh?’

Me: ‘Oh and you would believe him now? You obviously didn’t believe him when he says he is not gay.’

Frd stutters out: ‘Well then why not prove the story untrue.’

Me: ‘Why? Why should Clay have to prove he’s the honest man here? So he can change your mind?’

Frd: silence.

Me: ‘If Clay did answer this person's allegations he invites the story to stay alive. He invites investigation. Not that true investigation would prove the story but that it would invite headlines and very little truth. Our media enjoys the titillating over the truth. Somewhere it might get reported that the guy’s story is a total fraud – but when? How long would it take? Why would Clay want to make his life about proving this guy wrong? He knows the guys a liar. Anyone close to Clay knows he’s a liar. Anyone who has followed Clay’s career knows the guy’s a liar. And if someone actually believes it and hold’s it against Clay then that’s their problem.’

Frd: ‘I think you care more than you think.’

Me: ‘Ok yeah. But not for the reasons you might think.’

Frd: ‘Why then?’

Me (rant ahead): ‘Too many of us are willing to believe the worst about someone. Too many of us believe what we read in newspapers or hear on TV and radio without question. Too many of us like you think ‘where there is smoke there is fire’ when as I said that smoke is just dust kicked up by the same people over and over. It makes me angry that in the name of free speech and press there is no accountability.

But you know what? What makes me even more angry is that we – you and I – perpetuate this stuff by reading it, talking about it, tuning in to DJ’s who laugh and giggle like 12 year olds, giving hits to websites who print gossip just because they can and because too many people find it entertaining.

Too many people think being gay is something to make fun of. Too many people think it is a sport to spot the gay guy and ridicule him. Too many people believe in stereotypes perpetuated by an entertainment media so out of touch with reality by their need to tell us what they think is cool they have no clue anymore and worse don’t care. I read recently the phrase ‘what is perceived as popular becomes more popular.’ Human nature makes us want to be on the winning side, part of the cool crowd. We are supposed to get over that after high school but the media and advertising use it to sell us all kinds of things including what’s cool, who’s sexy, who’s talented.

I stopped over a week ago reading about any of this. I don’t need to know. I don’t want to know. I don’t normally read these sites so why now? I don’t read the NE so why would I now? I don’t listen to DJ’s so why now? I was playing into the whole mess of media that panders to our worst nature. So I stopped playing.’

Frd: ‘Isn’t that putting your head in the sand?’

Me: ‘Huh? One puts their head in the sand so not to see the truth. What truth is it you think I’m hiding from?’

Frd: ‘No I mean – this is out there don’t you want to know what might happen next?’

Me: ‘On this subject? Not in the least.’

Frd: ‘Ok now don’t get mad – but what if it’s true?’

Me: ‘I will believe Clay. If Clay tells me I will believe him. And I won’t have to read about it in NE.’

Frd: ‘Why?’

Me: ‘Because unfortunately that would be news and more reputable press would report on it.’

Frd: ‘And you truly don’t worry that all this will hurt Clay’s career?’

Me: ‘What good would it do me to worry? I can’t change what people think any more than Clay can apparently. If people are going to choose to buy someone’s music based on their sexual preference and the ways they procure their partners than I feel sorry for them.’

Frd: ‘Well like you said – too many people do.’