There’s a new cycle of anthologies hitting the stores, and Warner Books‘ The Honeymoon’s Over: True Stories of Love, Marriage, and Divorce has a doozy of a contribution in the form of Terry McMillan‘s “100 Questions I Meant to Ask Him,” him being the ex-husband who decided he’d rather have sex with men than her (pictured at right in happier times, when girlfriend was completely oblivious). At the time, you may recall, she reacted somewhat poorly, informing her ex that “you’re going to make a great fag” because “most of you guys are just like dogs anyway.” Now she’d like to tell him (and, by extension, you), “You didn’t really think of me as a homophobe because I called you all of the ‘F’ words I could, did you? Don’t you understand this was the only weapon I had?”
Herewith, then, we present more evidence of McMillan’s enlightened, non-homophobic attitudes:
- “Was Vince [her ex’s lover] just jealous of me because I was your wife and I was a woman and I was pretty and black and rich and famous? Does he hate all women because he’s jealous he isn’t one?”
- “Why do men like Vince try so hard to act like women, and why do men like you like them so much?”
- “Why are most gay men so gorgeous? There also seems to be a kind of narcissism inherent in your behavior because there is clearl an obsession with your looks, your bodies, and body parts? What is this about?”
- “Have you been surprised by the promiscuous behavior of a lot of gay men? Are you going to be like this or are you already?”
- “Do you know all of the men you’ve had sex with? Can you count them?”
- “Why do so many gay magazines and books focus on cruising, bondage, sex: any-way-you-can-get-it, S&M, looks, beautiful bodies, etc., etc., with very little or no attention given to how to achieve or maintain healthy relationships?”
The best part is how she follows up that last bit with, “I’m not trying to stereotype…” In addition to these oh-so-non-hompohobic questions, you have to wade through a lot of bathetic self-pity about whether her ex’s boyfriends give better head than she did and how she still loves him so much the thought of him kissing another man makes her nauseous, but she wants you to know she’s moving on—though she’d still like him to explain the chlamydia-like infection she’s acquired down there. At least there’s twenty-three other women to choose from in the collection with somewhat saner stories to tell. (So when’s the men’s version coming?)