The Pinky Ring: An expression of sexuality. “During the 1950’s and 60’s signet rings were worn to signify membership of the gay community; both lesbians and gay men wore such rings. Such a fashion statement meant that people didn’t have to confess to their sexuality verbally, and they could simply wear this ring as a symbol of their Queer sexual orientation.”
There’s nothing like that today. Which makes me think that, in some ways, Queers were more open and out of the closet back in the 1950-60s than they are today.
(Related: The Gay Agenda).
Just like the young closet case I saw walking by my apartment a few minutes ago holding hands off and on with the young female he was with. At first, I thought she could be his sister. But no, he’s succumbed to the societal and parental brainwashing that he must be straight and be with a female. You’ll come to regret that, bro, if you don’t already! My reliable gaydar said he’s clearly a Queer boy but stupid him is staying in the unhealthy closet. Mind-boggling when you think about that and how proudly radical our now-dead Gay Rights Movement was.
Then came gay marriage based in the conservative Institution of Marriage and wedlock, “which ruined everything” as my lesbian neighbour says. She’s correct.
By all indications, gay marriage was the death of our Movement. I never knew that (gay) marriage was the ultimate goal of our Movement. My lesbian neighbour said she didn’t know that either. Maybe because it wasn’t until our Movement was hijacked by heteronormative corporatist assholes. Queers should have the same rights as breeders, but that does not mean that we have to be “carbon copies” of them which is what “assimilation” has done and led to the death of our Movement. It’s too bad that Queers — with all their creative ideas and brilliant minds during the Movement — couldn’t have come up with something better than the conservative idea of marriage, which is nothing but a legal document. One does not need legal or sacred dogma to show one’s love, caring and affection for another human being.
With the (closeted) Queers remaining in San Francisco, they’re wearing the same drab all-black or black and grey clothing as the breeders. Trying to look just like them. (roll eyes) They have removed any and all Queer symbols from their person, they have removed earrings and other things that were distinctly part of Queer culture during the Gay Mecca decades. All of that is gone.
From my research, even though pinky rings over decades have had different meanings internationally, Queer boys have especially been known to wear them as a sign to other Queer boys that they are Queer. It’s a covert way of telling other Queers that you’re “a member of the club” as it was called at one time.
What sparked this article: It’s worth repeating: It crossed my mind that most Queers seem to have been more out of the closet back in the 1950s and 60s than today — if that isn’t mind-boggling! — based on the number of pinky rings I see in older television shows and footage, such as in Perry Mason, who was a Queer boy but in the closet. From what I read about Raymond Burr (Perry Mason), everyone knew he was Queer and he had a boyfriend/partner. He was married to a female as his “cover?” Both he and Paul Drake and many of the guest actors on Perry Mason wore a pinky ring. I’ve also seen pinky rings especially on guys in other programmes of that era.
From my research the pinky ring over time has meant that the guy was not interested in (straight) marriage. Translation: Queer.
Typically, I think it’s the older generation who wears pinky rings, although I do know of a young news reader in France who wears one on the set which brought some of this to mind and caused me to research it.
Since most Queers seem to be back in the closet these days (February 2021) with the door nailed shut and as I said earlier they have removed all Queer symbolism from their person — following gay marriage becoming legal and that ludicrous and insane dictate to “assimilate” (blend in) with the breeders/straights — the pinky ring is the only signage remaining.
This seems very ironic and Orwellian, that Queers were more out of the closet decades ago than they are today. But I have to keep remembering that this is the Century of Insanity.
It’s just as well that COVID caused the cancellation of Corporate Pride. That useless corporate-establishment hijacked event. Why on Earth have a corporate event called “Pride” when most Queers are no longer “out and proud” but have gone back in the closet with gay shame by all indications? San Francisco’s event — which hopefully will be cancelled again this year (2021) because of the continuing COVID plague — is called “SF Pride” or “San Francisco Pride.” That sounds like one has pride in San Francisco, or one has pride in one’s City. (roll eyes) The event should be called Gay Freedom Day — meaning freedom from discrimination, bigotry and prejudice of all kinds — as it was called originally. Because why should one have “pride” in the way one was born? I don’t see people who are “proud” to have red hair having a “Proud to Have Red Hair” Pride event. Of course Gay Freedom Day is a much more political title than the corporatist hijacked and sanitised “Pride” title. The corporatists wanted to tone it down and sanitise it, and they have. It’s nothing like it used to be. They ruined it like they’ve ruined everything else, the useless fuckers. I’ve already told those corporatist trash what think about them. Can’t stand them.
Maybe “we” can at least return to the pinky ring since all other options are put away back in the closet. And some of the breeders have hijacked the Rainbow Flag which many, if not most, Queers run from these days, and seem to consider the flag passé. Chau.—el barrio rosa