Does anyone listen to
Howard Stern anymore? I was addicted to him when I lived in
Cincinnati for the last year he was on regular radio, and although the man is absolutely crude and most times sick, I've always found his show to be funny, entertaining and oddly welcoming of all types of people. Which is why I'm surprised at the
reaction Howard has received from the
community today as news of his producer
"High Pitch" Mike coming out on air spread across the blogs.
It seems that just about everyone is pleasantly surprised at how warm and accepting
Howard was when
Mike came out on the show. Really? People are surprised by this? I mean, I know he's rough around the edges, but
Howard Stern has always been accepting and pro-LGBT, even if his toilet humor does hit the low-bro homophobic funny bone at times.
I think that if you actually pay attention to
Howard Stern, his positive reaction to his producer's coming out should not surprise you at all.
Howard had always identified with communities and people that feel left out of mainstream, which is ironically the source of his mainstream popularity. Being able to identify with all sorts of non-normative types brings a wide and varied audience and the kind of audience that is loyal. His acceptance of the gays is really an extension of who he has always been. When he makes gay-centered jokes, I've always perceived them as coming from another gay person. No that
Stern is gay, but that he relates to the community and the experience. Because of that, I've never really thought his jokes have come from a place of hate or fear, but more from a place of acceptance and fun.
Don't get me wrong, there have been times I've been offended or grossed out and changed the station! But more often than not, I've really enjoyed his shows.
Crude? Absolutely. Over-The-Top? That's practically his entire point. Homophobic? Not at all.
And he finally came out! Check out his page, the entry is certainly worth a read.
