Why We Should Not Boycott Hairspray

The Three Faces of Edna

Movie Dearest continues the weeklong countdown to the new movie musical Hairspray, opening nationwide this Friday.

When I first saw John Waters' original Hairspray in 1988, I fell in love with it. The film’s energy and sassiness drew me in, but it was the universal theme that "what you look like on the outside cannot keep you from making a difference in this world" is what struck a chord within me and stayed with me through its subsequent adaptations.

I am, of course, not alone in my affection for the material. Audiences, regardless of age, gender, race or sexuality, embraced the original movie and stage versions, making them a cult classic and mainstream sensation, respectively. So the unexpected call for the gay community to boycott the new Hairspray by Washington Blade editor Kevin Naff due to John Travolta's involvement in Scientology caught me off guard (as it also did Travolta, Waters and Adam Shankman, the remake's director).

Mr. Naff's ascertains that Travolta should not have been cast in the role of Edna Turnblad because of its gay icon status (Edna was previously portrayed onscreen by Divine and onstage by Harvey Fierstein, who are the real gay icons in this scenario). This goes beyond the questions many of us had regarding the casting in the first place: mainly, could Travolta even pull it off? Instead, Naff's rather glib article (which is not even all that original; who hasn't complained about remakes?) focuses on Travolta's personal life as a Scientologist and that controversial religion's reported stance on homosexuality.

Before I go on, I will say that I am not going to get into the whole debate on what Scientology is or is not. Religion? Cult? So not going there. Which leads me to my point: should our entertainment choices be dictated by what we know (or, let's be realistic, think we know) about the people who create the movies, TV shows, books, music, et al we watch, read, listen to and, ideally, enjoy?

Does this mean that we should not watch, say, John Wayne's or Barbra Streisand's movies because of their strong political beliefs? How about if I don't like a filmmaker's religious heritage, race or sexual orientation? As you can see, if you start pruning it all down, weeding out this one or that one because of this incident or that scandal, all you end up with is a blank screen.

Naturally, we all have been influenced in our opinions concerning this actor or that director by what we have heard about them, and that (along with a healthy dose of our own morality) certainly informs what choices we make in what we watch, buy, et cetera. And that is how it should be. We all have our own personal standards and, more importantly, we all have our own sense of what we do or do not want to see.

With almost twenty-years invested in the property, I want to see the new Hairspray, and I am not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater, as they say, because of one person's involvement in the project. Nor should I be shamed for doing so, and neither should you.

Links via WashBlade.com, Hollywood.com and NYDailyNews.com.