Whats the connection between modern American and Boise, USA?
GENE FRANKLIN SMITH: The events of 1955-56 are eerily similar to current-day sex scandals and the homophobia still haunting many American small towns. As the Bush administration continues its assault on our Bill of Rights, the parallels of what Boise’s government tried to do—purge all homosexuals from the city—becomes very clear. What does the play say about being gay in 2008 America? What happened in Boise could definitely happen today. America is a breeding ground for sex scandals because we’re so steeped in Puritanism. I encounter homophobia every single day of my life, as I’m sure most gay men and women do. In Los Angeles, it’s subtle. But in Middle America, homophobia is relentlessly aggressive. On a daily basis, our government thrusts its prejudice, judgment, and hatred into our lives. I truly believe that most of America would rather all gay people just leave the country, which was the exact attitude of Boiseans in 1955. That’s a very provocative statement. One interesting facto
