Routine maintenance

Second answer: Chester The Molester was a comic strip about a guy, Chester, “who was interested in sexually molesting women and prepubescent girls,” says my old friend Wikipedia. This vile comic strip, which ran in Hustler (of course), made child rape look like harmless and hilarious fun. Dwaine Tinsley, the creator of the strip, wound up going to prison for molesting his daughter—I’m guessing she would argue that child rape was neither harmless nor hilarious.

Since you are not interested in prepubescent boys, SNIFF, I don’t think you’re a pervert in the Chester The Molester mold. But a case could be made that your actions have a whiff of the nonconsensual about them—your co-workers would most likely object to how you’re reusing and recycling their abandoned underpants—and you should probably knock it off. There are plenty of guys selling their used underwear and jocks online, from college athletes to porn stars, and if you work at a place with a private gym, SNIFF, you can presumably afford to buy a few pairs.

The Cautious Joker

When someone says, “That’s so gay,” but means, “That’s so stupid,” they’re being homophobic. Obviously. But a straight guy who says he’s gay for musicals isn’t saying he’s stupid for them, TCJ, he’s saying, “I love something that many gay men are passionate about—and I’m not talking about cock.” Not all gay men are passionate about musical theater, of course, just as not all straight men are into football. But a man with a passion for musical theater is likelier to be gay; if not, he’ll at least be comfortable around gay people. I’ve heard gay guys who avidly follow the NFL describe themselves as straight for football. Likewise, a man with a passion for football is likelier to be straight.

You saying, “I’m gay for musical theater,” or a gay guy saying, “I’m straight for football,” amounts to a humorous acknowledgment that the majority of people interested in musicals or football are gay or straight, respectively. In neither case is it an insult or a put-down. But while I think you can continue to say that you’re gay for musicals, TCJ, some gay men (or some of our more annoying “allies”) may take offense. You don’t have to pay attention to those people—they’re just gay for taking offense.

I’m a vegetarian who’s married to a meat eater, and I thought the compromise you suggested to a vegetarian wondering how to make it work with a meat eater—“The meat eater agrees to keep a meat-free home; the vegetarian agrees to keep a Morrissey-free home”—wasn’t that helpful. But you were probably kidding, right? Here’s the correct answer: The meat eater agrees to allow the vegetarian to be vegetarian (no pressure to eat meat, using vegetable stock when cooking at home); the vegetarian agrees to allow the meat eater to eat meat (no bitching about meat in the fridge or on their plate). Thanks for the otherwise great column!

Very Enthusiastically GGG

Thanks for sharing, VEGGG.