This is perhaps the most HIGHlarious thing I've read in MONTHS. Speaking about the "disastrous" impact that Golden Girls had on "our boys" during the Reagan Era, this wonk goes on to lament:

Our horny, lonely boys sought out intimate comforts with likeminded Golden Girls addicts who didn't mind each other's theatrical voices and touch-feely hand gestures. Together, these clusters of awkward teens and twentysomethings bonded over their favorite episodes and characters, mimicking the voices and gowns of their tv friends. When the rush of cheesecake and gabfests wore thin, these hairless boys needed a harder thrill. They were so desperate for the next big trend they turned to same-sex sexual experimentation. What woman would have them now, anyway? This led to the worse excesses of early homosexual visibility- the most enormous of drag queens, the dirtiest of leather daddies, the most enticing of twinkie boys, androgyny, overeating, public sex and the birth of "camp."

I'm sorry, my dear, but "camp" far predates Blanche Devereaux or Dorothy Zbornak -- although they're both wonderful modern case studies in the phenomenon. The appeal of GG to homos in the US was based on the constant references in the show to a camp culture built upon powerful / tragic female figures in cinema and pop culture. Unfortunately, I doubt it wound up converting many straights to gays. But we can hope!

Really, though, there are so many lols in this article, I can hardly manage to get any soda down while reading. A few examples:

"Every buff beefcake I've ever met has been tremendously brainless. They can bump out the beats to any Madonna song on a club railing, but are incapable of telling you the difference between Acapulco and an avocado."

"For Florida, The Golden Girls completely ruined the reality of Miami's masculine reputation. It was no longer a city of Scarface and Miami Vice. The Cuban machismo and gorgeous Ferraris melted in the face of lengthy canasta games and comfortable paisley chairs. And then the gays came marching in to South Beach. Not even CSI Miami can win the city back for the straights."

"Today, as this crowd ages we have to wonder what comes next for the Golden Girl generation of American homosexuals. They're turning 40 and 50 now... Many are too old at this point to be pursuing anonymous street pickups and have settled into caustic relationships that are only monogamous out of mutual laziness. Maybe they find weekend solace in amateur photography or an overly primped shit-zu."

AMAZING! It's so hard to find such insightful cultural analysis today. Thanks so much to Stephenson Billings for having such a keen faggoty eye for these sorts of things. Five gay gold stars!

Thanks to reader Harry for the tip