In some circles, myths have been harshly criticized. They are condemned as diversionary, escapist, fetishistic, fantastical, and ultimately, false.¹⁰⁹ For the increasingly postmodern American commercial mythmakers, however, angst over matters of truth and falsity is simply beside the point. To the extent that LesBiGays adopt this postmodern stance, perhaps the most significant inquiry might be whether the marketplace myths of LesBiGay identity are useful.

On the one hand, LesBiGays may hope that their mythical identities as affectionate, funny, caring, dynamic, classy, or witty characters to be loved, admired, or envied might blossom into something more in their lived experiences. Conceivably, "average Americans" consuming these images might relate that je ne sais quoi quality of the LesBiGay identity to something within themselves and gradually grow to greater tolerance and acceptance of LesBiGays at the personal, interpersonal, and societal levels. And if feminists and postmodernists are right about the personal being political, these developments might translate to equal regard and treatment in political and legal spheres.

Or maybe not.

Then, on the other hand, mythmaking may not be merely the first inning in a larger sociopolitical ballgame, but the entire ballgame. Even if fantasy is an end unto itself, it may still have salutary utility for LesBiGays. Left with no more than the anger, frustration, and passive victimhood that come from a lack of effective sociopolitical power, the seductive surreality of an R.S.V.P. or Olivia cruise may be all the more necessary. Can the LesBiGay psyche endure a stark and straightforward existence, stripped of all mythical promises, however unattainable they may be?¹¹⁰ Philosopher David Nyberg appreciates the practicality of self-deception, and he forcefully surmises, "We deceive . . . so that we might not perish of the truth."¹¹¹ As the self-delusive gay prisoner Molina discovered in The Kiss of the Spider Woman,¹¹² a retreat into the dreamworld of cinema with his diva heroine Aurora proved, in the end, to be far more life-sustaining than his fatal foray into politics.