Ever since Boy George, who is not Jewish, released his song about Israel – “We Will Dance Again” – I have been thinking about masculinity and manhood.

I wanted to start out this column with a definition, but was leery of looking up masculinity in anything contemporary, as we are living in a world wherein even the prestigious Cambridge Dictionary has redefined “woman” (I kid you not) as – paraphrased – “anyone who identifies as woman.”

Aside: According to those standards, I have just redefined myself as a Nobel Prize winning author, and redefined my two-pound ferret as a 3,000-pound hippopotamus.

Nevertheless, I wanted a credible reference for the meanings of both words, so I leapt across my dining room to the dictionary stand in the corner and flipped open my trusty Webster’s International New Dictionary, published in 1934, for some academic excellence. This is what I read:

MASCULINE: Of the male sex.

MANHOOD: State of being a man. Manly quality: Courage. Bravery. Resolution.

Not a hint, a breath, or a syllable about whether or not said masculine and manly man wears a skirt. A funny hat. Sparkles. Eye make-up. Struggled with drug addiction. Was sued, arrested, served time, and eventually went into drug rehab and has been clean and sober for 18 years.

Enter: Boy George.

I admit, having been a fuddy-duddy since the day I was born, that I never listed to this entertainer’s music when I was – or should have been – young and restless. I was young, but we stick-in-the-mud types are never restless. So, I sailed through my adolescence listening only to lyricists and composers who wrote songs before I was born. Except, of course, for rock and roll. (“Wake Up Little Susie”), which I loved.

So … I was surprised and astonished while browsing through my YouTube channel the other day, when I came upon the photograph of an odd-looking man with dark eye shadow, a Mephistophelian beard and mustache, wearing a red hat and glittery black clothes. The expression on his handsome face was resolute, and written in script across his image were the words: BOY GEORGE: “We Will Dance Again.”

A second later, the screen came to life, and that same man, without the costume and the makeup, said, in a beautiful baritone voice, “Hello Everyone. If you go to payhip.com you can get ‘We Will Dance Again.’ Download it. Thank you for your support. Play it loud. Play it proud. Love you all.”

Then … the music started. These are the lyrics:

“You say genocide, I say war ▪ When you're attacked, that's what the army's for • Does it get ugly? You bet it does ▪ When I know you wanna kill • Every last one of us ▪ Every last one of us • Every last one of us.”

My brain went into shell shock, having become accustomed lately to so many people hating Israel … from global-warming trolls, to movie stars with Israel-hating Lebanese-British wives, to conspiracy-theory newscasters … to everyone in between. My favorite who-knew-you-hated-me-surprise, though, came from a contractor-friend and his son to whom I GAVE a quarter-of-an acre’s land, FREE, because he had helped me out so much, and I wanted to show my appreciation. However, on the way to the property transfer, he gazed upon his idiot-son with approval after that fully-grown man exclaimed, “Where are we going now? To the Jew-Lawyer?”

So, I had absolutely no expectation of support for Israel from a new wave, pop, soul, soft rock, disco, reggae music icon, particularly since most of Hollywood and just about ALL of the entertainment industry gleefully had come out in favor annihilating Israel.

Back to Boy George’s song:

“You never mention October 7 ▪ Young girls raped against trees • Murdered brutally ▪ For the crime of dancing • You condemn the Jews, with selective memory ▪ Musicians holding flags, mouthing like sheep • Propaganda fueled by the Internet feels so weak ▪ But trust me, we will dance again.”

Before I go on a bit about this man’s courage, let me tell you a little about the price he has paid for supporting the rights of a free country to defend itself. Aside from being attacked by just about every actor, actress, singer, band, et al., in his business, he was booted off Bandcamp (a huge on-line music distribution store), he lost his label manager for his record company, he withdrew from the London production of Jesus Christ Superstar to protect it from backlash, and on and on.

More lyrics:

“We will dance again • We will dance again ▪ And there will be no war • But if you're ever confused ▪ I stand with the Jews • I don't feel brave, I just need to behave like a human ▪
But trust me, we will dance again.”

The thing about this song is that it is so un-frilly. Boy George doesn’t use evocative words to manipulate our emotions. He just says what he has to say, leaving nothing out, and then stops. A song made out of short, declarative sentences.

Although it is not comparable in terms of sheer literary brilliance to Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, I remember standing beside the colossal statue of our 16th president, reading the words engraved on the monument’s wall, and thinking (as a writer), “Not a single extra word. Not a word missing. Not a single superfluous thought.”

Abraham Lincoln: A perfect address from a soon-to-be assassinated president to the citizens of his suffering country during a civil war.

Boy George: A perfect song in defense of a tiny country under constant attack and struggling to survive, which the world wants to eradicate.

More lyrics:

“We will dance again • We will dance again ▪ And there will be no war • But if you're ever ▪ confused • I stand with the Jews ▪ I don't feel brave, I just need to behave like a human.”

After releasing this song, which Boy George produced himself, writing the music and lyrics, and creating the orchestration, he has faced as much hatred from fellow entertainers as has the country he is defending. Yet the man is undaunted. His poise, tenacity, and courage are beyond inspirational.

“Look around and tell me one musician speaking out for the Jewish community, but you can absolutely guarantee they have made their living from working with a Jewish team member,” Boy George said. “I understand that it is uncomfortable to defend your friends when a war like this is raging but the woman who sells me bagels is not to blame, neither is my doctor or publicist, manager, ex-boyfriend or my thousands of Jewish friends. This song is for them.”

Which brings me back to masculinity. Of which we see very little nowadays.

Referring to Webster Dictionary’s definition of manhood quoted above, Boy George, who wears skirts, slathers his face with makeup, and has never said no to flash, sparkle, glitter, or gleam, has more courage, bravery, and resolution in one probably-plucked eyebrow than any and all of the smug, self-congratulatory hypocrites wearing keffiyehs and celebrating the rape, slaughter, mutilations, kidnapping, and beheading of free spirits dancing at a joyful music festival in Israel on October 7, 2023. And he certainly is more masculine and manly than any men and women out there who agree with him and support Israel in their hearts, but out of cowardice, stay silent.

Can you hear me, Boy George?

I may have grown up listening to Rogers and Hammerstein, and singing lyrics from Lerner and Lowe musicals, but it is for you that I am applauding.

Encore. Encore. I salute you.

Copyright © Shelly Reuben, 2026. Shelly Reuben’s books have been nominated for Edgar, Prometheus, and Falcon awards. For more about her writing, visit www.shellyreuben.com