Gay Celebrity Thoughts...

Ok, so I posted Nick's thoughts about the "new gay celebrity" yesterday, but the more I think about it the more I disagree with many of his claims. My hope with this blog is to invite various viewpoints into discussion, so why not demonstrate that myself.

Yes, Wednesday was a big day - Clay Aiken has added himself to the list of growing celebrities who have "come out" via the cover of mainstream magazines. If anything, I would say this is the true sign of the "new gay celebrity." The idea that celebrities see sexuality (at least, any type of queer sexuality) as being an intensely personal thing is old news. Pre-Ellen, celebrities have been closeted in the public sphere for ages. Ellen is often mentioned as the ground-breaking queer celebrity for many reasons, but when discussing the concept of coming out on the cover of mainstream magazines, we have to mention Ellen! Doesn't everyone remember (or have at least heard of) the infamous April 14, 1997 Time magazine cover? Ellen was the first to come out publicly in this way.

So, that Time magazine cover was over 11 years ago, and unfortunately our society wasn't quite ready for it at the time. After Ellen came out, her show was canceled within a year. She struggled to get work, and didn't make a true comeback in the entertainment business until her current talk show which began in 2003.

In very recent years, gay celebrities have been coming out more publicly, with more positive (or should I say "less negative") consequences. Lance Bass on the cover of People magazine. Neil Patrick Harris in People magazine. T.R. Knight being outed on set, and then acknowledging it publicly. Even Dumbledore! Ok, that might be a fake magazine cover for Dumbedore, but you get the point.

However, what I see as being most ground-breaking right now is the idea that celebrities can live their lives in open same-sex relationships without necessarily making the bold "coming out" statement. Jodie Foster, who has been "rumored" to be gay for years, but never publicly announced it finally thanked her presumed partner as part of an acceptance speech for an award she won. (http://www.afterellen.com/people/2007/12/jodiefoster) This is how I see Lindsay Lohan's situation. Nick was right, Lindsay's "track record" shows avoidance of the topic, even when asked direct questions about her relationship with Samantha Ronson. In fact, her publicist has already made claims that Lindsay's recent "confession" was suposed to be a joke and has been widely misinterpreted. But, don't actions speak louder than words in her case? Bringing Samantha as her date to public events. Making out in public (ok, that doesn't necessarily mean anything, but c'mon). All those MySpace posts.

You can make your own decision about Lindsay Lohan's sexuality - or choose not to focus on the issue at all. But I think the fact that America cares more about that, than the current economic crisis (at least they did on Wednesday at noon when Nick took that CNN screen shot) is also very telling about our society today. Why does it matter how these celebrities identify, and whether or not they are "out"? Is it good or bad that they get this much publicity about it? I don't see this issue disappearing in mainstream pop culture anytime soon, so feel free to weigh in with your thoughts about the topic! (leave a comment, or e-mail me a blogpost and I will be happy to publish more views about this.)