Of late, a number of celebrities have publicly outed themselves as lesbian or gay. Some were slightly surprising or slightly anticipated while others were a major yawn to everyone most people. Still, others were notable yet barely a blip on the public radar.
And other celebrities are firmly entrenched in a gray area of the glass closet or straddling the fence publicly.
The latter case of Lindsey Lohan is the issue I recently re-read an Afterelton post about how media can or should cover celebrities leading gay or lesbian lives, aka “When is Out Actually "Out" When it Comes to Covering Gay Celebrities?” from September. Of late, mainstream and even LGBT media pair Lohan with DJ Samantha Ronson as a “gal pal” with a wink. Most recently I’ve seen less ambiguous labeling in coverage of a PETA protestor flouring fur-clad Lohan as she entered a Paris event with “girlfriend” Ronson.
So that brings me back to that Afterelton post in which Editor Michael Jensen notes that the outlet will not out celebrities who themselves are not publicly out. But do we need a cover story on People magazine to officially be out? Apparently other actions work, judging by Wanda Sykes calling attention last weekend to her own same-sex wedding. Still, her news was a brief in mainstream entertainment media earlier this week although the news immediately flooded LGBT media of all types.
The optimist in me sees these “outings” as becoming common and almost non-news in a world where people see each other simply as other people. After all, a person’s sexual orientation doesn’t define their total being. Yet, it’s frustrating that some celebrities only come out after being forced or to scoop another publication’s breaking story.
In an era where Proposition 8 can pass in a gay-filled and seemingly gay-friendly state like California, I’m disheartened that mainstream media has to be forced by national protests to make that passage inot a headline story. Would universal acceptance – not just tolerance – be more likely if all gay and lesbian celebrities were outed by media who know a celeb’s back story? Is it media’s place to become the watchdog to uncover closeted lesbians and gays?
Respecting a person’s privacy but also championing everyday role models in the LGBT community, I’m torn on this one. If you have an opinion, please post it in the comments section.
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