Openly Gay Celebrities

[Louis]

Here is a link to openly gay celebrities. I did not realize the list would be so long.

http://wcbstv.com/slideshows/gay.celebrities.gay.20.228680.html

[Guest Wetnwildbear]

Thanks Louis

 

Most of them I knew - But Leslie Gore was a surprise!

[JamesK840]

I "didn't get the memo" about Suze Orman or Lily Tomlin. At least half of the others though... who cares? The kid from Who's the Boss?

[Guest zipperzone]

Very interesting - thanks for pointing the link out to us.

 

Too bad it doesn't also include a printable "list" as it is time consuming clicking one's way through all the pics.

[Greathands]

The surprising one for me was Johnny Mathis. I had never heard that one before.

[Guest zipperzone]

>The surprising one for me was Johnny Mathis. I had never

>heard that one before.

 

You're joking, right?

[Greathands]

Actually not. I never was a Johnny Mathis fan, so he's remained under the radar for me.

[alanalt]

I noticed a couple of repeats like David Hyde Pierce...

[Guest josephga]

they forgot miss j from americas next top model

[uwsman2]

This morning's NY Times added a new openly gay celebrity to the list... but I guess it depends on your definition of celebrity. In a profile of Marin Alsop, the new music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the first woman to be the head of a major American orchestra, they mentioned towards the end of the article that she is a lesbian, and that her partner is a musician in the Colorado Symphony. (Alsop was formerly the music director in Colorado.)

[+ deej]

>they forgot miss j from americas next top model

 

Well, they did say CELEBRITIES. }(

 

(Of course, they included Chi Chi LaRue so who knows how they defined celebrities?!?!?!?!)

[Guest ncm2169]

< The surprising one for me was Johnny Mathis. I had never

heard that one before.

 

You're joking, right? >

 

If you weren't/aren't a Mathis fan, you're forgiven, but as a teenager even before I knew what "gay" was all about, I knew Mathis was ... umm ... "different." While the word "fag" has long been politically incorrect, in the '60's Mathis was the epitome. Paradoxically, I had a fling with a chick when I was in college who was madly in love with him and we spent several steamy nights fucking by candlelight listening to his music. Go figure. x(

[pierrot]

The only surprise for me was Johnny Mathis, but some of the people I had never heard of anyway.

 

Note that there are very few top of the line actors who aren't retired. Homophobia is still very strong in Hollywood, as I've been told by people in the TV and film business. It's especially the case for actors who play leading men and women who are principal love interest. It's sad, given the number of gay actors, but coming out is apparently a career ender at least for certain categories. Character actors and comedians are less problematic.

 

Three I don't see here are John Travolta, who I thought was pretty much out after the revelations by the man he propositioned at the gym. Then there are two who were pretty much out until they became really successful: Sean Hayes, who started mumbling something vague about bisexuality one he became the famous flaming queen in Will and Grace; and Anderson Cooper, whose openness about being gay was short-lived once he became CNN's star anchor.

In both cases, I find it dispiriting and sad that they want to hide. Travolta, I suppose, had to hide as long as he was a "jeune premier"

[Guest ReturnOfS]

Yeah, I didn't know about Johnny Mathis either.

 

His music was really before my time, though. I think that my mom is a fan of his.

[buckguy]

My former brother-in-law was a minor rock-n-roll performer back when Mathis was very popular. He once was an opening act on a tour that included Mathis as a headliner and got to know Mathis' bodyguard (but not Mathis, who was inaccessible). The bodyguard also helped Mathis find find boys. So, some of us have known for a long time. I don't think Mathis ever really made a public announcement, tho. For people who came of age in that era (quite a bit before my time) Mathis' songs epitomized heterosexual "make-out" music.

[Louis]

I too think that the movie industry is no overly anxious to have its major stars admitting they are gay. I am sure that privately a lot of people know who's gay and who isn't but maybe there is a bit of a code with that regard, if such a thing is possible in Hollywood. I think the movie industry feels people won't accept a gay man playing a straight man, even if he was a good actor.

[Guest rohale]

I'm a little bit suprised that actor John Barrowman from Doctor Who & Torchwood fame wasn't properly acknowledged on the gay celebrity list.

[JT Brooklyn]

I do find it interesting that the "Openly Gay" in the Entertainment Industry are mainly those well established and on the "Mature" side!

 

As it has been said, when like Chamberlain & Hunter well on the Mature side "come out"..Who the Hell really cares...BUT it did SELL a few books to pay for Medicare & AARP! LOL

 

I guess we'll have to wait 20 something year's to find out about who in the "Young Hunk" Category is Gay! IMHO of course. LOL ;-)

[R-Sportsguy]

Great topic Louis! I found it a little sad when I was looking at the slides at all the guys who have passed and never were allowed to come out.

[Curious George]

Never heard about Anderson Cooper...also Travolta ?

[good ol boy]

i liked it and i ead through the list the said "when it was out to be out" and although I am not a statistition.. nor a speller. i thought i noticied a lot of people who had died of aids related illnesses. my hope is that as more people who have "a voice" and feel comfortable coming out and speaking out that fewer people will feel the need to sneak around and that as a result there will be a decline in death due to hiv and aids.