I recently read an interview in which the infamous gossip blogger, Perez Hilton. was defending his right (and the right of all the media to report Anderson Cooper is gay (and report that information as a confirmed fact). Cooper has never acknowledged his sexual orientation, but the online gossip world seems obsessed to get to the bottom the mystery. So the million-dollar question is this: Is Anderson Cooper gay? And as long as we're asking, how about Queen Latifah? And we all know a person who knows a guy that slept with Tom Cruise a long, long time ago so Cruise must be gay too, right?
My response to all of these questions is, "Who cares?!?!?"
I’m the first person to encourage closeted-queer people to come out, and be proud of being queer. On the other hand, I’m not interested in dragging celebrities out of the closet because I believe it ultimately hurts the LGBT community.
Many young (and older) people look up to celebrities as role models. If their “role-models” are gay but too ashamed to be open about it; forcing them to reveal their sexuality when they aren’t proud of it doesn't really help the cause. It reiterates the perception that the closeted celebrity is ashamed of their sexual orientation, and that their shame is understandable.
Of course, some people believe that a celebrity’s sexual orientation doesn’t need to be public knowledge. While that may be true, why is it that straight celebrities don’t seem to deny their sexual orientation? Isn't every single heterosexual celebrity wedding, birth announcement, or even just straight dating gossip a pronouncement of their heterosexuality?
In this crucial time for LGBT politics, we need as many people to come out of their own accord as possible as part of the fight for our community's civil rights. Those who are already out of the closet need to push back when we're told that our sexual orientation should be kept "private." Coming out and being open about our relationships and spouses isn't just about "sexuality," it's about presenting ourselves a whole people, just like heterosexuals do everyday.
If and/or when Anderson Cooper or any other allegedly closeted celebrities, eventually come out, then I'll be happy to claim each of them as one of our own. But I'll be even happier for them that they made a bold move to embrace every aspect of their lives proudly.
And If they are indeed gay and don't come out, then it will be a lost opportunity for homophobic, or simply uninformed, people to see that someone they may respect and admire is gay.
But the biggest loss will be felt by those people who stay in the closet. They don't owe me anything, but they owe themselves the experience of true freedom. It would be a shame for them to miss out on it.
