While Neil Patrick Harris' successful hosting of the Emmys is a positive step forward for gay visibility, a new
SLIDESHOW of "Openly Gay Celebrities" on WCBS-TV's Web site -- that's still trumpeting Billy Bean,
Dave Pallone, Amanda Bearse, Danny Pintauro, Jason Gould, Chad Allen, Steve Kmetko and two former (
EUROPEAN!) boy band members (Westlife and Boyzone) -- really illustrates just how little progress we've really made. (Richard Hatch is the
big name from the 21st century.) That they had to throw in Johnny Mathis, about whom they write "to say he discusses his orientation comfortably would not be accurate," shows how much scraping was done at the bottom of the barrel. (NOTE TO CBS: YOU'RE the ones who specified this list was going to be of
OPENLY gay celebrities!)
More interesting is their When It Was Out to Be Out
SLIDESHOW, featuring "some notable folks who never lived to see a time when they did not believe it was 'out to be out,'" including James Dean, Isadora Duncan, William Haines and more.
While Neil Patrick Harris' successful hosting of the Emmys is a positive step forward for gay visibility, a new SLIDESHOW of "Openly Gay Celebrities" on WCBS-TV's Web site -- that's still trumpeting Billy Bean, Dave Pallone, Amanda Bearse, Danny Pintauro, Jason Gould, Chad Allen, Steve Kmetko and two former (EUROPEAN!) boy band members (Westlife and Boyzone) -- really illustrates just how little progress we've really made. (Richard Hatch is the big name from the 21st century.) That they had to throw in Johnny Mathis, about whom they write "to say he discusses his orientation comfortably would not be accurate," shows how much scraping was done at the bottom of the barrel. (NOTE TO CBS: YOU'RE the ones who specified this list was going to be of OPENLY gay celebrities!)
More interesting is their When It Was Out to Be Out SLIDESHOW, featuring "some notable folks who never lived to see a time when they did not believe it was 'out to be out,'" including James Dean, Isadora Duncan, William Haines and more.
2 comments:
Oh, Kenneth! Punkin. I think you are totally off the mark to characterize the CBS Slideshow as you did (Actually, it's two slide shows). That is a healthy amount of openly gay celebrities, both current and dated. If the majority of the people were from decades ago, that would be different, but to say they are scraping the bottom of the barrel to fill the list is wrong. I appreciate that they included people who are not still as visibly in the spotlight, because it wasn't as easy for them as it is for recently out folk. It's disappointing that you think being out in the 80's- 90's isn't worthy of mention now. I'M OUTRAGED!!!!! ...SO ANGRY WITH YOU, KENNETH!
By the by, I'll be in town Oct 22-25, so let's grab a coffee, 'K?
Was Richard Chamberlain and Anthony Perkins on that list?
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