Clay and Lindsay are Gay -- Shock!

Dear gay celebrities: We know. We have eyes. We can tell. We don’t need announcements like the one on People featuring the oh, so obviously gay Clay Aiken, shouting from the cover, “Yes, I’m Gay.” Or of Lindsay Lohan’s casual admission of her relationship with Samantha Ronson. Heck -- MTV News wrote, “Lindsay Lohan has made being a lesbian an afterthought.”

By Tricia Romano

An Advocate.com exclusive posted September 26, 2008

Dear gay celebrities: We know. We have eyes. We can tell. We don’t need announcements like the one on People featuring the oh, so obviously gay Clay Aiken, shouting from the cover, “Yes, I’m Gay.” This is like Clay saying, “I have red hair.” Or “I was on American Idol.” And just like Lindsay Lohan’s giggly utterance on Loveline where she admitted, or rather, just confirmed, that she had been dating Samantha Ronson, “for a very long time” was also totally obvious. Because we’ve seen so many pictures of the twosome together, what was once sort of amazingly exciting is about as mundane as pictures of Brangelina toting 20 kids around, the Lohan admission was also a nonrevelation

Still, this is not to say we’re not appreciative. It’s only good when high-profile celebrities come out in huge mainstream mags like People (which is in the running for the most gay-friendly mag outside of The Advocate, when you combine the Ellen-Portia wedding cover with Aiken’s). Aiken told People, “I cannot raise a child to lie or to hide things. I wasn't raised that way, and I'm not going to raise a child to do that."

Not everyone was so thrilled by the news. Newsweek ran an article by Ramin Setoodeh asking, “Is it too little, too late?” which amounted to a public spanking for Aiken’s years of awkward denials.

Writes Setoodeh: “But unlike other gay celebrities who have come out recently, like Neil Patrick Harris or Lance Bass, Aiken denied that he was gay long beyond the point of ridiculousness, and he did it in a way that bordered on homophobic.”

The blogs, papers, and other news outlets were aflutter with Lohan’s casual admission of her relationship with Ronson; MTV News, MSNBC, and the San Francisco Chronicle were among the many that picked it up. Though it garnered lots of press, it was met with a media yawn -- the coverage ended with a period and a shrug rather than an exclamation point.

Kim Stolz at MTV News wrote that “Lindsay Lohan has made being a lesbian an afterthought.”

There was also a healthy amount of pickup by the blogs like Queerty.com and Gothamist.com of the rumor that Ronson didn’t want to play a lesbian bar in New York called Rubyfruit. The story, first reported by the New York Po st , claimed that Ronson was approached to play a benefit for the club, which is on its last legs. The publicist later said he was never approached on behalf of Ronson. (however, we must say, Ronson -- like her brother -- plays for the cutting-edge crowd; this bar’s clientele is not that).

What’s been more interesting to watch this week is what the mainstream media is not covering.

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Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

Name: benjamin
Date posted: 2008-12-19 11:43 PM
Hometown: louisville, ky

Comment:

As a gay southern Christian, I was raised in the same intolerant environment as Aiken. I'm 28 & still not out to my family. If I were an entertainer, I can only imagine the way the Advocate & gay gossip bloggers would be mocking me, making my life a living hell. This kind of rejection from the very community which should be the most compassionate towards those in my predicament would have kept me in the closet for years. When you ridicule your own kind over something that should be the individual's right to decide for themselves when it's best for them & their loved ones, you create an atmosphere of exclusion & self-loathing. I applaud Aiken for finding the exact right time for him, his family & his fans to take a stand & free himself. I'm thinking of confronting my family on Christmas Day with my own truth. What better time to expect Christian attitudes from those who love me? Wish me luck & if you're so inclined, say a prayer for me!

Name: YWT2004
Date posted: 2008-10-01 7:35 PM
Hometown: Victoria , B.C.

Comment:

Reply to Jack: The reason why Clay is on the cover with Parker is simply because Parker was the biggest reason why he came out . To start out his fatherhood being upfront with his son . It may be quite possible that Clay is not dating anyone right at the present time . The one that the does date will have to be ok with Jaymes living with Clay when she is in Raleigh and Clay living with Jaymes when he is in LA . I think right now Clay just wants to get acclimated to being a Dad first and foremost and he is still doing Spamalot throughout the week and two shows through the weekends . Makes him kind of busy . When he does fall in love with that special somone , I'm sure when he is ready he will share that part of himself as well.

Name: YWT2004
Date posted: 2008-09-30 2:19 PM
Hometown: Victoria B.C.

Comment:

I applaud Clay Aiken for coming out and I also believe he never 'intended' to lie to anyone about it either. When all the press was in his face about something that should be kept to his own decision, he had not even told his family . . The problem I have with the gay community (some of them , not all) is that they appoint themselves as judge and jury (Perez Hilton) and (Ramin Setoodah) as to WHEN the person should be 'outed' . It is no ones business but their own . It is sad but we still live in a society that mocks gays . I hate that ......Even late night comedians make fodder of those even "perceived " to be gay . That is just all kinds of wrong . Clay is a phenominal singer, comedic improv actor & caring philanthropist. I supported him before this announcement and I will forever continue to support him , cus he is more than worth it !

Name: Thet
Date posted: 2008-09-28 7:16 PM
Hometown: Beijing

Comment:

I think we (the commentators) have failed to speak up about the necessity for celebs to come out for the benefit of our entire community., even such people as Clay and Lohan . This is because when a celeb comes out, regardless of pop-status, it helps younger people come to grips with their own sexuality as well as flashing another "We're here...get used to it" sign at the straight world. The only reservation I'd have on this statement is "famous" people like Senator What's his name, which, unfortunately, reinforced the long held demonization of gay men as pederasts. Thank you Clay and Lindsay. While your careers may sign you into the history books as "passing fads", you've still done the GLBT community a service by being open about your lives. T In Beijing

Name: Ann Dunbar
Date posted: 2008-09-27 12:14 PM
Hometown: San Francisco, CA

Comment:

Good for Clay Aiken for exiting the closet he's been in, but shame on the Advocate and others who still have yet to learn that one should be allowed to self-identify. No one has the right to make that announcement for anyone else. The years of harrassment Aiken has gotten for choosing not to plaster his orientation all over the media or allow his career to be defined by his sexual orientation, despite his lack of judgement of gays and his financial and celebrity support of Broadway Cares/EFA, are a real testimony to the intolerance of a community that supposedly carries the banner for tolerance. Rumors that his career will finally take off now that he's come out make me especially sad, not because he doesn't deserve success, but because he has always been talented and a good man, and that didn't change with his public declaration of his orientation. When what one does in his bedroom becomes the reason for their acceptance and success, we are truly a misguided culture.

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