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Has Out magazine ended the debate over outing?Today New York Magazine leaked the upcoming cover of Out magazine which features the cover story The 50 Most Powerful Gay Men and Women in America. This is hardly the first such list (see our list of Powerful Gay Men in Hollywood), but what makes it so interesting is that not everyone on the list is out. Probably most notable for gay men is the inclusion of CNN anchor Anderson Cooper. Also making list are Jodie Foster, Chi Chi LaRue, a whole slew of journos over at the New York Times, and, sigh, Perez Hilton who clocks in at number seventeen. (Check outside for plagues of locusts, the seven horsemen, and other signs of the Apocalypse.) I have to wonder if this doesn't mark a significant turning point in whether celebrities can live in the closet. Out is simply ignoring the question of whether or not Cooper or Foster are gay and discussing them in the same breath as Barney Frank and David Geffen. By putting them on the list, Out says they are the gay and that's the end of the discussion. That's a very interesting notion indeed and it will be fascinating to see if the mainstream media follows suit. (Click on read more to find out if Out outed anyone else!) But why is Out only listing Cooper and Foster on their list and ignoring a number of closeted folks that are arguably more powerful than porn producer Chi Chi LaRue, Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry, and furniture maker and philanthropist Mitchell Gold? There is at least one Republican governor who is supposedly gay, and three senators, all of whom are significantly more powerful than "Coop". Perhaps all will be made clear when the article is public and Out's standards for naming names are explained. But I suspect not. Lists like these always generate controversy over who is included and who isn't (hell, that's the whole idea) but frankly the list seems rather lame even without the "outing" issue. Oprah's pet designer Nate Berkus is more powerful than "Freedom To Marry" founder Evan Wolfson? Uh, don't think so. Berkus is great, but Wolfson is helping to drive the entire country toward same-sex marriage. Methinks Out was thinking more about eye candy when they made that choice and an issue this serious deserves a little more thought than that. Submitted by on Tue, 2007-04-03 18:39. |
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Crap.
Now it's seven Horsemen of the Apocalypse?
Great. As if the world didn't have enough problems--now they've gone and hired three more bloody Horsemen!
On the positive side, statistically, one of them is bound to be gay. (My money's on the one with the assless leather chaps)
I should really read the article and find out.
I kill myself trying to
heh
Sorry Michael, your analysis was spot-on and I maybe went on a bit of a tangent, there;)
Your line "By putting them on the list, Out says they are the gay and that's the end of the discussion." pretty much sums up my irritation with these types of lists.
Pink fluff pieces are one thing, but this reeks of yellow journalism. Maybe the possibly gay political heavy hitters were absent from the list to avoid legal retaliation...
This list is Bu!!sh!t
Anderson and Jodie are on there the grab headlines. Chi Chi and Perez are on there to get a little buzz on gossip and porn forums. It's all an effort to boost their circulation.
George Takei, Harvey Fierstein and Jobn Waters are not on the list?
Our gay media really sucks! SUCKS I TELL YOU! SUCKS!
the only people reading OUT
the only people reading OUT magazine are people who've known about Anderson and Jodie for years. It's hardly like a more mainstream publication was doing a . In terms of powerful gay celebrities, yes... Jodie certainly belongs on a list like this, she's one of the most respected actresses around and has continued to have a thriving career in her 40's, an age where most actresses end up in TV movies on Lifetime.
I wish this site would stop treating Perez so badly. I've said it before and I'll say it here, he is no different than any other gay man who likes to gossip about "I think _____ is gay". The only difference between Perez and the rest of us is that he reaches millions of readers. He forgot that you're supposed to neuter yourself once you become famous. Saying that he thinks Lance is gay and needs to come out isn't anything different than what thousands of gay men have said, as far back as when N'Sync were new. The only difference between Perez in 2006 and me in 1999 saying out loud "that one guy in N'Sync is so obviously gay, he should just admit it" is that Perez reaches thousands times the audience I would. Like him or hate him, he is definately one of the most powerful gay people in entertainment right now, and unlike most, he's not a closet case, so he earned his spot on the list.
BTW, Perez seems to think everyone is gay, he just lucked into the bullseye with Lance Bass.
Just the hot ones
BTW, Perez seems to think everyone is gay, he just lucked into the bullseye with Lance Bass.
No, Perez only thinks the good-looking celebs are gay. Notice how he's never hounding down the unattractive Hollywood bachelors.
Disillusioned
Anderson Cooper's career and life is at risk with this information. Do you think sources will be as willing to talk to him if they know he is gay? He travels the world, many places that are extremely dangerous for gay people. The world is not ready for an out reporter.
I feel as if Jodie Foster should have come out years ago. She decided after she won her second Academy Award that she would be more selective with the roles she played. With the output of movies she produces there is little reason why she would withhold that. She has said in an interview that she does like being liked/ adored. That could be the reason. She doesn't want to disliked.
I don't like Perez Hilton. The anti-gay slurs and language he uses is irresponsible. People will justify their anti-gay bigotry by pointing to Perez and how casually he uses derogatory language.
Out magazine has a lot of nerve trying to out people when they don't put gay men on the cover. This cover will not change anything. They will go back to having straight people on every cover. And have every photo spread of a straight person(s). The magazine uses gay people. They takes our money, our situation, and uses it against us.
You are who you are
Anderson Cooper's career and life is at risk with this information. Do you think sources will be as willing to talk to him if they know he is gay? He travels the world, many places that are extremely dangerous for gay people. The world is not ready for an out reporter.
Yes, when he's covering the national dog show or interviewing Kenny Chesney it's important that he not be known as gay.
Christiana Amanpour is always interviewing people and going into areas where it's dangerous to be woman and you can be killed for daring to question a man, should she hide her femininity?
There was a time when the world was not ready for a black reporter either, only a black reporter couldn't hide.
Amanpour and Cooper
Amanpour...
Christiana is not hiding her femininity by wearing the clothes that adhere to the local customs. If she was hiding her femininity then she wouldn't even do the interview because many people she has interviewed on CNN would have killed her had she been any other woman. Women do not question, let alone confront men in these countries.
Yes, Anderson is a serious journalist and should protect himself from having his sexuality made public. You never know if they are gonna need him to host The Mole on ABC again.
John said: "I wish this
Nate Berkus
Andy and Jo
Out covers
I can't believe Perez is on