Page 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 - Home

But some critics of Morrissey would argue that the only way for the word "gay" to cease to be “harmless, silly, precious, sequined” is for gay men to own it. The only way for the word to shed the stereotypes and denote nothing except same-sex attraction, is for homosexual men of all types to use it.

This is what really bothers certain gay activists about Morrissey and other gay men's refusal to label themselves: if men who are attracted to men avoid the word "gay" because of the stigma and stereotypes it connotes, then the stigma and stereotypes will never be eradicated.

Jared Leto and Robbie Williams therefore represent a different brand of gay vague than does Morrissey since they are at least willing to utter the words “I'm gay” even if only to take them back the next minute. At a time when so many male stars still run screaming from any hint of sexual ambiguity, it could be argued that the fact that Leto and Williams are prepared to own the gay label even for a moment does do something to reduce its stigma.

But it could equally be argued that the trouble that they go to afterward to issue a denial reinforces the stigma. These men are prepared to joke about the idea of being gay, but they don't want anyone seriously to think it's true.

There is also the personal impact on their gay male fans to consider. Many gay men might rightfully say (and some have) that they don't care whether Robbie Williams is gay or not, that it doesn't influence whether or not they are a fan of his. All they care about is his music.

But it seems inevitable that, by continually flirting with queerness as he does, Williams will be attracting the attention of some gay fans who might otherwise have been less interested in him. And even those gay fans who simply like him because of his music may not be able to avoid getting their hopes up about his sexuality.

When he issues a flat denial that he is gay, Williams is setting himself up to potentially disappoint fans.

How can, or should, gay people react to the "gay vague" phenomenon? Perhaps one fairly obvious response is to be skeptical about celebrities who appear to "come out" in the middle of informal AOL chat interviews.

We may also want to focus on the barriers these gay vague celebrities are breaking down instead of the ones they are keeping up. As queer British singer Tom Robinson once said of David Bowie, "For gay musicians [in the 70s], Bowie was seismic. To hell with whether he disowned us later."

Morrissey may be gay. He may be bisexual. He may be neither of those things. But he seems be singing about queer desire, something that has historically been unmentionable even in song. After all, watching Robbie Williams stand up in front of a crowd and say “Tomorrow I will be coming out as a homosexual” may inspire some in the audience to do just that.

Page 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 - Home