Perez Hilton (Photo credit: WireImage/Barry King)
AE: Now that two years have passed since you officially came out,
what are your thoughts about Perez Hilton and how those events
transpired?
LB: I don’t think anyone wants their public
life exploited like that at such a time. I think it’s very hard,
especially on the subject of being gay. Everyone needs their own time
to accept it, figure it out and to reveal it. So being forced out I
think is an awful thing to do. I think it scares more people to stay in
the closet than help come out.
I think it is, especially with people like Perez, kind of just
entertaining. It’s such a big thing and it’s popular for a reason ...
because people like to hear the crazy stuff. And even if it’s not true,
it makes you feel a little better about your life. But I think, as a
gay man, Perez needs to take responsibility and be a little nicer about
the subject of outing people.
AE: Would you have come out on your own?
LB: Oh, definitely. I mean I was already out to me and my friends. I was living my life the way I wanted to. I had a relationship. My friends knew. My inner circle knew. It was just something that we didn’t think was such a big deal and I was living a nice, normal private life, but then when someone throws you into the public eye, that’s when things get a little crazy and then you start having to either defend yourself or accept things. I always think it’s so crazy that you have to confirm that your straight or gay.
AE: It’s certainly unfortunate that that’s the way it is right now and I hate the way it happened to you, but I’m glad that there is someone such as you out there and on a big show like Dancing With the Stars. You reach such a mainstream audience that it’s got to be a big plus.
LB: It is. It’s a huge honor to do it, too. I just hope that I’m helping in any way that I can.
AE: You’ve been doing some work on Proposition 8, correct?
LB: Right. We’ve done a lot of events here in Los Angeles and
different things that I have co-hosted and we put some acts together to
raise money. Yeah, it’s really just trying to get the word out there at
a lot of the local clubs around L.A.
AE: Have you made a choice for president yet?
LB: I have. I definitely am going to continue to watch the debates, but so far of what I’ve seen I’m an Obama fan for sure.
AE: If you could have a male dance partner other than your boyfriend Sebastian Leal (pictured left), who would it be?
LB: Well, I don’t have a boyfriend.
AE: Oh, I’m sorry. I thought you did.
LB: You get seen with one person and that’s automatically your boyfriend.
AE: In that case, who do you think would be a good male to be paired up with to dance with?
LB: I don’t know. I mean it would probably be one of the dancers on the show because I think the guys we have on the show are just amazing. I think maybe Derek [Hough] would be the best for me because we’re the same size and I really like how he dances.
AE: How difficult is it to date while being such a public figure?
LB: It’s really impossible to date, especially when you’re doing something as big as Dancing with the Stars. It’s a monster of a show and it keeps you working 24/7 for months. Right now it’s almost impossible to have any kind of personal life, especially a love life, so that’s on hold for right now.
AE: When I interviewed judge Bruno Tonioli earlier this year, he discussed how being such a public figure can make it difficult to have a relationship with someone not in the business. Is that anything you have encountered? Is it hard to date outside the business?
LB: I mean there are pros and cons to both. It’s easier to date someone in the business because they get what you do and you don’t have to teach people how to deal with the situation, being in the public eye. It’s really hard to deal with that when you’ve never had to deal with people, paparazzi, interviews, the schedule we have. So it’s a lot easier to date inside the business. But if you do date someone inside the business, then it really takes a toll on your relationship because the [media is] just more focused on your relationship, which ultimately, you know, destroys it. It’s win or lose in those situations, so nothing is easier inside or outside the business.
AE: It seems to me that pressure must be multiplied for someone gay like yourself. There are so few high-profile out gay men that the gay public really are curious to see those examples that do exist. I imagine being that role model could be a cool thing but frustrating as well.
LB: It’s very frustrating. I’m a very private person. I like to keep my private matters very private, but I also understand that I’m in a unique situation where there’s not many out guys out there for a younger generation to look up to and maybe relate to. So I do feel a little responsibility in showing the best light of myself in the public eye just since I have something out there that maybe someone could relate to and I don’t want to hurt that.
AE: On one hand, the Internet is an amazing way to stay a public figure and speak directly to your fans. On the other hand, people don't hesitate to say outrageous things about anyone and everything. Do you completely avoid the blogs and the comments about you and your private life? Or do you follow any of it?
LB: I definitely stay off the blogs. I don’t think it’s good to read anything that’s written about you because it affects you. No one’s that thick skinned to take criticism about themselves. With Internet and blogs, it’s crazy because 90% of the stuff they say is false, so why even put yourself through that? But I do stay in contact with a lot of my fans. I have a MySpace page and I have a FaceBook that I have my people doing so I know that it’s run right and I personally go and write blogs myself and keep in touch so that those fans out there have a true source to listen to instead of other sources.
