urbanmennonite.com

Still obsessing over my current obsession, Anderson Cooper, he of the silvery hair and passionate reporting. As was mentioned in the comments (and alluded to in the post), his sexuality appears to be a fairly open secret. But he is notorious for not talking about it which some argue is his right to do and others argue that it isn’t. None of this is new; I’m sure this topic is as old as Rock Hudson circa 1985.

But there was an interesting article on AfterElton today about this issue .. not just talking about the Coop but other open secrets as well … and why those calls to come out matter. But the comments around that article is even more interesting with some strong, well-reasoned opinions coming down on either side.

Boiled down to the most simple terms its why should “celebrity” gays and lesbians have to declare their sexuality vs declaring it says something to society, homophobes and an at-risk teenage population.

So what does it mean for a public figure to be out? Is it enough that they might be out to family and close friends and not to the public? If David Hyde Pierce isn’t hiding behind a beard or “I brought my mom as my Oscar date” or some other dubious story, then should it matter that it isn’t splashed across People or Newsweek? Would it have mattered to Lawrence King’s murderers?