Ian McKellen says it’s ‘silly’ for young actors to stay in closet

No lies. Some of the biggest homophobes are closeted gay men.

You Shall Not Pass (as straight)!!

He's crazy!

I appreciate the sentiment but it is a bit easy for someone to say this when they themselves waited until after they won an Oscar to come out.

No one gives a shit what this elderqueen has to say.

Some of us simply like to keep our personal lives PRIVATE!

He’s right

Hear hear fag!

R4 put down the bong. WTF?

Bambi hope you're listening to your fellow Brit

R9

[quote]but it is a bit easy for someone to say this when they themselves waited until after they won an Oscar to come out.

He hasn’t won one.

R11 sorry I was misremembering, I thought he had won for GODS AND MONSTERS. My point stands though that he waited until he was very successful in his career to come out.

I agree about the silly part.

[quote] [R11] sorry I was misremembering, I thought he had won for GODS AND MONSTERS. My point stands though that he waited until he was very successful in his career to come out.

no, that was absolutely not your point. You said he did it after he won an Oscar, and he never won an Oscar.

Don't backpedal.

Not to nitpick but Ian McKellen came out in 1988. A good 10 years before Gods and Monsters.

Dirty sissy boys can’t wait to tell everyone how they like to stick their tongues up other fags’ anuses.

Where they make doo doo. Doo doo!

They also stick all sorts of things up their buttholes like doorknobs and coconuts. It’s sick!

I just want to throw up when I think of all the nasty things those depraved butt munches are up to.

Disgusting! Nasty!

🤮

He came out in 1988 on a BBC radio show. At a time when it was career suicide for anyone. Put some respect on the man's name. He was braver than any Hollywood actor was.

And he's right. It's sad that so many actors are still closeted. And it's fucking pathetic that many still do the bearding thing. Grow a pair already. Especially the ones who have enough wealth and aren't going to crumble. (Looking at you TP. )

R14 omg that was the point the poster was making. What else could he or she be saying. Some of yall argue just for the sake of argument.

And I stand corrected. I didn’t think he came out to the mid aughts. Sorry.

Easy for an ancient British character actor to say. McKellen was never a romantic leading man. For that type of actor Hollywood 2025 might as well be Hollywood 1955.

Will it get me a fucking Oscar?

Easy to say now that he’s got more than one foot in the grave-safely dead. What a hypocrite.

[Quote] —Joy Reid, World Pride Grand Marshall 2025 🏳️‍🌈

Ok froggie, now do MAGA. You voted for them.

What it’s ironic about interjecting lame Joy Reid jokes here, is that if a big straight acting white bro like Ryan Reynolds were indeed gay and came out, he likely would keep his black female fan base. It’s the whites, southern belle church frauds, who want to marry him,, and fraud’s husbands whose support he’d lose. And yall know it’s true. Black women are loyal once they like someone. It’s called empathy.

Who's TP, R17?

R24, I think you're putting too much thought into this. That poster was making fun of Joy Reid, not talking about black women as a group.

He's right. It's silly. It's also urgent with the rise of the homophobic right.

And R17, Do tell. Who's TP? Spill the tea.

44 is young if one dates in Europe

[quote]Who's TP, [R17]?

Tom Petty

LOL, R29. From the Advocate:

Tom Petty admits that his father physically and verbally abused him because he assumed the singer was gay.

"[My father] was scary and violent," Petty said in the new issue of Rolling Stone, according to website Spinner. "He beat the living hell out of me, and there was constant verbal abuse."

According to the music legend, his father assumed that Petty was gay because he was interested in the arts instead of baseball.

"Looking back on it, he probably was disappointed that I was so drawn to the arts. He probably thought I was gay," added the "Free Falling" singer. "I wasn't interested in sports. I didn't know the names of any baseball players. I liked films and books and records."

It’s easy to say it but we’re not there yet.

I think Matt Bomer and Luke Evans have found success being out actors but I bet they’d still have done better and gotten bigger roles had they stayed in the closet.

This year in 2025 we’re going to actually see if a gay man can lead a big franchise movie with the new Jurassic Park.

Just the fact that we’re waiting is enough proof that we’re not there yet.

And a lot of gay people in Hollywood aren’t actually IN the closet. Everyone knows they’re gay in Hollywood, the public and media don’t. So it’s not like they’re really closeted.

R31 But unless they don’t do interviews many of these guys go on Ellen and other talk shows and fake. There are too many to name but yall know what I am talking about. They go on these shows and play the cheesy hetero games or when asked about the women in their life, never once announce that they are gay.

It’s a very complicated situation though having to balance your career and integrity.

Depends on what kind of actor you are - Broadway, character actor, TV.

But you can kiss any LEAD roles in film and TV good-bye if you come out as gay. You will hit the pink ceiling - and find it hard to get more work.

This happens in almost every career - there is a pink ceiling of how far they will let you advance.

He's an old fool who spent 50 years in the closet and came out when he already had fame and money and he knew his roles were going to be limited to aging men.

Probably an unpopular take but I don't always want to know details about an actor's personal life.

This isn't about being gay or forcing someone into a closet - I would never advocate for some fake bearding situation, etc.

But I don't want to know much about ANY actors - the less I know about them, the more I appreciate their character onscreen.

That's the worst advice I've ever heard.

I think I’d call it zany or kooky, perhaps madcap

TP=Tyrone Power!

Or, more likely, Tyler Perry.

R33 nailed it.

He's looking right at you, Pedro.

Who's in the closet?

"But you can kiss any LEAD roles in film and TV good-bye if you come out as gay"

Jonathan Bailey and Colman Domingo are playing leads

He can say this, but Pedro Pascal would not have the career he has had if he were penly gay. It's sad, but true.

He is like a lot of gay men who come out later in life, boring and obsessed with being gay. He can’t talk about anything else.

R41 But as I said in my R31 post, we’ve yet to see the box office results.

Jonathan is up to bat as the first openly gay star leading a blockbuster movie.

If the film is a success or flop it won’t depend on his casting. It will solely be about the plot of the film, its artistic merit and if the public has Jurassic fatigue or not. If it IS a success we can certainly say that a leading gay male doesn’t turn off moviegoers but he largely will be a non factor on the success of this film.

It’s not fair to say McKellen came out after he was rich and famous. McKellan came out publicly 35 years ago during the height of AIDS.

His film and TV work at that point was extremely thin on the ground. A bit part in Plenty, the BBC video of MacBeth were the top of the line but there were mostly films and parts that didn’t hit like a middling DH Lawrence biopic. He was a theatrical superstar, sure, but hardly a name the British general public would be that aware of. He didn’t have a screen role people saw en masse, such as a sitcom like A Fine Romance like Judi Dench or I, Claudius like Derek Jacobi or all of Maggie Smith’s films at that point.

He didn’t get a big juicy role until he acted as Profumo after he came out. He said he took that role to prove he could play heterosexuality. I didn’t much like it but his film career did undoubtedly take off after that

I have literally loved Ian McKellen since 1986, before and after he came out. He took great advantage of the pro-Joe Orton press from _Prick Up Your Ears_ and came out when it was a tough thing to do and fucking brave as hell and it worked for him. I will never ever turn my back on my fandom for him.

BUT he’s still the asshole who loves to flirt with twinks at 80+ and he just looks lecherous as hell now. His Graham Norton appearance with One Direction is excruciating to watch. And more than that open sexual harassment of young male cast members of any sexuality—which has been complained about in many workplaces and was a bit of a poorly kept secret on the Tolkien films—he’s also the one who outed several closeted gay actors in The Hobbit films. (Lee Pace and Richard Armitage, even though Armitage still refuses to acknowledge.) Any of us who made it through the Great Plague know that the one thing you NEVER do is to out another. Ever. So I’ll watch his films but I won’t see him on stage and I won’t eat in his bar. It’s this weird line of intimacy I can’t cross with him anymore. He’s a hero AND a dick so…he’s human I guess. But he’s dead wrong about being out being ok. Why on earth else would Pedro Pascal have to be closeted and higher than Haman in every press appearance? It’s not ok if you want to sell yourself as a het lead. It. Just. Doesn’t. Work.

[quote] Richard Armitage, even though Armitage still refuses to acknowledge

He came out after his parents died around the time the crappy Netflix version of Damage was released. I presume they were very conservative. Though his career has slowed down and seems to be tied to the fortunes of Harlan Coben.

R48 His Wikipedia states he came out to his parents at the age of 19. Stop making up shit. You didn’t know what’s going on in their personal lives.

And btw he was 19 in the early 90s.

McKellen also came out not only when AIDS was virulent, but also during the last phase of Thatcher's power. Her repulsive courtiers in the right-wing press made sure to maintain homophobia to an extent that would today be actionable. McKellen came out to a grand right-wing hack (who was himself later knighted). Those were not liberal times, and McKellen's decision to come out was brave.

[quote]But I don't want to know much about ANY actors - the less I know about them, the more I appreciate their character onscreen.

I agree with you but I also get that an actor’s personal life does matter at that level.

Hollywood spent decades forcing gay actors to stay closeted because studios and PR teams know marketability is tied to public perception. That’s why straight actors play up their relationships for press, but when it comes to gay actors, suddenly, we’re supposed to believe in “privacy”? That double standard is the whole point.

The reality is, actors who want to be really famous know they have to play the game. Some stay closeted hoping they’ll hit a level of success where coming out won’t hurt them, but that’s always a gamble. Come out early, and you risk limiting your opportunities before you even get big. Wait too long, and you end up reinforcing the very system that kept you in the closet. Either way, it’s not just a personal choice-it’s a calculated career move. The fact that this is still a debate in 2025 proves McKellen’s point.

R15 - nitpick, nitpick. Some people have no idea what they are talking about on here. When I came out in 1991, I remember McKellen as being out and proud for a while.

[quote]McKellen was never a romantic leading man. For that type of actor Hollywood 2025 might as well be Hollywood 1955.

What planet are you on? Jonathon Bailey, who was out for years earlier, was the very straight romantic lead in Bridgerton Season 2 (‘Bridgerton’ Breaks Own Record: Season 2 Now Netflix’s Most-Watched English-Language Show Ever' - Indiewire). He then played a gay lead, about as explicitly as possible, in Fellow Travelers. That didn't stop anybody swooning over him when he returned as Prince Charming in Wicked, which has been outgrossed in 2024/25 only by movies that were NOT romances.

Superhero and dinosaur movies are aimed at little boys and rather stunted straight men, and have nothing to do with the concept "romantic leading man". Don't blame women if THOSE guys feel they have to stay in the closet.

Jonathan Bailey is a great example of someone breaking out of the limitations but he’s only one guy. And he’s been very very smart about the roles he’s chosen particularly in staying in a supporting role on season 3 of Bridgerton when a less wise actor would have just left to focus on bigger roles. He has a huge female fanbase as a result which is the key. We’ll see if anyone else can replicate his success.

Don't be fooled. Hollywood is full of phony wokes. They hate gay people.

R43 they are like new-found Christians

No, R33 and R38, Ian McKellan grew up and entered his career at a time when being openly gay would kill your career. Homophobia was the norm.

R54 - maybe I'm out of the loop - but Jonathan Bailey had a supporting role in Bridgerton and Wicked and will be part of a large cast for the next Jurassic film. How is he a lead in any role? And Domingo Colman's 2 lead roles were as a black gay rights activist and also a prisoner in films that hardly anyone watched.

I think we should clarify lead roles - certainly not romantic lead roles.

There's still this idea that they want male actors that women want to be with and that men want to be.

I'm more than happy that gay and lesbian actors come out and still get work and do well. But to call it 'silly' to stay in the closet - that's what we're talking about here - Ian's quote - is just wrong.

Ian was a very well established theater actor (star even) - him coming out at 50 was not going to burst the romantic bubble of any women or the fantasies of men. He became a character actor who did very well after he came out. Great for him.

But each actor's career trajectory is different - there is not one path. It's a cruel and hyper competitive industry.

And if you think most gays and lesbians in high roles in other industries don't hide their gayness sometimes among certain execs/clients/coworkers, then you're fooling yourself.

Didn't he "accidentally" outed some actress?

Q :What is the diffrence between these two couples?

A: $3,000,000 silly.

R60 - who are they?

I was wondering the same thing R61

Nicholas Galitzine & Austin Kevitch and Taylor Zakhar Perez & Garrett Gerson. Both partnered for six years.

Two allegedly queer actors who are not out, with their alleged significant others. Not sure how the comment relates to this thread actually.

Once they're out, getting pigeonholed into gay, effeminate roles is the least of their problems. Business deals will likely be cancelled along with other career ramifications.

R64 it relates because Galitzine got a $3mil Amazon contract for jumping back in the closet and Perez had a marriage license on file so he could not. Perez gets squat . Galitzine gets a leading man career. The reality of the business McKellen knows very well which makes his fatuous comment beyond silly.That this has to be explained to you shows you have frau for brains actually.

It's not a fatuous comment. He was saying that even with the problems and the lost opportunities, it's better to be out than cringing in a closet, living in terror that the horrific secret that you are gay might come out some day. And of course, part of the deal means going along with homophobia, and devoting your entire life to propping it up.

In that sense, Galitzine made the wrong choice, even if he winds up with more money. I realize natural whores can't see that, can't even comprehend that, but it remains true.

The truly funny part about that is that the dream for closeted actors is that some day they will play some heroic character in a big franchise, a heroic character who will supposedly show courage and integrity and self-sacrifice, all things the actor has decided not to have at all in their personal life.

R65 - correct - and to make it seem like casting isn't homophobic, they'll throw in a gay/lesbian POC in a minor role to squash any charges of discrimination.

Ian was an older English character actor after he came out. Three things there - having an English accent and being older works in the American market and helps to sell films in UK. #2 - being English, he probably didn't have the larger salary requests initially in Hollywood.

To advise young actors to come out (he certainly didn't - even when it was legal and he was doing only theater work) is bad advice and really a selfish statement to make.

But then again, he's been saying really stupid stuff the past few years - how the arguments against trans politics are the same ones stated against gay rights years ago. Blink-blink. Really? Which ones are those Ian?

R67 gets her understanding of the economic realites of Hollywood by reading the photo captions in People magazine.

Let's compare re-closeted Bambi's with this guy's career five years from now. See if Sir Ian is a sage or a pompous windbag. My quid is on the latter.

R67 - it's not an either/or situation. You can still be gay and be private about it. You don't even need to necessarily be panicked about people finding out.

It's about building your career - not limiting or ending it before it gets a chance to blossom. There are tons of actors with G/L rumors about them - but rumors won't derail your career like coming out publicly can.

And this comment just shows how immature you are: "The truly funny part about that is that the dream for closeted actors is that some day they will play some heroic character in a big franchise, a heroic character who will supposedly show courage and integrity and self-sacrifice, all things the actor has decided not to have at all in their personal life."

1) You're conflating a FICTIONAL character with a real life person 2) not all actors want to play superhero parts - that's just dumb and 3) being gay -whether fully out or not - DOES take character and integrity and guts. Even in 2025 - just being gay is still not an easy road and takes a lot of self-acceptance and going against what every thing in society says you should be.

I don't think you have a very good grasp on the realities of life.

No I'm not conflating fiction with reality r71. I'm pointing out an obvious and actually funny hypocrisy, an industry celebrating shit it demands that everybody actually reject in real life.

But the bigger point is that, yes, you may actually have to make some sacrifices to leave the closet, in Hollywood and most everywhere else, really. Do it anyway. The rewards outweigh the costs, even if the costs are real.

That shouldn't be an impossible thought. It shouldn't be completely impossible to believe that coming out of the closet is actually the right choice, especially on a gay website. The fact that so many of you can't even grasp the concept that staying closeted is a bad choice even if it leads to fame and fortune, perfectly illustrates the poison of the closet and the stranglehold of homophobia on our imaginations.

R72 - and what do you do for a living?

Actually r73, I was a conservative activist, with some good jobs along the way, a long time ago. Coming out derailed all that, and I can admit I didn't have any really good or high status jobs after that, although I liked working in a bookstore when I did. So I don't deny there are costs, and I don't pretend that it's all just an easy ride. Even for people who don't lose jobs, there are clearly strains and stresses with family and friends, and yes, you may lose some of both. Not denying any of that. But honestly, what I deny is that staying in the closet is the obvious "right choice" wherever you are. You should find a way to come out of the closet, even if it means making sacrifices.

How about you? Are you a closeted actor? Or are you in some place in Hollywood where you encourage people to stay closeted?

Hmmm - crickets from R72 - providing all this sage coming out advice but then doesn't provide details about his own career.

Don't say the reward outweighs the costs - you have no fucking idea about anyone's work environment or how to tally up the balance sheet on coming out.

Like I said - this is not a all or nothing scenario. You can have nothing to hide and be out in your family and friends and still be selectively out in a professional environment. It's not cowardice - it's being savvy - understanding risks and reward scenarios.

You think I'm going to go into a redneck bar in a red state and talk about being a Democrat or being gay? We all selectively not disclose that we're gay at times - all of us.

So you can get off your soapbox and return to the cashier counter when your break is over.

um, you posted a second too soon r75.

R74 - well I can't condone your activity working for conservatives who actively fought (to this day) to take away our rights when you were gay yourself.

But you lost your job when you came out - do you not know there are conservatives in all industries who would want to do the same to any gay? Several have said that to me to my face over the years.

I'm proud that you came out - but I don't think you have any moral high ground to stand on here considering your past conservative activist work.

If you would have stayed to try and change conservatives - then maybe - but you left. Is that cowardice? Leaving instead of sticking around, being out and trying to change things?

It's not a question of my moral high ground r77. I don't pretend that this is about me being a moral leader.

In fact, I'm amazed that anybody on DL would not just go in assuming that coming out of the closet is the more moral choice, even if there are practical questions, and when and how you do that is up to you. But the idea that it isn't even a goal is weird to me. Or that the obvious right choice is just to stay closeted in return for money and whatever else homophobic employers offer you.

I agree with McKellan. You should be open and free to be who you are. Unless you’re fug then no thanks and lock yourself in the closet.

R68, except the arguments used against gay people ARE the ones being used against trans people. He is correct.

You self-rightous kweens want me to come clean and come out. Austy's schlong is valuable to me but it's not worth $375,000 an inch.

R78 - not to beat you down or anything but " Or that the obvious right choice is just to stay closeted in return for money and whatever else homophobic employers offer you." is kind of rich considering that's exactly what you did. You worked for conservative activist groups and took money while you stayed in the closet.

Worse - your work was actively hurting the gay community and you knew it. I understand you probably had some awakening at some point - but there's a far difference between keeping your mouth shut to further your career and actively working for homophobes and homophobic groups.

You did an immoral thing. The rest of us who are selective about coming out are not immoral - it's self-preservation. And it doesn't mean we're fully in the closet and haven't done 'the work' in reaching out to friends, family, acquaintances about being gay and changing their minds or viewpoints.

An actor not being fully out is not a moral failing. In a close parallel, there are a lot of women who have had abortions - lots and lots of famous women and everyday women you come across every day.

They know they have to be selective about talking about their abortion because of the blowback they can receive. It's very rare for women to speak publicly about it - which is insane still - but I understand it.

R82 you are hilarious St Joan

His is a very privileged and ignorant point of view.

Tell that to Rupert Everett, Sir Ian.

R85, Rupert became more famous after coming out

He should fuck off. It's a choice. None if his leftist cuntology please.

Rupert whined for quite awhile that it had been a mistake for him to come out but...he was fucking fooling himself thinking he was gonna be the next Tom Cruise. Actors are so delusional. About as bad as Republicans thinking they MIGHT be millionaires one day so it's a good idea to vote for huge tax cuts for the rich.

Bambi Galitzine is contemptible. Cooper Koch is admirable. As out gay men we should all be....

Jesus I have no idea who any of the names in this thread are, except Dame Ian McKellen, of course

R90 so 20th century tres DL

Well, that is heartbreak to me, Dutchie.

R90 pssst Dutchie, a lil birdie told me he's "light in the loafers"

People who toss around the word "immoral" are inevitably the most hypocritical twisted freaks on God's green earth.

I agree. I'm proud to say that I was out in the press before achieving any fame. I had a gay role in an indie film at Sundance in 2002. The Advocate and OUT wanted to interview me so by saying yes, I was officially out. I stayed out and 3 years later, I booked a series regular role (who wasn't gay) in a network TV show. It always irritated me that I didn't get credit for that. I was never invited to the GLAAD Awards, for instance, when I should've been presenting. I spoke up when given the platform and Ian is right. It's silly.

[quote] People who toss around the word "immoral" are inevitably the most hypocritical twisted freaks on God's green earth.

And sometimes they're right. Sometimes people really are making the wrong decision for all the wrong reasons.

R58, Bailey was absolutely the male romantic lead in Season 2 of Bridgerton, which was the season I quoted as having broken records. Certainly he has a supporting role in Wicked, but it's as the Prince Charming character, the romantic involvement for both lead women. If women wouldn't accept an out gay actor as a romantic lead, both roles would have been fizzers, and they were the reverse. Read the comments under the YouTube of Dancing Through Life if you think he wasn't a big attraction.

The fact is that women have been loving closeted gay men as romantic leads since movies began, yet they are given the blame for something which is, in fact, pure toxic masculinity aimed at keeping both gay men and straight women in their places. That idea is: come out and male executives will end your career, because they have a (completely untested) conviction that women aren't capable of finding a man they know to be gay sexy. Which tells you more about their own insecurities, and those of the actors they can convince, than reality.

Yet the same executives will indulge the constant and surprisingly explicit gay "joshing" in Wolverine and Deadpool (or the other way round, who cares). Who that appeals to, apart from Jackman and Reynolds, I can't imagine. It's the kind of creepy subversion you get when you keep sunlight off something and it sends a terrible message to the young males watching those movies.

R95 personally admirable but professionally silly. Why you remained a C-list actor with a bad manager.

So much wrong there r98. First of all, you have absolutely NO idea why anybody remains a C-list actor or doesn't, or has a bad manager or doesn't. The whole thing is so much more arbitrary than that, as I suspect you know, deep down. So essentially everyone is left with a really stupid option: suppress vital parts of yourself in the very, very, very slim chance that you will become a major star.

In fact, the sensible choice, all integrity aside, is to not sacrifice huge parts of yourself for the very unlikely chance that you will be a major star. Especially knowing that if you do beat the odds and become a major star, you will actually be asked to lie even more relentlessly and constantly, because now so much more depends on your lie.

R66 Oh I thought you meant because Perez’s husband is super rich and he actually doesn’t need to jump in the closet for money, lol

R97 "That idea is: come out and male executives will end your career"

You don't say .The architect of Bambi Galitzine's $3 million closet.

r98- I'm proud of my career. There are lots of closeted actors who hit no list. Or even stay in the closet on Broadway where no one cares. I'm very happy personally and professionally and wouldn't change anything I've done.

I suspect the deep truth among toxic male studio execs is that they KNOW women can find an openly gay man attractive. Their real problem is that they find those gay actors attractive too (who wouldn’t, we are talking about supernaturally gorgeous people in most cases here) and that is why they really are uncomfortable looking at them on their screens for too long.

Can't imagine the closeted Galitizine-Kevitch's would dare to walk a red carpet together looking this fine.

R99 so much dumb here.Sure if you run a flower shop with your hubby in Palm Springs. Hollywood is big boy world . Grow up dear.

R104 imagine harder

Yes, we get it r105. You are afraid to come out of the closet. So be it. But don't confuse that with being mature or dealing with reality. It's fear. Understandable, maybe, but that is all it is.

R103 frau for brains guess you DON'T KNOW that closeted male studio executives are responsible for some of biggest careers of closeted bi and gay actors.

[quote] the dream for closeted actors is that some day they will play some heroic character in a big franchise, a heroic character who will supposedly show courage and integrity and self-sacrifice, all things the actor has decided not to have at all in their personal life

MARY! This is an awful lot of assumptions in one paragraph. You don't seem to know the definition of a "personal life" and the right for people to have one. Not everyone wants or needs to be a role model for others, and it shouldn't feel like an obligation in order to live out one's "dream" or personal definition of success. I respect how hard it is to make it in Hollywood, and unlike a large portion of the public, I don't feel that an actor owes me their person life nor do I need them as inspiration for mine. Coming out is a journey, and it's a different journey for every guy, so I refuse to judge or interfere with someone else's life path. People who like to climb on high horses should just ride off into the sunset.

It's okay if you are afraid r109. But really, you should just admit it. Stop inventing weird "noble" reasons for it all. Just say it. You fear that you would lose money and opportunity if you came out of the closet, and you are not prepared to do that. Okay, kind of sad, but actually understandable. But stop compounding it with silly little justifications.

Homphobia.

The lovely infiltration on this gay site as cretins attempt to excuse the unacceptable and unnecessary by shaming the victims of homophobia.

R80 like....which arguments? That kids should take hormones to make them gay? That gay people shouldn't play sports? That gay people want to change the definition of female and male?

I don't recall any of that coming up in the gay rights discussion.

It was more like - can y'all stop firing us, beating us up, and outcasting us for being something we didn't choose? That's what I remember. Equal rights in employment, housing, accommodation, not be randomly kicked out of our military careers, harassing our bars, and arresting us for having sex - sometimes in our own homes?

R109, it's one thing to be private. It's another thing to be dishonest. If you're a gay man who is pretending your husband doesn't exist...that's not privacy, that's living a lie

Beside his notorious gay manager Henry Wilsson Rock Hudson owed his career to the very married and closeted Universal Studios executive who signed the novice Hudson to an exclusive contract after crawling around his office chasing and catching Rock's cock.

Exactly! I think it is stupid to be closeted as a young actor but if you choose to be "private" and actually are, then that's not anyone's business.

However, if you're a lying piece of shit and you're denying it publicly and bearding and being a fake phony asshole because you think it might hurt your bank account to be out, then fuck off.

If you're not on the Nepo Couch like Keanu,Robert Downey Jr you wind up on the Casting Couch with your ankles behind your ears a la from Bumfuck's Tommy Mapother,Billy Pitt,Matty McConaughey,Al Ritchson. Works the same for boys as girls. Common knowlege by everyone not from Bumfuck.

Another thread derailed be clueless lumpen frauen. Why we can't have nice things.

That's a little ambiguous r117. What nice thing are you asking for?

R102 bully for you but Nick Galitzine wants an A-List leading man career.

R112 "can y'all "

OH FUCKING DEAR

R112 Hollywood is one of the most homophobic industries on the planet.

Well, if he can get that and still be Gay Gay Gay Gayer McGayerson, he can have it r119. Otherwise, no, I'm sorry. The universe can only do so much.

And it certainly is not up to the rest of us to pretend he's straight for purely idiotic and homophobic reasons.

Judging by some posts I've read on DL, coming out doesn't necessarily make one lose "a bitterness and acidity that is visted on other people."

R122 It's for purely MONETARY reasons. What part of Show BUSINESS do you not get?

No I do get that r124, and actually would prefer everyone just saying that and skipping any bullshit about privacy and role models and the need for this or that or the other. It's okay to just admit it's all about fear and money and nobody needs to pretend to respect it any more than you respect anything else done for fear and money.

And in Galitzine's case, sorry, the whole thing is ridiculously futile on top of everything else.

R96 you never fail to be trite and banal. Do you practice or is it a natural gift?

R125 but you being the highly principled "moral" human being you are would return the $3,000,000 and tell Jennifer Salke to kiss your husband's ass?

A “conservative activist” never occupies the higher ground unless you’re miles under the sea.

Selling out your fellow gays sure is noble, eh?

R125 " ridiculously futile on top of everything else."

Bambi has never been on top of anything

Stop loving and worshiping the closet r128. It makes you sad and angry, clearly, and that is a sign that you are doing the wrong thing.

Let the healing begin.

Wrong.

R110 I don't think it's fear to be selective about any private information one chooses to put out there. I actually think it's pretty smart, especially if someone is a public figure. One person could never appease the entire public. You can see some of that here on DL and the way this website treats actors who are out, including Ian McKellen. Despite all the talk about bravery, it's often a thankless position to take. There are plenty of straight actors who don't answer private questions and do their best to keep it separate from the public, and I think regardless of sexuality everyone should have that right.

It's always painfully awkward when the media asks a celebrity about their sexuality like this interview with Ricky Martin and Barbara Walters. No one should have to be subjected to this.

Some of you calling Hollywood homophobic - historically it has been true - but only because it reflects society and box office. They are selling their product nationally and internationally.

There are tons of investors in projects and they want a return. Just like any business.

Change is slow unfortunately - and it has really accelerated the last 20 years. But Hollywood is a business first and foremost. I can't believe people don't really truly understand that.

Look at you Zac Efron, even if you aren't really young these days. Might as well come on out, I'm sure the yacht rates will hold.

[quote] Cooper Koch is admirable.

And an unmistakable queen. No coming out for him was necessary.

Re R131. Were there effective measures for douching in the 16th and early 17th centuries?

Did Nicholas, I mean George Villiers, actually sleep with James after their nightly exercises?

If so, wouldn't want to mess up those sleeping garments and bedclothes.

Could one imagine another "straight-identified" actor filming the scene in R131?

Pretty hardcore to be sure.

R135 you're a perfect example of the bitter self loathing ancient tomb dwellers that infest DL. Isn't it time you did us all a favor take your antideluvian trolling and shuffle back to your closet Mary

R137 behaving is not acting

Pedro Pascal, Hugh Jackman and Chris Pine would never have the careers they have if they'd come out as gay or bi.

R130, huh? I didn’t defend the closet, only went after the smug, amoral “conservative activist.”

I’m against the closet. Yeesh.

How can the song be sexist when it's about a woman telling a man to come on over to her house so she can fuck him like he's never been fucked before?

R133 So you're advising people to be closeted in business.

Ian outed a young actor. He really should mind his business.

Unfortunately, when actors come out, they tend to be stuck in gay roles.

R144 more than one! He outed just about everybody in THE HOBBIT 🙃

He may have been in the closet, but we all knew

R143 - I"m not advising anything - but I leave it up to my gay and lesbian brethren to read a room/environment and determine what's best for them.

Hollywood and the creative decisions are based on profit. If you put years into producing something and it loses money, you won't be having a ton more projects in the future.

R148 keep that under your hooha

I disagree with “it’s ok to be private.” Gays only have rights because we came out of the closet. It is selfish to stay “private.”

Wild horses couldn't drag me away!

R95 C-list actor, can you please start a thread on Hollywood gossip, or behind the scenes in the industry? This site is so boring with all the Trump threads.

R150, mind your business.

" NO ONE CARES !"

[quote] Gays only have rights because we came out of the closet. It is selfish to stay “private.”

You can't be serious! Anyone who calls privacy "selfish" is a person who doesn't understand irony or their own sense of entitlement. These actors don't owe you anything, honey! They're not paid to be human rights activists. They're paid to pretend to be other people. Hollywood is not the place for championing rights. Image is everything in this town, and it does no good to be obtuse about that fact. A public figure will not only lose their main fan base, but they get practically no support or empathy from the very community that wanted them to be out. DL is just one example of that kind of hypocrisy.

It's almost hyperbolic to bring up gay rights when it's not clear what impact celebrities actually have on serious issues. Why risk it? Why are gays forced to be everybody's role model and pick up everybody's slack? It takes a lot of hard work to build a career in any industry only to be summed up and defined by your sex life. That never happens to heterosexuals. What's selfish is asking these actors who you don't personally know to risk their livelihood so you can feel better about yourself.

R155, merely being honest about who you are is not defining yourself by your sex life

Nick Galitzine's new lesbian rom-com 100 Nites of Hero premiers in LA March 18. In addition to his new He-Man body we guarantee Bambi will be premiering 100 Nites of Bearding. Sorry Sir Ian.

R155 If it takes all those words to defend it, it's probably not defensible. If it helped your Hollywood career to pass for white when you're not white, how would you feel about that?

Mind you if people are closeted/private because they just want to be, that's fine with me. But if the only reason if to further their Hollywood careers, then they're valuing a career over honesty.

*is, not "if"

And this affects you how, r159?

The only people who deserve to be outed are hypocritical homophobes.

"It’s the whites, southern belle church frauds, who want to marry him,, and fraud’s husbands whose support he’d lose. And yall know it’s true. Black women are loyal once they like someone. It’s called empathy."

Lol, what is this bullshit?