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It would be "infinitely better" for the gay community if celebrities like Cooper, Kevin Spacey, and Jodie Foster came out, says Perez Hilton. "Visibility is key."
Question: Who did you first come out to and what was it like?Perez Hilton: I don't remember who I first came out to. I
remember being at a holiday party, my freshman year at college. That
was the fall of '96 at NYU. And this girl said, "You're gay." And I
was like, "No, I'm not!" She's like, "Honey, please. Are you going to
come out? You're gay." I'm like, "Okay, I'm gay!" And then I
realized, you know what? It's no big deal. I went to the Tisch School
of the Arts. Practically every other person there was gay.
Question: Is coming out a personal experience?Perez Hilton: Absolutely. Nobody ever forces anyone to
come out. Nobody ever "outs" anyone, even though people accuse me of
that. I report on celebrities; I report on the private lives of public
figures. Look at someone like Anderson Cooper, who even Out magazine
has reported as being gay. Has Anderson come out? No. That's his
choice. He's choosing to remain in the closet even though everybody
knows he's gay. And that's okay because it's his story to tell if and
when he's ready. But that doesn't mean that the gay media, myself
included, shouldn't talk about Anderson Cooper being in the closet. And
we shouldn't talk about how much better it would be for the community
and for him if he were open.
Question: Why would it be better for the community if he were to
come out?Perez Hilton: It would be infinitely better for the
community if Anderson Cooper came out, if Kevin Spacey came out, if
Jodie Foster came out. Why? Because visibility is key. The more
straight people see that there are gay folks out there, the easier it is
for us to achieve change, the easier it will be for us to get marriage
equality, the harder it is for people to hate.Recorded April 29, 2010
It would be "infinitely better" for the gay community if celebrities like Cooper, Kevin Spacey, and Jodie Foster came out, says Perez Hilton. "Visibility is key."
Question: Who did you first come out to and what was it like?Perez Hilton: I don't remember who I first came out to. I
remember being at a holiday party, my freshman year at college. That
was the fall of '96 at NYU. And this girl said, "You're gay." And I
was like, "No, I'm not!" She's like, "Honey, please. Are you going to
come out? You're gay." I'm like, "Okay, I'm gay!" And then I
realized, you know what? It's no big deal. I went to the Tisch School
of the Arts. Practically every other person there was gay.
Question: Is coming out a personal experience?Perez Hilton: Absolutely. Nobody ever forces anyone to
come out. Nobody ever "outs" anyone, even though people accuse me of
that. I report on celebrities; I report on the private lives of public
figures. Look at someone like Anderson Cooper, who even Out magazine
has reported as being gay. Has Anderson come out? No. That's his
choice. He's choosing to remain in the closet even though everybody
knows he's gay. And that's okay because it's his story to tell if and
when he's ready. But that doesn't mean that the gay media, myself
included, shouldn't talk about Anderson Cooper being in the closet. And
we shouldn't talk about how much better it would be for the community
and for him if he were open.
Question: Why would it be better for the community if he were to
come out?Perez Hilton: It would be infinitely better for the
community if Anderson Cooper came out, if Kevin Spacey came out, if
Jodie Foster came out. Why? Because visibility is key. The more
straight people see that there are gay folks out there, the easier it is
for us to achieve change, the easier it will be for us to get marriage
equality, the harder it is for people to hate.Recorded April 29, 2010
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