There are more gay characters on screen than ever before. So why don’t A-list stars e out? Tom Brook tak a look at Hollywood’s attu to homosexualy.
Contents:
- IS HOLLYWOOD REALLY GAY IENDLY?
- IS ANYONE IN HOLLYWOOD NOT GAY?
- WHAT PERCENTAGE OF HOLLYWOOD IS ACTUALLY GAY?
- GAY HOLLYWOOD: 45 OUT AND PROUD LGBT STARS (PHOTOS)
- HOLLYWOOD’S GAY DOUBLE STANDARD: WHY SO MANY ACTRS CAN COME OUT, BUT YOUNG ACTORS STAY THE CLOSET
- HOLLYWOOD’S ‘GAY CULTURE’ RHAPG AMERI
IS HOLLYWOOD REALLY GAY IENDLY?
* is everyone in hollywood gay *
Next weekend Ameri’s gay media advocy anisatn − GLAAD − will be holdg s 25th Annual Media Awards Los Angel btowg s seal of approval on dividuals and productns for the many imag they have provid of the LGBT would agree that at first sight, screen pictns of gay people, and the narrativ which they feature, are more posive than ever, pecially on US televisn.
” On Valente’s Day this year, at a LGBT event sponsored by the Human Rights Campaign, actrs Ellen Page clared she was gay addg: “I am tired of lyg by omissn. There is still the view that a gay actor well known for playg the heterosexual romantic lead might no longer be able to fd work those rol if he revealed he was gay. Castg director Tammara Billik, a board member of the Los Angel Gay & Lbian Center, believ uld prent female fans wh a difficult challenge: “I thk there is still that hurdle to climb over, envisng their heartthrob on screen kissg a woman…and n they separate that om their heartthrob his personal life kissg a man?
IS ANYONE IN HOLLYWOOD NOT GAY?
Whenever there's a bld em about a closeted celeb, happens. Name after name after proment name gets knowgly thrown around until, no matter who the em actually refers to, you're left wonrg: are all the big stars gay? * is everyone in hollywood gay *
She is of the opn that there are several A-list stars workg Hollywood today who are gay − but the says: “There are probably three or four leadg guys out there that are A-listers that are gay my gus. Hollywood is extremely risk-averse − tryg to maximize s revenu by reachg the biggt possible dience − and executiv may take the view that stg a gay star would alienate moviegoers pecially nservative markets some the LGBT muny, havg a major star e out is seen as val bee of the impact uld have on isolated gay teens who may be stgglg wh their sexual inty.
Tammara Billick says: “If a big A-list star me out he would show teenage girls and boys ’s ok to be gay, and not to be aaid and that would be an amazg statement to make. Knowledge is powerBut publicist Howard Bragman, who’s gay himself, agre that havg a star g out n be a very effective way to break down anti-gay prejudice and ignorance. “I’ve seen the rearch, ” he says, “and I know the sgle biggt factor that people judge and change their mds about LGBT issu are if they know someone who is gay − and when a star out they do know someone who is gay.
Out of 101 films released, only 14 of them had a character intified as lbian, gay or bisexual and sometim they were on screen for ltle more than jt a few sends.
WHAT PERCENTAGE OF HOLLYWOOD IS ACTUALLY GAY?
I'm talkg everyone, ont of the mera and behd . Actors, wrers, managers/agents, crew, stud people. Is really that gayer than any other dtry? Please give your timated ... * is everyone in hollywood gay *
Wh so many gas the battle to w marriage equaly there’s a sense of optimism among gay media advot that the Hollywood studs will soon realise they’re behd the tim − and that to reta and velop dienc around the world they need more clive you would like to ment on this story or anythg else you have seen on BBC Culture, head over to our Facebook page or msage on Twter. Thanks to the shownners drivg thentic stori, filmmakers buckg s-old heteronormative paradigms, actors embolned to live more hontly and platforms bankrollg so much of , beg gay, queer, transgenr or any other other has never been more wily embraced the entertament s gural Pri issue, The Hollywood Reporter homed on the talent and makers helpg boost visibily and creatg opportuni for members of the extend LGBTQ muny.
After more than a of Watch What Happens Live Wh Andy Cohen, where he beme the first openly gay host Amerin late night, Bravo's exec turned talent tackl all kds of media (SiriXM show Rad Andy, multiple books), while upliftg and advotg for the LGBTQ muny. Puttg his stamp on The Ln Kg — he played Timon to great acclaim the billn-dollar-earng Disney reboot — the out-and-proud funnyman will next play Matt Ddge Amerin Crime Story: Impeachment while his upg Judd Apatow-produced feature at Universal is set to be the first gay rom- om a major stud.
Creator of the NBC s One Big Happy and her own YouTube talk show This Jt Out, Feldman recently ma her Netflix edy outright queer, as Dead to Me's sophomore season revealed a lead character to be bisexual. Levy, who -created the show wh dad Eugene, earned legns of admirers fans and crics alike for craftg a same-sex love story a seri that was ee of homophobia. Watchg Rickie Vasquez, a gay character played by an openly gay actor, Wilson Cz, certaly felt like the most hont and rpectful portrayal of a gay teen I had ever seen.
GAY HOLLYWOOD: 45 OUT AND PROUD LGBT STARS (PHOTOS)
I'LL FEEL GOOD ABOUT HOLLYWOOD'S LGBTQ REPRESENTATION WHEN "When 'gay actor, ' 'gay director, ' 'gay wrer, ' 'gay story, ' et cetera, are no longer labels even worth mentng. In addn to speakg, and sgg, publicly about his own gay relatnships, Platt plays bi on The Polician — acuntg for several of the seri' many entangled LGBTQ romanc. The Pose star beme the first openly gay black man to w the dramatic lead actor Emmy 2019, the year he turned heads for butg genr-ntral red rpet looks.
' Yet, is still all too rare to fd — or produce Hollywood — stori where the humany of gay black men is not qutn, but is a given and is central to the story.
HOLLYWOOD’S GAY DOUBLE STANDARD: WHY SO MANY ACTRS CAN COME OUT, BUT YOUNG ACTORS STAY THE CLOSET
In 2019, the bisexual actor uld be seen as French New Wave in Jean Seberg Venice premiere tle Seberg, as a secret agent Sony's Charlie's Angels reboot and on a particularly gay episo of SNL. The queer Salvadoran edian translated the handful of breakout Saturday Night Live scen he wrote to multiple als at HBO — where he buted the edy special My Favore Shap 2019 and is readyg season two of Los Espookys, the half-Spanish, half-English, entirely absurd edy which he stars as the gay heir to a cholate fortune.
HOLLYWOOD’S ‘GAY CULTURE’ RHAPG AMERI
After 45 seasons, 's hard to believe there are any firsts left for Saturday Night Live — but Yang arrived at 30 Rock 2019 as the st's first Che Amerin stmember and only s third openly gay male. Schnapp posted a TikTok vio January that read, "When I fally told my iends and fay I was gay after beg sred the closet for 18 years and all they said was 'we know. "Page, who is married to dancer Emma Portner, prevly me out as gay durg a 2014 speech at Time to Thrive, a nference to promote the welfare of LGBTQ youth Las Vegas.
Parsons publicly me out as gay a 2012 New York Tim feature, which explored his role as a young gay activist onstage "The Normal Heart, " a Broadway show that grappl wh AIDS. The "Rocket Man" sger has habually donated and drawn attentn to LGBTQ , cludg foundg the Elton John AIDS Foundatn 1992, the same year he told Rollg Stone that he felt "que fortable beg gay. " "This is not somethg that I'm ashamed of, and 's not somethg that anyone should have to be ashamed of, " he followed he ndid vio wh a "Part 2" 2015 and now, as a pop star and actor, Sivan has ntued to openly discs his experienc as a gay man.