In Hollywood, sexuality is less secret, still can be big deal

Posted on October 1, 2008
Filed Under Gay News Blog

It used to be called “the love that dare not speak its name” — particularly in Hollywood, where the revelation of homosexuality was believed to be a career-killer.

Now, out gays and lesbians are as casually visible as the cover of People magazine, which has recently run stories on Ellen DeGeneres’ wedding to Portia de Rossi and Clay Aiken’s decision to discuss his sexuality.

So, in a time when self-declared bisexual Tila Tequila can have a highly rated MTV show on looking for a partner of either sex, Lindsay Lohan talks about her relationship with DJ Samantha Ronson and “Star Trek’s” George Takei can have a very public wedding with his longtime partner, is coming out still a big deal?

Publicist Howard Bragman, author of the forthcoming “Where’s My Fifteen Minutes” (Portfolio), says that it is.

“Every person that comes out is another barrier coming down,” Bragman, who is openly gay, told CNN.com. Acceptance by the mainstream public, he observes, is easier but by no means automatic, particularly when issues such as gay marriage are at stake. “I look at it as a long-term process. The revolution is over — now it’s an evolution.”

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