Is asking a celebrity if he or she is gay become a fair game question, even for the young?

[dsc]

Taylor Lautner, of Twilight fame, was the cover story for Rolling Stone magazine. Interestingly they actually ask him if he is gay, though in a round about way.

http://www.accesshollywood.com/taylor-lautner-takes-on-taylor-swift-and-gay-rumors_article_25929

But, is Taylor dating someone?


“Possibly,” he told the mag.


He might be playing coy on his dating life details, but the 17-year-old actor told the mag that he’s not promiscuous.


“Yeah, I would need to know the person,” he explained. “I’m really big about, like, commitment. Loyalty is a major thing for me.”


In a bold move, the mag also raised another question with the young actor – asking if Taylor was still figuring out his sexuality.


“Another possibility is that maybe you’re just sort of discovering yourself,” Rolling Stone asked.


“OK,” Taylor said.


”…As a young person trying to figure out his sexual identity in the world,” the mag continued.


“OK. I see where you’re going,” he said during the interview. “Interesting choice.”


“It is a possibility,” the mag said.


“There’s a lot of rumors out there,” Taylor said.


end of quote

I admit I find this interesting. I can't find the actual interview but the quote seems to imply that Taylor wasn't all that upset being asked. He also is using the 'person' dodge which we all know how that works. Honestly, I think people under 18 probably ought to be left alone in this regard but I still find this an overall positive development. I may have to track down the rolling stone magazine to see what the actual interview was like.

[imdjh]

1. Maybe if you're under 18 you should be interviewed by Tiger Beat.

But if you are going to play with the adults, then you're pretty much fair game.

[dsc]

5. that is a fair point

and again he seemed OK with it. I would imagine his agent cleared this interview so maybe this is their way of dealing with rumors that were apparently out there. Frankly, if his plan was to squash the rumors I don't think that interview will have done it, which any non brain dead person would likely know.

[ZombieHorde]

6. Are nine year olds fair game? How far does your "fair game" opinion go? nt

[dsc]

7. I would hope that no nine year old would be asked any sexual question

by anyone who isn't also nine.

[ZombieHorde]

10. Agreed. nt

[imdjh]

12. No, but they do ask them "cute" questions which presume heterosexuality.

I remember the questions Dick Clark asked Donny Osmond and Michael Jackson about if they had girlfriends, yuck, yuck, yuck.

[ruggerson]

13. exactly

n/t

[dsc]

14. I have always found those questions quite creepy

I think maybe when you are dealing with say teenagers, that becomes a bit less creepy but when it is kids who aren't even 10 yet, eeww

[ZombieHorde]

2. "I think people under 18 probably ought to be left alone in this regard"

I agree. I don't see many reasons to pigeon hole (where did that phrase come from?) minors on the subjects of sexual orientation or politics.

[donco6]

4. From roll top desks, I think.

I don't know where they got the name, though. But the little open boxes in a roll top are called pigeon holes.

[ZombieHorde]

9. Thanks for the info. nt

[ruggerson]

3. The media (and the rest of the world) need to come from a place

where what is fair game for heteros is fair game for gay people.

The fact is that we are a celebrity obsessed world and no one is going to put an end to the culture of the paparazzi anytime soon.

If straight and gay are to be equal in this world, that means the media cannot participate in a conspiracy of silence when it comes to famous, gay people.

The coverage should be exactly the same.

[ZombieHorde]

8. I don't think this is a gay/straight issue, I think this is a kid/adult issue. nt

[ruggerson]

11. as far as I know

the media talks about who hetero teenage celebrities date all the time. I could be wrong, but isn't Taylor Swift 17?

[ZombieHorde]

16. The only thing I know about Taylor Swift is she was a guest on SNL.

I don't follow celebrity news or sports news, I am more into horror movies and role playing games.

[ruggerson]

21. She was the one who had the good fortune to have a drunk Kanye West

wander onto stage during her acceptance speech at the MTV awards.

As Kathy Griffin says, best thing that ever happened to her career.

[dsc]

22. oh damn that is where I heard that name before

go figure.

[dsc]

17. I have no idea

I know he is 17 only because it said so in the Afterelton article which I read to find the one I linked.

[ruggerson]

26. Wikipedia

says she's just turned twenty. But there's tons of teen celebrities the gossip rags cover all the time. Miley Cyrus, the Jonas brothers, etc.

[closeupready]

33. It's not useful, IMO, to dig heads into the sand when uncomfortable questions about

coming out or not, and sexuality happen.

What I mean by that is, clearly, boys and girls are socialized by churches and society to behave in 'gender-appropriate' ways, and a big one is romantically dating members of the opposite sex. Few of us here probably read stories aimed at young people, but if we did, I presume such media would be geared towards teaching children that expressing heterosexual feelings is expected of them, without any regard to genuineness of those expressed feelings. So basically, we teach gay children that we will approve of them only if they lie to us.

It's actually a fertile topic for consideration about what is wrong with our society.

[imdjh]

15. I just assume every guy is gay until proven otherwise.

"I'm straight."

"I will be the judge of that."

[closeupready]

32. Completely agree.

n/t

[GreenPartyVoter]

18. Do these interviewers also go around asking if people are straight?

[dsc]

19. since straight is default that is kind of a strange question to ask

but he did also get asked about dating his female costar in the same interview.

[ruggerson]

20. it's presumed n/t

[notesdev]

23. It's none of your business

unless they make it so. Have some decency and try and leave some zone of privacy, even for a celebrity. Just because a person is a public figure doesn't mean it's appropriate to stick your nose into their bedroom... unless they choose to open the door.

[dsc]

24. yes and no

I think it is our business to see being gay treated on par with being straight. But if he still wishes to not answer the question then he has that right.

[notesdev]

27. Consistency is important

It's hard to make the case that some religious bigot shouldn't be sticking his nose into your bedroom, if you do just that to total strangers.

Personally I think that people sticking their noses into other peoples' business is an insidious epidemic, so I come down firmly on the side that what you do with your own private parts is your own business.

[stray cat]

25. Some people seem to think they have the right to even tell someone what they are

as if they know better than the person does.

[texastoast]

28. Rude. Nosy.

And certainly none of your business.

Not a bit of grace in such a question. Totally unmannerly. Prefuckingposterous.

[Meldread]

29. I'm of mixed feelings, but I'm going to say it depends on the situation.

As a general rule, I'd say it's very rude and inconsiderate to pry into someones personal life. I'm not talking about just a celebrity, but in more general terms. However, I feel the same holds true for them as well. When it comes to being gay, people need to be given time and space on the matter. When people are ready to come out, they will, and no one should ever be dragged out of the closet kicking and screaming.

However, there are times when you might catch someone in a compromising position. Depending on the individual, the type of relationship, and the situation it might be okay to pry. As a general rule of thumb, I'd like to think most people would have the common social sense to forget what they've seen if they clearly weren't supposed to see it. It's the difference between walking into a room and seeing a guy you're close friends with making out with a guy, and them not realizing you're there and walking off... and being in the same situation and them knowing you're there and what you've seen.

When you've seen something you weren't supposed to, and the other party doesn't know, and you think they might be gay or bi... and you want to talk about it, but don't want to pry... the best thing you can do is just find subtle ways to lay the ground work for "the talk" by finding subtle ways to make it clear that you're 100% okay with gay / bi people. Therefore, the individual in question would feel "safe" coming out.

On the other hand, if you walk in on a compromising situation and are seen... then it's just too awkward to NOT talk about it. It could actually damage a relationship.

When it comes to public figures, respect their privacy. The one exception to the rule are traitors. If you're a married congressman who goes around on the sly fucking men, then go and support anti-gay / bi legislation then you deserve to be hung out to dry. If for no other reason to alert all other men who may potentially sleep with you, to let them know what a sleazy asshole you are. I don't think stabbing someone in the back while you tap their ass is an acceptable form of kink.

When it comes to celebrities like this it's the same thing. This situation in particular, I find sleazy. The whole point to try and get him to come out would be for the scoop. However, I think the actor in question here is purposefully being vague. I don't think he's gay or bi... but I don't really know anything about him, don't pay attention to the whole Twilight thing... so bleh. My thoughts on the matter are uninformed. However, making a wild guess based upon the text here, I'd say he's being purposefully vague, almost flirting with it, because it draws more attention to him. So it's also somewhat sleazy on his part as well, but in a slutty attention whore kind of way.

[ruggerson]

30. I think a few people are mixing up apples and oranges here

No one particularly likes the celebrity culture we live in, but it is a FACT. It's been around for decades, if not centuries, and it's not going anywhere. People magazine isn't going away. Neither are US or Entertainment Tonight. Neither is TMZ, for that matter.

Since this is the culture we live in (and that includes a media that gossips about the dating habits of teenage celebrities all the time), then the only question is - do we treat straight and gay celebrities in the exact same way. If the press is going to write about Lautner dating a girl at 17, should they or should they not write about his dating a guy?

My position is that of course they should. There should be no double standard, as it only perpetuates and reinforces deep seated homophobia.

(And, btw, for all the straight people who say that what someone does with their "private parts" is their own business - well being gay, or straight, is a whole lot more than a sexual act. If a paper covers an eighteen year old male celebrity dating a girl, then that's harmless gossip about the star's romantic life. If it covers the same celebrity dating a guy, then suddenly we're discussing in too much detail the star's sex life. Sorry, it doesn't work that way. They're both the exact same thing and should be treated as such.)

[Toasterlad]

31. THANK You. I Get A Little Sick of "Keep Your Nose Out of the Bedroom" Type Remarks.

Gay people don't stop being gay when they're not fucking, and they're not fucking 24/7. No one talks about straight people in sexual terms; why should anyone classify gay people that way?

As far as asking celebrities about being gay goes, it should be a non-issue, but sadly, isn't yet. Until being gay is dealt with as matter of factly as being blond or left-handed, I'll always stand behind a person's right to stay in the closet until they're comfortable coming out. It's rude to ask ANYONE about their sexual orientation, celebrity or no.

But the fact that this kid is only 17 has nothing to do with it one way or another. He may be technically a "minor" by society's prudish standards, with all the repressive baggage that comes with that label, but, like most 17 year old "children", he's no doubt been sexually active for years. It is certainly not offensive to ask a 17 year old celebrity is he/she is "dating" (read: fucking) anyone, or it shouldn't be. This willful ignorance about teens having sex is the biggest contributing factor to teenage pregnacies and sexually transmitted diseases. Maybe if we stopped pretending that people magically discover sex for the first time on their 18th birthday, we can do a better job of getting them the information they need to have sex safely and responsibly.