Color me shocked

You've probably heard by now (I've received emails from 1/2 a dozen friends already) that Ricky Martin finally came out. Here's the story from CNN.

Color me shocked. Rumors to this effect have circulated for years and Martin would never confirm nor deny them. Even Barbara Walters couldn't get him to give it up. I've said it before and I'll say it again, when a straight guy is questioned about being gay, he says no. But when someone won't confirm nor deny it, he's gay.

Hmmm... kinda sounds familiar.

Now, I totally 'get it' that most gay people do not feel the need to announce their sexuality to the world. But nobody's asking them to. To my knowledge, no one threatened to out 'Sex and the City' star Cynthia Nixon, and I never heard any rumors or speculation that she might be gay. But she decided to come out on her own free will. Good for her.

In a stark contrast, rumors and speculation that Ricky Martin and Sean Hayes were gay have been around for years, and both have been asked directly to confirm or deny the rumors, yet neither of them did until much later... perhaps when they felt they had nothing to lose.

In 2005 Martin told Barbara Walters "I think that sexuality is something that each individual should deal with in their own way, and that's all I have to say about that." At least it appears he has now seen the error of his way and is taking responsibility.

"Allowing myself to be seduced by fear and insecurity became a self-fulfilling prophecy of sabotage," Martin wrote in his forth-coming book. "Today I take full responsibility for my decisions and my actions."

Now, I can respect a man who doesn't try and rewrite history.

Hayes on the other hand said in an Advocate interview "I never have had a problem saying who I am... I am who I am. I was never in, as they say. Never."

Um, excuse me?

Hayes went on to say "Nobody owes anything to anybody. You are your authentic self to whom and when you choose to be, and if you don't know somebody, then why would you explain to them how you live your life?" "I feel like I've contributed monumentally to the success of the gay movement in America, and if anyone wants to argue that, I'm open to it. You're welcome."

Really? By refusing for years to confirm or deny your sexuality, despite being asked about it repeatedly, you feel that you've "contributed monumentally" to the gay movement? I beg to differ with that opinion.

I understand if gay celebrities do not want to wave the rainbow flag from their front porches. But for god's sakes, please don't refuse to answer the question, come out years later, and then pretend you were never 'in the closet'. We no likee.

Crush du Jour: Manu Bennett