All this has led to some interesting conversations. For instance, I told Slash-Friend about Beloved's joke that we should have Matt come dance around our bed, and I added that it probably wouldn't take Matt long to jump on the pile. So Slash-Friend asked if that would make us jump out, and I said only Beloved would leave. I'd stay; I'd just be careful about what I let Matt put where. ;-P It was at this point that Slash-Friend suggested Matt Bellamy might be the lesbians' Judy Garland.
On a (barely) related note, Lady K and I have also been discussing the pro's and con's of not-quite-out celebrities staying not-quite-out rather than making a formal announcement of their orientation. We talked about newsman Anderson Cooper in particular, but the same would naturally apply to Jodie Foster. They never pretend to date people of the opposite sex, and Cooper is frequently photographed with his partner. So why don't they just come on out and admit it? It would do so much good for the LGBT community, especially for young people who need healthy role models.
On the other hand, it took Johnny Weir ages to make his formal announcement, but was there ever even a shred of doubt about him? I don't think there's much doubt about the other two, either. So maybe, just maybe, they feel as if they don't need to make a formal announcement. Maybe they're making a different kind of statement by not making a statement. Suppose they're saying, "My orientation doesn't define me; it's just a part of who I am. I want to be respected as a person, not a spokesperson." In an ideal world, we all would be respected as people, regardless of orientation - or race, or gender, or any of a thousand other unimportant characteristics. That might be what Cooper and Foster are aiming for. Or I could be totally off the mark. *shrug*
Do we really need every single famous GLBT to make a formal announcement? I'm not sure. Part of me says yes, that we have to make our presence known in order to get the rights we deserve. But another part of me says there's more than one way to make our presence known. I think about the Civil Rights movement of the '60's, when Martin Luther King, Jr., promoted peaceful reform and Malcolm X called for change at any cost. Then there were all the other famous and not-so-famous figures of that time who worked for reform in their own ways. Some marched, some donated, some took or refused particular bus seats, and so on. Is there really only one way to bring about change? Does everyone have to do exactly the same thing?
I have to believe there are as many different ways to promote GLBT rights are there are ways to be GLBT. I do see Anderson Cooper and Jodie Foster as role models, just as I see Ellen Degeneres and Neil Patrick Harris as role models. Furthermore, I pity the celebrities who don't come out because they're not famous enough to get away with it, and I applaud the celebrities who almost come out even though they're not famous enough to get away with it (Queen Latifah and Zachary Quinto, I'm talking to you).
I still wrestle with the issue, but in the end, the only famous GLBT's I condemn are those who preach hate against their own. I could name several prominent politicians and religious figures at this point, but I don't want to make this a "gripe" post. It's more of a "musing" post, with a bit of fun thrown into the mix. Not that I have any real knowledge of Matt's Bellamy's feelings on GLBT rights, but I hope you enjoy the image of him dancing around my bed. I certainly do!
And yes, I'd totally give Matt a blow job.
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