Posted on 12/29/2010 3:09:13 PM PST by Watershed
Gay rights activists have long pushed for closeted gays and lesbians to come out of the closet and cease hiding their sexuality from friends, family and co-workers. Owning up to one's sexual identity in public would strike a blow for mental health, advocates argue, while also helping to remove lingering social stigmas and stereotypes that have conspired to keep gays in the closet. So when a prominent gay actor advises other gay actors to remain closeted, the message probably won't be embraced warmly by the "come out" crowd. Yes, Richard Chamberlain -- perhaps best known for his role in the 80s miniseries "The Thorn Birds" and the 60s television series "Dr. Kildare" -- was asked by The Advocate's Brandon Voss on the status of fellow gay actors who have not yet come out. Chamberlain said the issue was "complicated" one, but went on to advise secretly homosexual actors to keep their sexuality, well, a secret.
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I think most people with any kind of “gaydar” have already figured out which entertainers are homosexual and which aren’t, don’t you?
Claiming today’s Hollywood is somehow homophobic is absurd.
He was mine, too. There was always a rivalry between those of us who liked Dr. Kildare and those who liked Ben Casey. I always suspected Richard Chamberlain was homosexual, but I never felt that way about the actor who played Ben Casey. Wonder whatever happened to him?
I think he's right....we don't need to know anything anyone does in bed.....especially gays...
we have one of those uncles who never married, etc...there is not NEED for him to say anything...he lives his life very quietly..
why gays think they need to broadcast their difference and their perversions is beyond me...
I was totally wrong on Rock Hudson and Richard Gere.
It’s tough to be the hero in a manly flick like “Shogun” if you’ve been outed.
So what is it about having the name Dick???
My brother worked with Chamberlain years ago - and thought the world of him.
The wonderful British actor, Derek Jacobi, has been forced out of the closet. He’s very angry about it; he wants to keep his personal life private and quiet. Some gays are very discreet. Bless them.
I totally agree with you....why would anybody want to tell the world about his or her ideas on the gay lifestyle?? It is about being private and secure within one’s self.
It’s one thing to suspect and another to have the actor admit to being gay. It’s distasteful to many to see an openly homosexual actor playing a heterosexual sex/love scene. I think that’s the message in Chamberlain’s advice.
H-wood is big on authenticity (hiring Mexicans to play Mexicans etc), so it is understandable that romantic leading men should at least appear to be straight.
This is a $$$ issue.
Not sure. Lots of gays named Harry, Dick, and Peter.
I don’t think it matter’s so much in Hollywood but there is a factual reality that isn’t about ‘Homophobia’ which is only a big issue in the minds of liberals and people who can’t count but just simple nature. Men don’t want to go to movies where the action lead is a homosexual even if he is playing a heterosexual. Women may not have a problem but I doubt they would be so inclined to see the romance in a dramatic role if they new the guy was a fag. This isn’t just about homosexuality, if someone knew an actor was into some fringe fetish like urine or something ridiculous they’d feel the same way.
There is the ewe factor.
I always liked Richard Chamberlain. He was great in the Three Musketeers and Shogun. I never suspected he was gay and didn’t want to know.
I really would have rather not have known.
Vince Edwards, who played Ben Casey, died in 1996. He was born in 1928.
Really? I wasn’t surprised. He seemed effeminate in “Starship Troopers.” That’s when I began to suspect.
Vince Edwards died in 1996 of pancreatic cancer.
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