Dec. 21, 2011 - Issue #844: The Artist
Queermonton
2011 The year to come out
2011 inspired celebrities and athletes to leave the closet
A year marked with deaths and traumas seems to be all it took to shake up some closets and minds. While researching an end of year column I couldn't quite believe just how many people had come out in 2011. It's often a chore to find celebrities whose outing mattered, the list short with not particularly important titles like Secretary to the President for the Council of Cheese Mongers in Hackensack, New Jersey. This year was different, with a wide variety of public figures coming forward to tell their story.
Heroes actor Zachary Quinto came out in the fall after being moved by the plight of queer youth. He felt guilty for making an It Gets Better video but not being out himself. For those in on Hollywood gossip, Quinto's sexuality was already known but the actor had plenty of reasons to stay closeted in an industry that wants good-looking guys like him to play romantic leads, something that apparently openly gay man are unable to do. It remains to be seen if Quinto's courage will cost him roles.
Thirteen's Evan Rachel Wood is a favourite of mine, ever since she starred as a teen falling for her best friend on a little-known ABC drama called Once & Again. As much as I loved Buffy's evil battling witches and Xena's baddie squashing duo, Wood and The OC's Mischa Barton (who was still able to act at the time) exemplified the story of teenagers slowly, honestly exploring their sexuality. The fact that Wood's declaration came at the same time as video of her singing Janis and Justin Bieber in lesbian-issue fedora and vest leaked to the Internet didn't seem to hurt matters.
Anton Hysén is a Swedish pro soccer player who came out this year and it makes him the only current player who's out in Europe's soccer empire. David Testo came out last month after finishing a term with Montréal Impact, making him the first openly gay man in North American professional soccer. Only two other pro football players have come out while playing, and one killed himself a year after while the other quit the game. Time will tell if the environment has improved.
Don Lemon is a CNN anchor who outed himself in his memoir. Lemon is seen on primetime television proving that despite objections, journalists can in fact be gay and deliver the news without bias. A lesser-known ABC News anchor Dan Kloeffer also came out, this time on air.
While neither exactly "came out" this year, the fashion world has been rocked by the arrival of two fabulous beauties exploring and redefing gender in magazine pages. Brazil's Lea T may turn out to be the world's first openly transsexual supermodel. She's the face of Givenchy and has modeled for Vogue, Vanity Fair and Elle. Australian Andrej Pejic hit the scene with a look that has truly never been seen before. The word "androgynous" doesn't begin to cover the stunningly gorgeous male model who spent all year doing shows and shoots for both men's and women's lines, including wedding gowns and push-up bras. Pejic's genderqueer look is carefully crafted and utterly unique; he met the Queen wearing a vintage Versace skirt.
Other folks who outed themselves include former Daily Show correspondent and political satirist Mo Rocca, New Kids on the Block singer Jonathan Knight and actors Amber Heard and Sean Maher. It's been a fantastic year for queer sports, an environment that so desperately needed heroes, with newly inducted ESPN reporter Jared Max, cricketer Steven Davies, CEO and President of the NBA's Phoenix Suns Rick Welts, Professional Bowling Association tour title and PBA 2011 Rookie of the Year Scott Norton as well as a number of former pro and college athletes.
The overwhelming trend in '11 was that of celebrities choosing to come out for their own motivations, eschewing the time-honoured tradition of heading off a tabloid or blackmail scandal. Many said they were motivated by youth suicides, hoping to be a role model for the next generation. So far, in living their lives with such bravery and openness, they're doing a pretty damn good job. V
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