The Business of Sexuality and Celebrity

So if any of you have been paying attention to the world of politics, you know that Roy Ashburn recently came out. Sure, before he did, he did a lot of damage against Prop. 8 but good for him that he finally was able to publicly come out. However, since Ashburn is a political figure and a hate-mongerer at that, his coming out overshadowed that of Sean Hayes, who played Jack on "Will & Grace".

When Sean Hayes came out, most people I know, including myself, all said something along the lines of "Is that really that surprising?" or "It's about time..." because it seemed so obvious. But after thinking about it for a while, I'm a little embarrassed he acted that way. Sure, I was right to suspect he was gay all along, but just as much as I have the right to live as an openly gay man, he has the right to choose differently.

Until he publicly came out, I had no business commenting on his supposed sexuality. Aren't we the country that says innocent until proven guilty? Sure, the two cases aren't the same at all, but at their core, they have some striking similarities. Repeatedly Sean Hayes said that he was straight and/or declined comment on his sexuality. To most of us, declining to comment is a big red flag, but why should someone have to comment? What business is it of yours or mine?

I'm not saying people who weren't at all surprised about his sexuality are right or wrong. I'm just saying that if someone chooses to not comment, that doesn't automatically make them gay and closeted. They have a right to live their life as they see fit without fear of other people's judgment. I'm glad that Sean Hayes came out, but until he came out the other day, he's straight until HE states otherwise.