If you’ve never been on Reddit before, be forewarned: it’s probably one of the most annoyingly efficient websites ever, and if you wade too deep into it, you’ll lose HOURS in it. It’s like the entire internet condensed. If you want something, chances are it’s somewhere on Reddit and it only has five upvotes.
Case in point: someone purported to be a closeted “well-known American film actor” took to Reddit’s r/confession section to talk about having to hide his sexuality in Hollywood from his fans, his friends and his girlfriend, and how his agent told him outright that he’d never make it in Hollywood as an openly gay man. Here are a few excerpts from his post . . .
First of all, I feel like I’m misleading my fans. I know a lot of women watch my movies to watch me, and part of that is fantasy, and I feel like it’s all based on a lie. They do a lot market analysis in Hollywood. I get told about which demographics I do well with, and I feel like I’m misleading so many people, or letting them down.
[. . .] I also feel terribly guilty because I know there are so many gay kids out there and I feel like by not coming out, and not providing that public display of being gay and being successful I’m letting them down. Public figures like Ellen DeGeneres coming out when I was younger made a huge difference to me, and I feel like I should be paying it forward, but I’m too afraid of my whole life being ruined.
[. . .] I tested the water with my agent, who basically told me “Faggots don’t make it in this town,” and then went on to basically explain that he would never represent a gay man because the effort versus the money just makes it not worth it to him. It frankly terrifies me. I just wanted to get it out there.
As comforting as it is to see more gay roles popping up in movies and TV, it’s disconcerting to see media embrace the LGBT community while still refusing to take a chance on actual people who live open lives.
I mean, that’s just fucked up, right? I get that they’re tip-toeing around an entire nation for the sake of making a profit, but it’s almost as if they’ve so internalized the fear of turning off certain demographics that they end up contorting themselves into weird caricatures of what they are.
The weird thing is, one of the most popular books ever is about BDSM, the most beloved talk-show (and Oscars) host is a lesbian, and the biggest TV star at the moment is a gay man playing the role of a sex-positive straight bro. If they still think that North America isn’t ready for the LGBT community, it might be time to admit that they don’t actually know anything about real people.
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