<p>It seems very complicated to go to such lengths to hide that you are gay.(if you are) such as people are saying about Cruise and Travolta. How could anyone manage that? And of course not being fair to their spouses. If you are living that kind of lie I feel sorry for you. I dont buy it. But regardless. I have alwasy admired Anderson Cooper, gay straight, bi or whatever. The show with his mom about his brother was so poignant. I used a quote from it on another thread to help someone who had a son who commited suicide. I am sure that show helped others. I also remembered his coverage in haiti, a frined met him there during the initial relief efforts and said he was awesome.</p>
<p>"LOL…as in every employee at Fox, or just some who have opinion shows?</p>
<p>I guess some still can’t distinguish between news and opinion shows"</p>
<p>Like, Maybe Roger ailes and those who run Fox News, perhaps? Its ‘fair and balanced’ is neither, it is slanted news, to a very right wing audience and so forth. Pew research polled people about facts behind recent news events, and they found that those who primariily watched Fox News for news were less accurate then people who said they rarely paid attention to the news and such. What do you think that says?</p>
<p>In their reporting of issues with social issues, Fox News also gives a lot more time to social conservatives, to religious right types and the like, and they are also known to present as ‘fact’ things like reperative therapy is successful in ‘curing’ gays, they site studies put out by religious right groups, for example, and don’t get someone from the research community to comment on it.</p>
<p>The reason to come out is basically so that people suddenly can say “gee, I like Anderson Cooper a lot” and put a face on being gay (I realize him being gay was a sort of open secret, but until it is concrete, people can still think “hmm, not really sure”). The thing about being out and GLBT is that it puts a face on someone who is GLBT, instead of being “those people” called all kinds of names by the like of Rick Santorum and other “Christians”, it becomes Sally’s boy or Bob’s daughter.It is very easy to look at yourself or others and say “it is no big deal”, but it still is. People are fighting tooth and nail against same sex marriage, a legal right, because they really believe if we allow that it will be the government “approving” gays as ‘normal’. There are a whole lot of people out there who believe being gay is a choice and the ‘gay agenda’ is being promoted to ‘convert’ straights to being gay.
When someone knows someone who is GLBT they are a person, not a label…</p>
<p>And it shows in polls. The most extremely homophobic/anti same sex marriage are older people, those who grew up in a time and place when most gays with few exceptions were closeted; among young people, who have grown up exposed to gays, who saw them at college, at work, whatever, there just isn’t a big deal (with the exception, not surprisingly, among less educated blue collar young people and evangelical Christians, not a surprise). It is why the religious right gets so angry about groups like Gay-straight alliances in schools and GLSEN (sorry if I have the initial wrong), or anti bullying language, or anti discimination laws for lgbt people (calling it “special rights” and the like), they realize that once kids understand gays are the same as themselves, people, that is a prejudice that is gone for good.</p>
<p>
And almost all the other news networks are slanted to the left. In an effort to be fair and balanced I actually checked it out and I posted earlier in this thread where I checked what Fox news had to say on this and they had a link in their entertainment section pretty much the same as CNN and MSNBC, a couple of left-leaning networks. Not only that, but the text in the link was directly quoted from what Anderson stated with no editorializing. There was nothing negative or homophobic in it. If you really care about this and have some preconceived idea of how Fox presented this you could always just check and then you’ll know as opposed to just making assumptions.</p>
<p>Heavens! I thought RL was Rush Limbaugh.</p>
<p>…and if he was gay, I still wouldn’t care.</p>
<p>I am equally disinterested in Rush Limbaugh AND Anderson Cooper’s sex lives. Does that make me fair & balanced? I don’t think that society needs these kinds of details.</p>
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<p>Oh, good; I don’t interest myself in the sordid affairs of whales, either.</p>
<p>There are some images I don’t want in my head and rush Limbaugh touching anyone, male or female is making me shake with revulsion.</p>
<p>But the picture of him living underneath the sea where no one could hear him was lovely :)</p>
<p>I remember reading a few years ago that Anderson Cooper and his boyfriend Benjamin Maisani had bought an old firehouse in Manhatten and converted it into a beautiful home. That seemed pretty “out” to me. But I am glad he’s made if official, so to speak.</p>
<p>not to blur the thread, but did anyone else see the wedding picture of Barney Frank & his partner? Barney is 72 and the other guy is 42 - very fit looking (ok, hot!), young enough to be his son and supposedly an outdoorsy sort. They’ve been together 5+ years. I don’t get it. (I would have the same reaction if he was marrying a hot looking 42yo woman!). I always assumed Barney’s partner would be much closer to his age and someone he’s been in a relationship with for 20+ years.</p>
<p>I’m happy for anyone in a positive relationship.</p>
<p>I’ll just say they look * much* closer in age than 30 years.</p>
<p>Age gaps like that are strange to me in general, but I don’t judge. Whatever makes them happy. I would definitely not classify either of them as attractive though. I agree with ek. I don’t see the age difference all that much.</p>
<p>See that’s the thing about marriage. As long as the people in it are happy and healthy, who is anyone else to judge? It’s why I don’t understand opposition to marriages that happen to include two people of the same sex. It’s not YOU they’re marrying, it’s each other. So meh. Live and let live :D</p>
<p>Right. We faced that in VT with the first civil unions law. I was so proud of our state for standing up for civil rights. Others were really angry and upset, but there is very little ill will here now. No one got hurt and some people were helped. Seems like a good thing.</p>
<p>I can understand opposition to “marriage” as a label but not to civil union and thus to legally sanctioned unions. That’s what upset me about the most recent law passed: it banned civil unions, which I see as absolute discrimination, though it was reported mostly as a “gay marriage” ban. To be clear, I can understand opposition to marriage and can respect that given cultural history, though I disagree, but I can’t respect legal discrimination against unions between 2 people of any sex, religion or race.</p>
<p>My H’s uncle is 85 and his partner of 20+ years is 55. They are totally committed to each other, have an incredible circle of freinds, fabulous social life, travel incessantly, are very secure financially,etc. They are supremely suited to one another - age is just a number.</p>