George Michael: From closeted life to gay rights advocate

LONDON | Pop superstar George Michael concealed his homosexuality, as well as the trauma of his boyfriend’s death, for years but later became a gay rights advocate and key supporter of HIV campaigns.

Michael, who died Sunday at 53, only came out as gay in 1998 — nearly two decades into his career — after being caught by police in a “lewd act” in a public bathroom in a park in Los Angeles.

His sexuality was by then an open secret in show business but Michael said he did not go public so as not to worry his mother because of fears about the AIDS virus in the gay community at the time.

“Understand how much I love my family and that AIDS was a predominant feature of being gay in the 1980s and early 1990s as far as any parent was concerned,” he told BBC Radio in an interview in 2007.

“My mother was still alive and every single day would have been a nightmare for her thinking what I might have been subjected to,” explained Michael.

Initially confused about his sexuality, Michael said he realized he was gay by the end of the 1980s.

‘FEARFUL PERIOD TO BE GAY’

Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said that concern for his mother may not have been the only reason Michael chose not to come out.

“Back then, the red tops were vicious to gay public figures,” he said, referring to popular tabloid papers like the News of the World and The Sun.

“They were vilified and smeared. Being gay was portrayed as a scandal and shame.”

Tatchell said the explosion of AIDS led to a sharp rise in homophobic public attitudes.

“Gay-bashings and murders rocketed. It was a fearful period to be gay, let alone a gay public figure.

“I wish George had come out then. He could have helped counter that tide of prejudice. But I understand why he didn’t,” he said.

FIRST LOVE

At a concert in Rio de Janeiro in 1991, Michael met Anselmo Feleppa, a Brazilian dress designer who became his first love.

“It’s very hard to be proud of your sexuality when it hasn’t given you any joy, but once you have found somebody you really love it’s not so tough,” Michael told the Huffington Post in an interview.

Six months into the relationship, they discovered Feleppa was HIV-positive — a devastating blow for Michael.

“I couldn’t go through it with my family because I didn’t know how to share it with them –- they didn’t even know I was gay,” he said.

Feleppa died of an AIDS-related brain haemorrhage in 1993.

Whenever performing the single “Jesus To A Child” from the album “Older” (1996), Michael dedicated it to Feleppa and the singer later said the entire album was a tribute to his late partner.

“Heaven sent/ And Heaven stole/ You smiled at me/ Like Jesus to a child,” Michael sings.

‘LIVE ON IN THE HEARTS’

Michael later told the BBC his arrest in 1998 may have been “a subconsciously deliberate act” to out himself and said he wished he had gone public sooner.

“I don’t think I would have had the same career –- my ego might not have been satisfied in some areas –- but I think I would have been a happier man,” he said.

The same year that he came out as gay, Michael began his public activism by helping with a documentary about six young people affected by the HIV virus to coincide with World Aids Day.

As part of his philanthropy — much of it under the radar — he was also a major supporter of the Terrence Higgins Trust, a British HIV charity.

“His donations contributed to a vision of a world where people living with HIV live healthy lives free from prejudice and discrimination,” the charity said in a Facebook post on Monday.

The gay rights group Stonewall said on Twitter: “You inspired many and your music will live on in the hearts of the community. You will be sorely missed”.

source: interaksyon.com

ABS-CBN: Post on Piolo Pascual's sexuality a hoax

MANILA, Philippines — ABS-CBN, the home network of Piolo Pascual, on Saturday denied claims that the actor admitted his being gay in an interview with a website.

In a statement, ABS-CBN said Pascual himself "vehemently denied" granting an interview with website Manila Link, which recently posted a story headlined "Piolo Pascual admits he's gay."

"This article is a HOAX. We enjoin the public to beware of HOAX sites such as manilalink.com that intend to malign and destroy the reputation of good people," the network said.

On its description page, the site dubs itself the "most notorious satirical news portal in the Philippines" claiming to publish make-believe articles from contributors.




" It has come to the attention of PUSH.com.ph that a site named MANILALINK.com came out with an article claiming that they...
Posted by Abs-Cbn on Saturday, November 14, 2015 

"
source: philstar.com

He said, she said with Paolo Ballesteros

MANILA, Philippines - In a showbiz culture where people clamor for confirmation of an artista’s sexuality, Paolo Ballesteros is a tease. And from his knowing smile, you get the feeling that he is not the one who is confused. Paolo knows who he is. He acts and speaks however he wishes to in public.  He even gives giveaway answers sometimes, but if you try to solidify it further, he will playfully retreat and deny it to your face.

Following a string of convincingly played transvestite roles, winning a drag pageant on Eat Bulaga, and more recently, Instagram photos where he transformed himself into the likes of Anne Hathaway, Angelina Jolie, and Mariah Carey with his own makeup skills, Paolo has been hounded for an explanation. And all he has to say is this, “Wala akong tinatago. Kung anong makikita niyo, yun na. Ngayon kung magtatanong kayo kung bakla ako, sasabihin ko hindi. Bahala na kayong malito. (I’m not hiding anything. What you see is what you get. Now if you’re asking if I’m gay, I’ll say no. It’s up to you to be confused.)”

You would think cross-dressing would be such a big jump for a hunky, handsome guy like Paolo, especially in a society that considers the image of masculinity to be so fragile and easily broken. But when you ask him about it, it becomes clear that while he’s aware of the current gender norms, he’s been bred in the kind of world that never considered such things to be a big deal. Even for his tranny antics on the noontime show Eat Bulaga, people only laugh and compliment him on how beautiful he looks.

Family background

He tells us about his family background. A descendant of National Artist Fernando Amorsolo, he grew up having a tomboy for an ate and an artist/painter for a dad, a dad who loved to paint flowers and would sometimes come home with an orchid tucked behind his ear. Then, of course, there is the becky-dominated world of showbiz. Now at 30, he says that he never saw anything wrong growing up and working in such an environment, and therefore isn’t afraid to play the kind of roles many a man would shy away from.

As an actor, he wants people to switch on the TV and see different forms of him — especially when it comes to the physical aspect, which is the first thing he looks forward to altering. He enjoys his transformations and every opportunity to fill in different shoes — hence, his new Instagram hobby. This is also why he didn’t mind eventually getting niched into gay and transvestite roles, when people started noticing what a beautiful girl he made. “Maraming characters na pwedeng gawin. Merong maarteng bakla, supladang bakla. (There are a lot of characters that can be portrayed. There are fussy gays, prissy gays.)”






While Paolo certainly has the air of someone who is sure of himself, unlike strong LGBT advocates who present a solid identity and fight for it, he considers himself to still be in the stage of discovery. When asked if he feels like a woman trapped in a man’s body, he answers, “Siguro, at feeling ko yung woman na yun beauty queen. Diva slash beauty queen. Ganun kalala. (Maybe, and perhaps a woman who’s a beauty queen. It’s that serious.)”

But when I ask him if he misses being hunky, he also answers in the affirmative. He says he can’t wait to hit the gym and bulk up, but currently can’t since he’s doing a lot of girly roles, especially for Super Sireyna. He has to check his schedule, he says.

Even his new fetish for turning himself into hot female celebrities was something he never saw coming. He promised there would be more Instagram photos to look forward to, and this time he’d be turning himself into male celebrities.

Tinge of frustration


There’s a tinge of frustration right after the interview. I felt like I wasn’t able to get anything concrete. Here was a person who insisted on shifting from one spectrum to another. I felt like I failed to catch him. But then I figured, what is there to pin down? Aren’t we all constantly evolving and discovering ourselves? Aren’t we all living, breathing paradoxes? Didn’t he truly show himself to me? I felt no trace of the tension that comes with being contrived or having to put up a front. Paolo was casual, unscripted, and open.

Is it possible I was too busy looking for something that fit into the compartments I knew of, instead of paying attention to his actual person? In fact, wouldn’t that have been the simpler way to “pin him down” so to speak. To just take him as was and not invent things to be confused about?

Maybe instead of trying to catch Paolo, we should consider that he has a thing or two to teach us about living in the process, about surrendering to the opposite poles of who you are, if that’s the case, and not being so uptight about what label you fall under. And maybe that’s why he doesn’t have the patience to keep explaining, confirming, and denying himself to the public. He authentically lives out who he is, and if you’re open to who that could possibly be and are truly paying attention, that should be enough.

source: philstar.com

Big Bang Theory's Jim Parsons: Did He Just Come Out as Gay?

It's no secret in Hollywood that The Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons is gay.

In fact, his partner of 10 years is often with him when he hits a red carpet or sitting beside him at awards shows and other glam events.

So what's up with all the headlines today claiming that Parson has finally come out of the closet as a gay man?

READ: Matt Bomer Comes Out as Gay Man

Well, all the hoopla has been stirred up because his sexuality and relationship was mentioned in a New York Times article today. It quietly pops up in reference to the Emmy winner's work last year on Broadway playing a young gay activist in The Normal Heart, a play about the early days of the AIDS epidemic.

"The Normal Heart resonated with him on a few levels: Mr. Parsons is gay and in a 10-year relationship, and working with an ensemble again onstage was like nourishment, he said,'" reads the Times story.

And that is it. Parsons is not quoted in any way talking about his private life.

The big news here is that the paper of record actually wrote that Parsons was gay. But Parsons was never actually hiding in the closet. He's never lied. He's never had a beard. He's just never spoken about his life outside work.

No big bang here.

source: eonline.com