#and then also just because Colton Haynes is gay

[thesaintofnevergettingitright]

So you know when a fandom has a main ship and instead of making the ship canon, the writers either A) create a queer character unrelated to the ship or B) make one half of the ship (usually the less traditionally masculine one) canonically queer but have them date other people?? I’ve been calling it Queer Placating. I feel like I’m seeing it a lot recently. Have other people noticed this??

[twopoppies]

I’m sorry if you’ve gotten this question before but I was explaining Larry to my friend and they asked me “why don’t they just come out if they are dating” and “why put out subtle hints?” and I didn’t know what to say? They also brought up the fact that maybe they hint at it to increase their sales as they know half the fandom will be into it and it will get them more involved. What should I tell them lmao, I trust your judgment over all!!

Hi love. I truly don’t have the energy to rehash this again. The “why don’t they just come out” argument is such an ignorant comment that I barely have patience for it anymore.

I don’t have a simple answer to just hand you. It’s just too enormous a subject to sum up for someone else. Tell your friend to take some time to give some thought to how homophobic the world is, how closeting in the music industry and Hollywood has been around since the dawn of both industries, how marketing and PR works and how artists are simply products that are packaged and sold in order to make the most money. Explain to them how closeted queer people signal their connection to the LGBTQ+ community and that it’s not about “hinting” so they can appeal to more corners of the fandom, but it’s about wanting that sense of belonging, even if they can’t be open about it. But even beyond that, what people often take as signaling or hinting is just a queer person living their life.

Show your friend the horrifically homophobic reactions Harry has gotten any time he’s done something even remotely “gay” and how homophobic and brainless large swaths of his fanbase is. Your friend is essentially using the queerbaiting argument and they should understand how vile an accusation that really is. Show them the MFASR music video and remind them how quick the music industry is to toss you out the minute you’re no longer useful. Point to the queer celebrities who’ve spoken about how horribly they were treated while being closeted in the industry: Darren Hayes, Wentworth Miller, Colton Haynes, Chely Wright, George Shelley, and then other actors who had partners they were with for 11, 18, 19 years before feeling ready/safe to come out (in Cassandra Peterson’s experience in part because she was worried how her fans would respond), or Rupert Everett and Ricky Martin who both have said coming out derailed their careers. Or JoJo Siwa who hasn’t said much, but it’s pretty obvious how it’s affecting her. Don’t forget Lance Bass, Mark Feehily Johnathan Knight, Ricky Martin etc. All former boyband members.

Someone who thinks the world’s biggest pop star, who’s been sold as women’s sexual fantasy for the last dozen years, could simply “just come out” without any repercussions isn’t really thinking at all.

[skepticalarrie]

Hey love. Do you have any post on closeting that isn’t related to Larry(bc we need outside examples to be credible, obviously)? I researched Elton’s and Ricky Martin’s situation and they both said they themselves tried to cover up gay rumors/ were not ready to come clean bc they were scared their careers would suffer should the public know they’re gay. Elton wrote a book about it and I just read the article about Ricky struggling with internalized homophobia. I honestly don’t think, if they are 100% gay, that this is Larry’s(especially harrys) situation, they seem proud of being who they are(as they should), but I honestly have no idea. I really doubt Harry medicine styles wants to hide his clear queerness but we know they’re not under modest these days so clearly the management theory can’t be real, and maybe never was to the extend larries think. Most importantly though, I also read that George Michael stayed in hiding to keep his image safe, and shut down rumors of the label closeting him. Basically everyone I’ve read about that are famous examples said they chose to hide that part of them and shut down any speculation about the label being the culprit of their hiding. Not saying it’s a choice to be judged for the act of being gay, just saying these artist clearly stated that the label didn’t force them to do anything🤷🏻‍♀️. It’s honestly what made me stop believing in Larry’s forced closeting- bc I can’t find a single case fitting the theory that the labels force artist into the closet. It may happen- and it’d be heart breaking if it does. I just can’t find any actual proof for it. I’m sure labels are corrupt, PR relationships exist, Hollywood is full of assholes, and articles can be utter BS- but until I get sufficient evidence I can’t believe they’re corrupt in the way larries are saying atm. So if there is anything lmk.

P.s- I know about the Colton Haynes situation, but he did state it was his management pushing him to keep his homosexuality a secret. And since they’ve (Larry) switches management, obviously that theory can’t be applicable in 2021. And at this point I’m 90% sure ppl rlly did make up the “label forced closeting” thing, since the only proof is Elton John’s docu that he then said is more fiction and drama than reality. Which was also contradicted by his nonfiction writings that I referenced earlier.

“Just saying these artist clearly stated that the label didn’t force them to do anything” Oh my god anon, I could disagree more. I’m not sure where you looked that up about the other artists but we’re definitely not talking about the same industry and the same artists here. Closeting is never the person’s fault or choice, no artist would ever “choose” that if it wasn’t for such an oppressive and homophobic industry and society, coming outs can literally be career suicide. I can never get my head around people relying exclusively on the argument “but management/the label is closeting them” - because first yes they 100% are, that’s what image clauses and PR are there for - and it goes so much further than that?! Are people seriously thinking Modest Management was the one bad guy here? Gay marriage only became legal in the UK in 2014!! Harry and Louis were already closeted for four years when it happened. Harry is literally on a movie about gay people going to jail for it, and that’s the fucking whole point. Being gay is still illegal in 70 countries, people die because of it every day.

I could go on and on forever here but honestly I just think you need to do some further research about what closeted means, and how horribly oppressed these artists were for decades and still are. I’m sorry anon but you need to educate yourself in some LGBTQ history here because saying there is no proof of “forced closeting” is absurd.

Please check out the tags, there are hundreds pf masterposts there:

/tagged/industry

/tagged/closeting

/tagged/contracts and business

[wingedkiare]

Colton Haynes wrote a really candid and open article about his struggles (link at the end of the post) - about being a young gay man shoved back into the closet, struggling with mental health issues, coming out, losing work because he did.... and all I'm seeing are really young queer (and straight ppl of all ages) judging him for the rather large age gap of his first boyfriend.

Most without realizing that it wasn't until MUCH more recently that even places in the midwest had LGBT youth groups. So like, you would be a baby queer teen figuring out who you were, and the only spaces were meant for adults.

So sometimes you'd get older people who would date younger people, show them the community, protect them from the actual predatory ppl. It was almost like romantic mentoring? Not perfect, but not usually predatory.

You would also get the creeps who wanted younger people who had no history and they could pressure into things. But that's the same with straight ppl too.

BUT, you gotta take a step back and look at the context. If he writes about it lovingly, after clearly having done a lot of reflection about his life? Probably wasn't predatory. So commenting on tweets with him tagged in it accusing the ex-bf of being a predator is just.... really terrible.

(In the late 90s, I worked with a guy who was older than me who dated a guy that was MAYBE 15 at most. And it was just creepy. He eventually wised up about it, and still shit talks about the older guy. So trust me, if it had been bad, that's how it would have been framed)

https://www.vulture.com/2021/12/colton-haynes-losing-my-teenage-dream.html

[strawberrielarrie]

Music Industry Stunts and why they happen

Stunts are a big part of the music industry, you may not know it, but they are.  The purpose of stunts is to push a certain narrative to the general public. Now this could mean many different things, PR relationship; coverups; or to peak the publics interest. Why? You may ask, why would the artist do this, why wouldn’t they just be truthful? Well, many don’t have a choice, the music industry is a place that I wish no one would have to be in, it is a cruel and awful place to be if you don’t know how to get around it, or if you don’t have the correct connections. In the past (and still now), many big brand music industries, such as Sony Music and Warner Music have controlled artists immensely.

George Michael

As a legend in the music industry, George Michael is a well-known name in the average household. From his time in the hit duo “Wham!”, Michael’s music was distributed through CBS, but in 1987 Sony took over and that’s when things went downhill. Michael reveled in the popularity of his hit album “Faith” in 1987, and so did Sony, because he was earning them money.

But that ended quickly with the news of his next album “Listen Without Prejudice” in 1990, Sony refused to promote the album and appear in the music videos for it. Michael in turn, disputed his contract with Sony, but he could not do close to anything, because Sony possessed the power of approval over everything that he put out. Meaning, George Michael could not release music without it going through the board of Sony, and if he did, he could get sued and fired.

(Sony is a whole other world of fucked up, they fucked MJ up so badly, Sony Kills)

During this whole time, George came clean, saying that the board of Sony, used many different homophobic slurs against him, and wouldn’t let him release any music that seemed to allude to the fact that he was gay.

George Michael brought Sony to court in 1993, claiming that between 1987-1992, he had made worldwide profits of £7.35 million ($9.8 million) compared to Sony making £52.45 million ($70 million). Ultimately, the case lasted till June 1994, and Michael had lost, the judge claiming that it was fair. Michael retaliated saying how Sony is “Professional Slavery”.

Suzanne Kessler, Entertainment attorney at Bone McAllester Norton and former in-house attorney at A&M Records and Universal Music Group stated, “There are two sides to this tale,” she said. “The music business is a relationship business, and he was uneasy with what was happening. A label often wants an artist to continue to trade on their established brand with the public. But after “Faith” Michael was trying for a new direction, to be taken more seriously as an artist instead of just as a pop star sex symbol.”

This brings me to my next point,

 Closeting in the Industry

(Now I could go on for day about closeting in the music industry, but I will only give you the basis and then I will link another post that goes further in depth.)

Closeting is not a rare thing in the music industry, it in fact happens more than you might think. Many different artists have come forward, saying how their management said they should remain closeted to the general public, in order to maintain the brand that has been established. A popular example of this would be Sam Smith, they were offered multiple times by their management to have a beard. More closeting in the industry comes from Colton Haynes, who has been open about how his management closeted him because he “could not be gay and work in the industry”.

Colton link

Beard: A woman or man who fake dates a person of the LQBTQ+ Community, to hide their real sexual orientation or identity

 The Types of Stunts and Stunt Songs

“Pap Pics”

Stunts are common, we all should know that. From the amount of staged paparazzi pictures and videos that get posted to twitter on the daily it is not surprising that stunts happen. One of the main reasons stunts happen is for publicity, I can tell you now, living in LA for as long as I did, the paparazzi aren’t at every corner just waiting for a celebrity to walk past. They are called to meet at a place where the celebrity is going to be, in order to get pictures. This call is made by the artists management normally, and many times it is done against the artists will.

“Relation-shit”

These types of stunts are the relationship stunts, normally it is two popular celebrities dating to gain publicity for a movie or song that they are doing. A popular reference to this would be Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato, Joe was approached by a head of Disney, who asked him to date, at the time, co-star Demi Lovato. This stunt was to push the new Disney movie that both were starring in, Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. Now at the time Demi was unaware that Joe was approached to do this, so when Joe and hid dad approached her about it… wow that must have hurt.

Another example of a relation-shit would be Shawmilla. Now before you attack me for this, let’s look at all the facts. Everything that relationship has done has been staged, let’s look at the timeline.

 August 2015

-       the first time they publicly hung out (at the 2015 VMA’s), sparking rumors of them dating

September 2015

-       pictured together at the iHeart Radio Festival, sparking rumors of Camila branching off of Fifth Harmony

November 2015

-       “I Know What You Did Last Summer” was released and performed many different times, Camila was still in Fifth Harmony at the time

June 2016

-       Shawn and Camila win an award for IKWYDLS and accepted together

-       Camilla ultimately starts her solo career

December 2017

-       Shawn is pictured with Hailey Baldwin (Bieber)

February 2018

-       Camila is in a serious relationship with Matthew Hussey, confirmed by a trip to Mexico together

April 2018

-       Shawn and Hailey go to the Met Gala together (Iconic)

December 2018

-       Camila hints at music between her and Shawn on twitter (6 months before Senorita)

https://twitter.com/Camila_Cabello/status/1070381510740598785?s=20

May 2019

-       Matthew and Camila last spotted together, returning from a vacation in Italy

-       Met her family on May 14th

June 20th, 2019

-       Senorita is released, now this had been in the works for over 6 MONTHS, so this was all very planned out

-       On release day, the Senorita music video was also released, which is literally soft porn, I do not know how it is still on the internet, gross

-       But, Camila? Aren’t you still dating Matthew? Why would you release this very VERY touchy music video with Shawn, if you are still dating Matthew?

June 21st, 2019

-       Shawn and Camila in V Magazine, still very touchy

June 26th, 2019

-       Breakup articles about Matthew and Camilla, Weird since he met her family only a month before.

July 3rd, 2019

-       Staged photos of Shawn and Camila out and about

4th  

-       more staged pics

5th

-       Camila at Shawn’s Concert

6th

-       Shawn denies that him and Camila are dating

 https://twitter.com/PopCrave/status/1147700409919778816?s=20

7th  

-       Shawmila in San Francisco all day

12th

-       That god awful making out pics that shook the entire internet

-       More pics in SF

 Ok you get the point, they are pictured together only when one of them has music to promote, In this case its Senorita. Now for more recent proofs of this entire relationship being a sham. Shawn just released an album called “Wonder” and guess what we wonder Shawn? Why do you not post any pictures of Camila until you have an album to promote? And now you have a puppy? Pulling an Elounor are we?

Senorita is a total stunt song to “prove” to the public that they are together.

“Style”

Now this type of stunt gets its name from the queen of stunt songs herself, Ms. Taylor Swift. The notorious song Style, supposedly about “Ex” Harry Styles, is probably one of the most stunty stunt songs I have ever heard. Like come on! “James Dean Daydream look in your eyes” if you didn’t know, here is a short recap on the icon himself James Dean.

Taylor has time and time again written amazing songs, I would be lying if I did not call her one of the greatest lyricists on the 21st century, the woman can write extremely well. So why would she put a nod to James Dean, a famous actor, who was a closeted, RAGING bisexual in a song so clearly about Harry Styles? She knows what she is doing.

Talking more about the “Haylor” stunt, can we please end that? It was a 3-month PR stunt that happened 5 years ago, please just get over it, they never really dated. And to the hardcore Haylor fans, there is no chemistry between them.

Haylor; The Stunt

“I hate you because I’m getting paid to!”

Now I do not go into this one much, but basically it is when you see two artists publicly fighting and releasing diss tracks. A popular example of this would be, Machine Gun Kelley and Eminem, with their songs called “Rap Devil” and “Killshot”. Their “beef” was totally staged to boost views on both sides, its even more prominent because they have the same record label, INTERSCOPE.

Eminem v. MGK

 I will be adding to this the more things happens, but it you have and questions feel free to ask them!

[stilesxeveryone]

The Rewatch

Okay, so my opinions are a little unnecessary and all over the place and silly, but I thought it’d be fun to just write down my thoughts as I go through the episodes of Teen Wolf. I figured that I’d do about half a season in each post rather than a post for each episode, just to keep it all a little more short and put together. And I’ll put a cut before episode 2 to make it look a little nicer as well.

Season 1, episode 1

Oh god, here we go again

Why in the world was Stiles on Scott’s roof, how the fuck did he hang facing Scott (like what are his legs doing??), and how did he jump down so smoothly

AU where Scott also gets caught in the woods while searching for the body, so he doesn’t get bitten? What if Sheriff Stilinski got bit instead, imagine how different the story would be

Apparently wolves were in fact removed from California in the early 1900s, and packs have only very recently been spotted moving into the area in the last few years, so Stiles is right

Scott being a werewolf for all of one minute (and not even knowing it yet) but immediately being able to zero in on every conversation Allison has 

Lydia’s outfits are so cute 🥺🥺🥺

Derek looks so scruffy first episode! Compared to how I remember him, he looks so much younger here, especially with his oversized jacket

Again, Scott is weirdly good with his powers in the first episode, like he doesn’t even know he’s a werewolf or anything but somehow he knows how to calm down the scared dog?

Derek is literally so horrible at reassuring a new werewolf oh my god. “The bite is a gift.” “We’re brothers now.” Yes thank you for this information, but what about the important stuff? And Scott clearly says that he thinks Derek bit him, and Derek says nothing of it

Season 1, episode 2

Derek being terrible continues. Listen, I understand that he’s never done this before, but please, threatening to kill someone is not the way you teach them to control their anger

I need so much more Allison and Stiles being best friends/siblings content tbh

I feel like it’s pretty unlikely that Stiles “listens to every police call, follows every case” Stilinski would go out and dig up the body, because that’s definitely the kind of tampering with evidence that wouldn’t be helpful in court

Please the green screen is so bad

Oh god no it’s Scott stalking Allison time

Scott’s priorities are just a little messed up,, like it’s very concerning that he decided being good at lacrosse and impressing Allison was more important than not killing someone or getting himself killed, and like it’s clearly not arrogance that he’ll be fine since he was anxious about something going wrong

Season 1, episode 3

Stiles wanting to know if Danny and gay guys in general could be attracted to him is indeed my favourite thing

Oh jeez, I forgot about Lydia’s whole ‘pretending to be dumb’ thing, I’m so proud of her for developing past that, I really need to write her more often

I genuinely missed being able to see Chris Argent every episode, but also oh boy I can’t wait to see him in later seasons just bc he looks so much better later on tbh

I will never get over how much I hate the werewolf designs, like how they look when they shift,, they’re just- there’s nothing good about them at all

Season 1, episode 4

So Scott is aware of two werewolves in town, Derek and the alpha, but when he hears Kate say that she shot one of two werewolves and that he has 48 hours, he isn’t at all worried that “oh shit Derek might be dying?”

They talk so loudly in public areas about everything that happens and it is so incredibly concerning. There’s no way other kids in school aren’t hearing them 

“Why should I help you?” maybe because he’ll die if you don’t, Scott? What kind of question is that?? I know we’re all irked by that moment a lot but god we deserve to be irked by it

Fun little detail, the Argent gun business is called “Argent Arms International”

Kate constantly mentioning Scott being “adorable” or his “adorable brown eyes” any chance she can get is literally so gross and concerning (spoilers, but especially considering her history with Derek)

And of course we all know how we feel about Scott suggesting that the Argents could have had a reason for mass murdering Derek’s family

Season 1, episode 5

Does Jackson only watch sports videos? Like first he watches lacrosse games and now he wants to watch a basketball movie (also I just wanna mention that Jackson’s actor, Colton Haynes, is literally so pretty, his freckles 🥺)

I love the dynamic of Stiles and his dad’s relationship so muchhh, I’m really glad we do get to explore their relationship and what happened with Stiles’ mum in later episodes

Whole lotta trauma gets brought up in this episode, from Jackson, Lydia and Derek and I feel so bad for them tbh

I really like how the parent teacher conference goes, like it’s very much exposition about how Jackson is adopted, Lydia’s parents are divorced, Stiles’ mum is no longer in the picture, Scott’s parents are divorced and his dad isn’t around anymore either. But I think it’s a good way to use exposition and make it in character and show what the kids are dealing with

I know the CGI isn’t always that great in this show but that dying mountain lion literally looks like an old, stuffed, toy cat that someone animated with photoshop warp tools and it’s a tragedy

Season 1, episode 6

I honestly wish they had more of Scott struggling with being a werewolf? Obviously they show his troubles with aggression and handling full moons, but not much about anything else

Like it would have been really cool to see him struggle more with sensory overload since everything would be heightened, or seeing him struggle more with new instincts? 

Also very much could use less of Scott/Allison make out sessions, I don’t need fifty shots of Scott’s abs okay

I love that Stiles just goes “I’m gonna teach you how to be a werewolf before Derek fails to”

“She makes me weak” shut the fuck up, in what universe does loving someone (or at least in this case crushing) make you weak??? The person I love has only ever made me better, and I think I make him better too

Scott’s (Tyler Posey’s) acting… there’s a lot to work on and that gets more obvious the longer I watch this 

Doesn’t it later turn out that Deaton was literally the emissary of the Hale pack? So like really close to them (at least the alpha) and meant to help them out? But in this episode he straight up gives Derek nothing and Derek suspects him to be the big bad alpha? I mean obviously it’s just writing inconsistency, although I know fanon often translates it as Deaton being the most secretive and unhelpful bitch in the west. But also what if Deaton just straight up lied about being their emissary? I think that would be an interesting take

[brookeolin]

"I understood because it was explained to me repeatedly — by managers, agents, publicists, executives, producers — that the only thing standing between me and the career I wanted was that I was gay. It was like this for my best years of work, throughout the early 2010s, as I built a career on young-adult shows like MTV’s Teen Wolf and the CW superhero series Arrow. It’s not just straight people who are the gatekeepers — the call often comes from inside the house. I’m eternally grateful to the handful of gay men who created opportunities for me: Jeff Davis, Greg Berlanti, and Ryan Murphy. They were the exception, not the rule.

My mental health deteriorated, and I grew dependent on alcohol and pills. When a doctor suggested my secret was making me sick, I knew he was right. I came out of the closet in an interview with Entertainment Weekly in 2016. I hoped it would set me free, and in some ways it did. An outpouring of support followed. But people also published think pieces saying it had taken me too long; another gay actor implied the way I’d done it was cowardly. And incidentally, the work mostly dried up."

[camilamexicubanbooty]

Idk how else I can be clear. What I am saying is, as contract is legally binding document, you can't make them sign to do illegal things. And being discriminated based on sexuality is illegal in US and UK. So there is no way in hell there is contract closeting them or making them fake baby. It will be a void contact on the basis of what they are asked to do is illegal. However like I said earlier, label can subtly encourage them to remain closeted. And when you're a young up and coming artist 1/

2/2 you're more likely to agree with the label to remain closeted because you don't want to be dropped. You want the success. Hence why you see people years later after they achieved success come out and talk about how they were advised to remain closeted. So Lauren is a proud and our queer Woman. There is no contract on earth forcing Lauren and Camila hide a relationship. There is nothing to hide. There is no contact on earth forcing Louis to fake a baby. Ask ANY real contract lawyer. I have

3/3 you keep conflating celebrities dating for PR with the ships being real. HOW. celebrities can date for real or attention, that's the Hollywood shit. Camilla dating Shawn has nothing to do with Lauren. It's just your conspiracy brain making you see dots and connect them where there is no connection. I don't know how else to explain it to you. Just go educate yourself about conspiracy theory and why people fall into it and how to get out of it ✌️✌️”

Look, I never said Camila dating Shawn is about Lauren. Camila dating Shawn is to benefit HIM. To sell HIS music. It was also to sell HER music. Her first album Camila was so gay that her latest album Romance she had to say it was all about Shawn. Shawn’s next album is supposed to be about Camila and them two dating will sell to his heterosexual fans and make them money. It’s all about money... I don’t understand why you don’t get what PR is. You can fake a relationship to please the fans. There’s also a thing called Moral Clause, look it up. Even if they don’t have being closeted in a contract, being gay in Hollywood or the music industry is scary. There are still homophobia all over the world and if you’re trying to sell music, movie, shows etc... it’s best to act straight. Just google queer celebs, you’ll see articles about them having to act straight and having anxiety from hiding their true self.

Also people suspected Lauren as being queer way before she came out, well forced to come out(which was bad on their part) and everyone who had suspicions about her were right... not everything is a conspiracy. I suspected Colton Haynes being gay way before he even came out even the guy from Pretty Little Liars.

[stellina-4ever]

“[Teen Wolf] really just exploded because we went from shooting the pilot to presenting at the MTV Movie Awards, which was insane,” says Haynes. While overnight success seemed like a dream, it also came at a price. Still closeted, Haynes remembers being told not to let anyone know he was gay because it could “jeopardize the show.”

He later found out that someone at the network, who is “no longer there anymore,” actually didn’t want Haynes to star in the show at all due to photos that surfaced online of him kissing another man. But Teen Wolf’s out creator, Jeff Davis, put his foot down and gave an ultimatum to the network: “If you’re not going to hire this person because they’re gay, then we’re going to remove this character completely.”

“He really fought for me,” remembers Haynes. “ 

Colton Haynes - Advocate MAgazine June/July 2019

[twopoppies]

This essay by Colton Haynes about what he went through in Hollywood before he came out, is honestly heartbreaking.

[…]Now I can see I was foolish to think making it would be easy or fun. The thing that made me valuable in private — my conspicuously gay sexuality — was a liability as I tried to make my way through the industry. This was in an era when casual homophobia was still a regular punch line on TV sitcoms. Modern Family wouldn’t premiere until a few years after I arrived in L.A. Actors had only begun to come out publicly, and none of them looked like the straight romantic lead. There are still few gay leading men in Hollywood who are out of the closet. I did what I was told to do. I took lessons with a voice instructor who had me talk while holding a highlighter between my teeth for the entire class so that when I took it out, my diction was crisp and clear. I practiced speaking with a folded Post-it note under my tongue to teach me to make my S sounds less sibilant, since the softness of them made me sound gay. […] I booked my first role in an episode of CSI: Miami. The day after it aired, calls started pouring in from companies wanting to represent me.

I signed with a new team, but the rules were the same. It considered the XY photo shoot I had done so radioactive it had lawyers send cease-and-desist letters to anyone who posted the images online. When I was photographed cozying up with Lauren Conrad at an event in 2011, I was told not to deny our rumored relationship — better to have the tabloids speculate about us. (She must have known I was gay, but we never spoke about it.) At a photo shoot for a fashion editorial, the [soft core gay magazine] XY pictures were up on the mood board. A member of my team threw a fit. I understood because it was explained to me repeatedly — by managers, agents, publicists, executives, producers — that the only thing standing between me and the career I wanted was that I was gay. It was like this for my best years of work, throughout the early 2010s, as I built a career on young-adult shows like MTV’s Teen Wolf and the CW superhero series Arrow. It’s not just straight people who are the gatekeepers — the call often comes from inside the house. I’m eternally grateful to the handful of gay men who created opportunities for me: Jeff Davis, Greg Berlanti, and Ryan Murphy. They were the exception, not the rule.

My mental health deteriorated, and I grew dependent on alcohol and pills. When a doctor suggested my secret was making me sick, I knew he was right. I came out of the closet in an interview with Entertainment Weekly in 2016. I hoped it would set me free, and in some ways it did. An outpouring of support followed. But people also published think pieces saying it had taken me too long; another gay actor implied the way I’d done it was cowardly. And incidentally, the work mostly dried up. When I was closeted, I beat out straight guys to play straight roles, and I played them well. Now, the only auditions I get are for gay characters, which remain sparse. Is that because I’m not very good? Maybe. But that didn’t stop me from booking roles before. It’s no different for the young gay actors I see coming up today, trying to make it in a system that isn’t built for them.

To be a gay actor in Hollywood, even in 2021, is to be inundated with mixed messages: Consumers are mostly straight, so don’t alienate them. But lots of the decision-makers are gay, so play that game! Now that I’m older and sober, I’m trying to square who I am with the inauthentic version of myself I invested in for years. I often wonder how different things would’ve been if I were allowed to be who I was when I moved to town: a hopeful kid confident in his sexuality.

Read the full article here but be mindful of triggering content

[zankivich]

I have a feeling he might be bisexual tbh. Also when he was 16/17 people on twitter would literally photoshop his face onto gay pornstars in graphic positions so I’m sure that was uncomfortable for him to see and part of why he’s so insecure. To make matters worse when he took a Picture with Colton Haynes and gus kensworthy, Gus thought it would be funny to Photoshop a gay porn site logo onto the picture. People get weird when it comes to his sexuality for some reason.

seeeeeee but I’m not interested in a narrative that paints his sexuality to be something other than what he determines it to be. That shit just isn’t cool. I remember when Troye Sivan was still in his youtube days and making videos with Tyler Oakley and everyone wanted to call him gay but he wasn’t ready. It doesn’t really matter how folks appear, it matters how we choose to identify and people should respect that. Ultimately what makes straight men fear being called gay is homophobia. It’s not that cut and dry and there’s really a lot to do with our societal definition of masculinity and what homosexuality means within that extremely toxic context of masculinity, in which men are designed to dominate all things and that women exist beneath them and for them, with gay men sitting as an ultimate betrayal to that ideal. CLEARLY Shawn isn’t exactly getting lessons on anything social justice, diversity, inclusion, or anything of the sort because my poor child gets a little more ignorant by the day it seems. Yea. It’s fucked up. But thank you for more insight! 

[glass-closets-blog]

Closeted Gay Actors and Why They Don’t Come Out

You ever wonder why more actors or other entertainers are not publicly out today? It's because coming out harms an actor's career. Hollywood may seem liberal but, in fact, it's incredibly fiscally conservative and unwilling to take any kind of financial risk. When it comes to gay actors, Hollywood has the stats to back up how Middle America and the rest of the world would react to an out actor and this only reifies their own prejudices. Let me just speak of a select few actors who came out and what happened when they did.

Rupert Everett He had a promising film career, on his way to becoming Hollywood's next romantic leading man, with hit films including his biggest hit My Best Friend's Wedding (1997). He came out and, following one tanked movie, lost all of his clout. His career has struggled ever since and Everett has made negative and cautionary statements about the entire ordeal.

Neil Patrick Harris He was building a career as a talented character actor and something of a leading man, best known as Barney Stinson from the sitcom How I Met Your Mother (2005-2014). He came out and has had a few inconsequential film roles since then, primarily playing villains.

Zachary Quinto Best known for his role as Sylar on the show Heroes (2006-2010) and as Spock in the Abram's reboot of the Star Trek franchise, Quinto is a talented character actor with some romantic leading man potential. He came out and has been relegated to a few supporting roles.

Colton Haynes Known for roles on the reboot of Teen Wolf (2011-2017) and Arrow (2012-present), Colton has spoken extensively on just what happened when he came out. His entire career tanked. He was an up-and-coming actor, with action lead and romantic lead potential, when it was taken away from him upon coming out. He's discussed how, from the time he arrived in Hollywood, he was told never to come out, by agents, producers, and other suits.

Ellen Page Ellen is a talented supporting, comedic, and character actress with an impressive resume. She has discusses how various suits and other industry professionals had told her to be closeted and how she closeted herself, not just publicly, but personally, as well. She came out and has discussed how it's negatively affected her access to work.

I can go on and on, but I think I've made my point.  I could talk about Matt Bomer, David Burtka, or BD Wong, but I don't need to. The pattern is clear: if you come out, you will lose work, which you otherwise would have had. Actors are just trying to make a living doing what they love.  By coming out, not only are they not making money to survive, but they are also not acting. Of course, none of this is fair. Straight actors do not hide anything about their sexuality: they go on dates, have partners or spouses, and children, and it does not negatively affect their chances for work. But not so for gay actors. Homophobia and heteronormativity are all-pervasive. They exist in the second and third world, of course, but they also exist in the first and second world theaters and living rooms that Hollywood is trying to monetize. They exist in the Hollywood board room, as well. They exist in American and European society, also.

I could talk about how gay actors hide, both publicly and personally, throughout the entire history of Hollywood. I could talk about Rock Hudson or Ellen DeGeneres, but I won't. Suffice to say, gay actors do, in fact, hide: both publicly and personally. They want a successful career, they want to make money, and they want to act. This forces them into the closet, if they ever even left it. It forces them to beard professionally and personally, it forces them to marry women who they aren't into. Anything to create a false heterosexual image so that they can continue to work.  To this day, and into tomorrow, gay actors are hiding, using various methods, and pretending to be straight. Gays are often very good at picking them out anyways, and, eventually, once they come out, usually after their careers are over, the straights are always so surprised, while the gays just shrug over their mimosas.

[queensgaybeach1d]

Hey there love, I've got a question. I know you think Freddie isn't Louis' son but what makes you think that he would agree to fake a child? As far as I'm aware management couldn't force him to do this and they can't force him into the closet because it's against the law. I'd love to hear your opinion on this. xo

Hi loves,

I absolutely know Louis would NEVER agree to fake a child. He’s forced. Simon Cowell and his team forced him to do this. The manager etc. of the celebs brainwash them to stay in the closet. This happened a lot, Troy Sivan even said it;

Troye Sivan acknowledged that young artists feel pressure to stay in the closet. “I still think so, yeah,” he said. “We’re all pushing for change but we’ve got a really long way to go. So I don’t blame anyone for that [choice.]” -Troy Sivan

However I’m sure Louis and Harry did not listen to those things (meaning that, despite what modest told them they still wanted out of the closet). Louis for example, has always been the ‘gay’ one so they ‘fixed’ it by giving him the chavy lad image. When you’re told to loose weight and act straight, it physically and emotionally harm you. To be honest that’s why I’m so proud of Louis, despite these things he still is SUPER PROUD TO BE A GAY MAN, HE’S LITERALLY SO COMFORTABLE WITH HIS SEXUALITY, IT MAKES ME MAD/SAD WHEN PEOPLE TEND TO IGNORE THAT! he is literally filming music videos in gay bars, having a triangle tattooed on his ankle, going to the gayest street in Amsterdam, supporting the Apple gay thing and writing HOME. 

Also closeting has happened 100000+ times before in Hollywood. Sometimes they put ‘closeting’ under ‘’Personal appearance’’ so the celeb has to change their behaviour, while actually they are trying to make the celeb look less ‘gay’. There are lots of loopholes like this. Plus, there are lots of stories like this one. Ellen Page was closeted and he tells you all about it. 

Ellen Page reveals why being In the closet became toxic. “I felt uninspired and sad. I felt like it was absolutely effecting my work. How are you gonna feel creatively motivated when you feel like you’re just living in a way that is not true. A part of me also felt guilty

"I was signed to a major label and they discouraged me from saying too much about my sexuality. That was soulcrushing. (…) It was a dark realization about the monetization and the product that you become when you’re in the industry.” (Parson James)

Here’s another one:

“The machine of the hiding is insane and inhumane. (…) It’s gonna keep going until somebody who has something to lose stands up and says ‘I am gay’, somebody big.“ Country singer Chely Wright about being gay in Hollywood

Even Simon Cowell said this himself! (watch the WHOLE video)

https://twitter.com/TotallyLost4You/status/1082027231394910212

Read Rebecca Fergusons WHOLE story,it’s so sad.

http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sqhec4

"They can alter, adapt or change your image in any way they want. You can not decide how they treat your branding or who you are as a person. You’re their bitch.” “They own every single thing you have ever done, ever will do or ever could do.”

I would say, “Welcome to the industry” but you’ve clearly not signed.It’s business – what exactly doesn’t make sense?  Even the auditions selected for broadcast are pushing Coca-Cola or whatever brand paid for their slot.You are the product, and that’s a tight contact …

So I hope this proves to you that celebs ARE STILL closeted, even though ‘it’s against the law.’

 I gave you examples of it, but there are worse thing in Hollywood. Look, the government does not care about us as much as they say they do. Money is money, that’s all they care about. If that means closeting a person and not doing anything then so be it. 

Like I said love, I know Louis did not even have a say in the whole babygate/closeting thing. These celebs do want to come out, some are just manipulated to stay in it, but some truly do want to come out, but are not allowed.

‘‘Nowadays, Colton Haynes is out and proud and engaged to the love of his life, but it was only a few short years ago that he was struggling to cope with anxiety that stemmed from being forced into the closet by his management.’‘

So now I’m going to talk about babygate. Celebs are allowed to fake their babies because they have a private surrogate. Also in theory ‘Louis isn’t faking a baby’ he is just NOT a father to the kid. So again, those loopholes. If women are allowed to fake a pregnancy etc. so is ‘Louis being a father’.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-news/celebrities-who-fake-pregnancies-hollywood-6781083

Thank you for the ask, love!!

[eikaskarch]

how you gonna have caity lotz on your banned for quoting someone else, even though she recognized and learned from it but not people like blake lively, jussie smollett, or colton haynes or the shit heel people who dgaf about how they affect others? Girl, bye with your caucasity.

i got this at work and there’s. there’s so many layers to this. it’s like an onion, stinks worse every few layers i go. you don’t have any idea why caity is on my banned list, it doesn't say in my rules why she’s there.  for all you knew, i could just not wanna rp with her face which is, controversially, an okay thing !! you can ban whoever you want, you’re not obligated to rp with an fc.  

but caity is there because she was a massive lesbophobe and i’ve never seen an apology !! caity has literally said dyke, she speaks over actual lgbt people and believed gay washing was a thing. if you wanna provide an actual apology then go ahead but i haven’t seen one. even if she has, that doesn’t mean i have to forgive her and suddenly be okay with her face. 

anyway by your logic colton haynes should be forgiven because he actually did learn and apologise for doing blackface. except, that doesn’t mean anyone had to accept it either. i dont put down colton because i’ve never seen his face outside of the teen wold fandom so why would i waste my time??  i also dont see blake lively or jussie smollet on the dash often or at all so why would i put them in a ban list when i dont wanna waste anyone's time. my rules are long enough, i don’t need to list barely used faces.  

also. anon i hate to tell you this but. caucasity doesn’t fit at all in this situation where i dont wanna rp opposite a white woman lmao. anyway, im guessing you’re just mad at me for something and decided to be mad at me for this when you coulda just messaged me privately to ask why she was on my banned list. 

[migleefulmoments]

Dan’s video was so emotional and brave. I cannot imagine what it must’ve felt like to have thousands of people speculating about his relationship and sexuality when he hadn’t even figured it out himself or come out to his parents/family yet. This is why people get so angry at tinhatters. Coming out is hard enough without even more pressure and as Dan pointed out, if they’re not gay then you’re just harassing someone.

Also I forgot to add Dan said you’re harassing someone and probably stereotyping. Which couldn’t be nearer to what the CCers do to Darren on a daily basis. Acting gay by dancing isn’t a thing.

I cannot imagine what pressure a young gay man or women feels when they are  figuring it all out in the spotlight. I’m straight but I listen to LGBTQ talk about their experiences and I often hear stories that include the words  “I wasn’t out to myself” or “I was 19 when I came out to myself”.  For many people it is a process that evolves over time and fame doesn’t give them that time. Fame demands they KNOW RIGHT NOW and DECLARE IT because fans believe they are entitled to that information. Sure, some people know from the time they are young children, but most don’t.  The ccers comments about gay men who have come- e.g. Ricky Martin, Kevin McHale, Colton Haynes- prove they still don’t understand this concept even after these men have talked about their process. They have all spoke about trying to figure out their sexuality. We all need to respect the process that each individual goes through. 

The cc fandom need to stop believing that it’s ok to out Darren because “he wants us to” or that they are helping him. Pressure from strangers is NEVER helpful. What they are doing IS pressuring him to come out and to do so on their timetable, not his. Of course Darren isn’t gay but the principles still apply.  

It is NEVER appropriate to out someone for any reason and you are never “helping” by doing so..    

[kfs1001]

Arrow star Colton Haynes has opened up about his struggle to come out publicly as gay.

The 28-year-old, who came out a year ago, had been in the closet for much of his career.

 He told Huffington Post: “I’ve been told by so many people that you cannot be out and have a career.

“The craziest thing was my career actually became the best it’s ever been once I actually was true to myself.

“That happened, and it was the most amazing experience.

“I was in Paris the day that the EW article dropped, and I cried for three days straight.”

 He added: “It was amazing. Good cry, yeah. I was happy at the outpouring.”

He also revealed that Hollywood bosses forced him to date women to disguise his sexuality.

The actor told Andy Cohen’s radio show that he was originally forced to act heterosexual.

“I was literally told from the day that I moved to Los Angeles  that I could not be gay because I wouldn’t work,” Colton told Sirius XM  radio.

“The I was with my management team and team of  people that just literally told me I couldn’t be this way.”

“They tried to set me up with girls. I was  rumoured to date Lauren Conrad for six months because they were kind of  angling a story.”

Haynes, who  is now engaged to celebrity florist Jeff Leatham, revealed that he  lost his virginity to “a boy and a girl”.

“I’ve never said that before,” Haynes said  during the Andy Cohen Live interview.

“The girl was two years older than me, and the  guy was, I would say, around 16.

“Everyone participated. It was a real first  time. It was exciting.”

However the experiences were on separate  occasions, not at the same time, he revealed.

Haynes did not elaborate on which came first,  but did reveal he has slept with four women in his life.

--------

Colton Haynes is not  only eager to start a new chapter in his career, but the actor is also ready  to let us in on more of his personal story.

The Arrow star, who recently walked away from the  hit TV show and Teen Wolf, has come out as gay. During an  interview with Entertainment  Weekly, Haynes touched on a previous social media post that  put his sexuality in question.

A Tumblr post in January regarding old racy modeling photos  sparked speculation after a fan commented on Haynes' "secret gay  past." Haynes coyly responded to the media frenzy with, "Was it a  secret?"

His response was taken as his confirmation of being gay,  however that wasn't case. At least, not at the time. "It was a complete  shock. I wasn't ready to be back in the headlines," he said.

"I  should have made a comment or a statement, but I just wasn't ready. I didn't  feel like I owed anyone anything. I think in due time, everyone has to make  those decisions when they're ready, and I wasn't yet. But I felt like I was  letting people down by not coming forward with the rest of what I should have  said."

Following  the reports, the 27-year-old star checked into rehab for anxiety and returned  to the hospital frequently over the next three months.

According to the interview, Haynes had never publicly  addressed his sexuality, but has been out for most of his life. Those closest  to the actor, from his family and friends to his cast members and Hollywood  bosses, already knew.

It wasn't until now that Haynes felt ready and willing to talk  about sexuality with the general public. "I'd go home and I was still  acting," he admitted. "People who are so judgmental about those who  are gay or different don't realize that acting 24 hours a day is the most  exhausting thing in the world." 

Regardless, the path Colton took ultimately brought him here,  and here  is a much better place for the young star. "I'm happier than I've ever  been, and healthier than I've ever been, and that's what I care about."

Haynes  tweeted the article and told fans, "I believe in livin life to the  fullest & takin control of your life story. More to come."

 ---------

 Colton Haynes has said coming out as gay "changed [his]  life for the better."

The 28-year-old actor - who is currently engaged  to celebrity florist Jeff Leatham - made the confession during an interview  in May 2016, and has said that whilst it took him a while to be  "comfortable enough" to speak about his sexuality, he admits he's  now "proud" of who he is.

During a Q&A session on Entertainment  Weekly's Tumblr account, Colton was asked by a fan what advice he could give  to others who are struggling with their sexuality, and he wrote: "I can  honestly say that it takes time to be comfortable enough to come out...it has  to be on your own time but when i did...it changed my life for the better! It  opened up so many doors for me and i dont have to feel like the elephant in  the room anymore. Theres so much support i never knew was available for me  and i am so proud to say that i am gay and it hasnt done anything to hurt what  i love to do in life. Times are thankfully changing (sic)"

But it wasn't smooth sailing for the 'Teen Wolf'  actor, as he also admitted he went through an "intense struggle"  and even suffered a "breakdown" before he could come to terms with  his sexuality.

When one fan asked if it was a challenge to come  out, and Colton wrote: "It was an intense struggle for years. All the  self shame lead me to have a breakdown and i had to quite for a while. Once i  came out it all went away. I got multiple offers for work and honestly havent  felt better. It changes your life and if someone isnt going to hire me for  being born the way that i am...they dont deserve my time or energy.  (sic)"

And when the 'Arrow' star was asked where he  would see himself in 10 years time, he admitted he wants to have "at  least three kids" with Jeff.

He replied: "HMMMMMM, I will be married.  have at least 3 kids. Will still dye my greys. Will own a 69 corvette  stingray. Will hopefully have at least one ab. And will still be trying to be  the head writer of the Taco Bell sauce packets (sic)"