Celebrities coming out for better, or worse?
Coming out of the closet isn’t easy for celebrities and personalities as they are always in the public eye.
When Caitlyn Jenner went public with her new image, Twitter exploded, gaining her over a million followers in just over four hours. Similarly, what would otherwise be a non-news piece made headlines when Kristen Stewart’s mother showed support for her daughter’s new girlfriend.
Many other personalities have come out in recent years, such as Hollywood actress Ellen Page, who announced she was gay in a speech last year, and Filipino singer Charice Pempengco earlier in 2013. When Charice came out, there were mixed emotions among fans in and out of the Philippines. Luckily for her, most were supportive.
Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe, who finally owned up to his sexual preference in 2014, admitted that part of the reason he had denied it for years was due to fear his career may be jeopardised.
Yahoo Singapore spoke to a few personalities in the local entertainment industry for insights.
Singapore comedian Kumarason Chinnadurai, 46, better known as Kumar, said he came out publicly through his biography, Kumar: From Rags to Drag in September 2011.
“It wasn’t actually a coming out book, but I had to be truthful because the book was about me, and about my life,” he said, adding that though the media sensationalised it, it wasn’t too much of a surprise for most people. Rather, it was a confirmation.
“This has never affected my career, and coming out publicly wasn’t a turning point for me either," he said.
Although the topic of sexuality has come up time and time again, Kumar believes there are many other issues that should be given attention. “A lot of religious people say we shouldn’t be encouraging it, but no one is encouraging anything,” he said. However, he added that the younger generation may sometimes blow things out of proportion.
“You have to understand yourself first. It’s not about going out and screaming out at people (that one is gay)," he advised.
Political observer and former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Siew Kum Hong said that coming out is always a personal decision and can be challenging for some people – celebrity or not.
However, it is safe to assume that there are additional challenges for those who are always in the public eye.
Siew, a lawyer, said, “I can’t speak from personal experience, but I’d imagine that it would affect their career. For example, there are no openly gay politicians (in Singapore).
“Just by looking at the percentage of gay people, chances are pretty good that we would have had at least one by now.”
He said that while coming out is already difficult, having Section 377A in place makes it harder. Siew was the NMP who presented to Parliament a petition against the clause on 22 October 2007.
“What Section 377A does is to institutionalise discrimination against gay people. In a sense, some would perceive the cost of coming out to be heavier, and in some cases that is certain," Siew said.
Actor and theatre director Ivan Heng says there wasn’t a specific occasion to mark his coming out.
“I came out to my sister at 17, my best friend during National Service, and my mother at 40,” he said, adding that he has came out "hundreds" of times over the past 35 years.
Heng said his largest coming out was when he became Pink Dot 2012’s ambassador. The artistic director of Wild Rice says his career has nothing to do with the fact that he is an openly gay married man.
“It has everything to do with the excellence of the shows we produce. That is as it should be," he said.
When asked for advice he has for younger personalities who may be considering coming out, his answer was short but to the point.
“It’s 2015, for goodness’ sake. Everyone should be their authentic self. Life’s too short to live a lie.”
