Monday 27 October 2014

Michael Stipe: How Queer!

It’s been 20 years since I announced to the world that I was queer – and that I had found the strength and the voice to say that, and to move forward with my life as a completely out, publicly queer individual.

It was September 1994, and my band REM had released the two biggest records of our career. With Out of Time and Automatic for the People, we had sold more than 25m records worldwide, and we were ramping up to tour for the first time in five years. I was more famous than I could have ever imagined. For the promotion of our next album, Monster, and its world tour, I decided to publicly announce my sexuality. I said simply that I had enjoyed sex with men and women my entire adult life. It was a simple fact, and I’m happy I announced it...


Well done Michael!

Still seems shaming you can't say you're 'gay', though.

Someone describing themselves as 'queer' 25 years ago may have at least sounded transgressive and radical, but now... not so much.

PS Fagburn seems to recall a UK press release for REM's 2001 album, Reveal, trumpeting that Stipe had just come out. Who knew that it would carry on being such a great marketing tool?

PPS There are rumours Stipe has recently, secretly got gaymarried.
Posted by Fagburn at 10:21:00
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8 comments:

  1. BK28 October 2014 at 09:55

    There was a thing that bugged me on Queerty a few weeks back. They did a piece about Luke Evans who basically talked completely honestly about being a total bumlord when he was an up and coming West End star but after becoming a Hollywood star ended up dating a lady of the opposite sex. He never once denied that he was gay, but he basically shut up about it. Which seems absolutely fine, to me. It's a matter of public record that he's into dudes, whatever,
    Now - sorry to ramble - Queerty compared him unfavourably to that hot young tramp Ezra something (Pound?) who basically said he was "queer" in an interview a year or so back but has always dated girls.
    NOW! Maybe he's bisexual and maybe the other dude is bisexual too. One has actually talked in detail about shagging dudes and watching gay porn (Evans) and the other has just said "Oh, yah, I'm like, queer, yah?" while basically exclusively pursuing muff (the fascist poet)... and yet in the ditzy mindset of your average Queerty reader/writer, the latter is open and a good example to the young gays and poor old Evans is evil and closeted because... well, because he doesn't keep coming out in every interview and has dated a wimmins (which the the poet dude does exclusively).
    I mean, the mind boggles, Fagburn!!

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    Replies
    1. Fagburn28 October 2014 at 13:23

      Yus, some people get permission to be bisexual, others not.

      Tom Robinson's an interesting example, had said from the TRB day he was interested in women, but when he announced he was going out with a woman - but said he still defined himself as gay, he got crucified...

      Delete
    2. BK28 October 2014 at 13:41

      So did Stephen Daldry, I think, when he started dating (possibly married and I think had a kid(s) with) a lady of apposite femininity. Before that he was gay gay gay.
      The response was really shitty. Some evn going so far as to suggest that it was all a smokescreen to cover up the fact he'd had some kind of relationship with Jamie Bell, the star of Daldry's most famous fillum, Screw the Workers the Lad Can Dance!

      Delete
    3. Fagburn28 October 2014 at 13:58

      The hilarious one was when Tom Daley came out and said he still fancied girls, and most of the gay media said he was bisexual.

      Yeah right...

      Delete
    4. Fagburn28 October 2014 at 14:57

      But they said Frank Ocean was GAY, even though all he said was he'd once had a relationship with one man.

      SO CONFUSING!

      Delete
    5. BK28 October 2014 at 21:23

      Yeah, but that bitch not only seems to exclusively date dudes he also has a penchant for hideous fashionistas and admittedly hot male models. Dude is a gay!

      IT IS CONFUSING, FAGBURN!

      Most people are one or the other though, I'm sure of it.Sexuality is fluid, but very rarely in a state of constant flux. There is no way in a million years that I'm going to ever fancy or fall in love with a lass.
      Contrary to what St Peter thinks sexuality will always be important and we won't all morph into one globby mass of indeterminate sexual orientation.
      I IS A GAY!!!!

      Delete
  2. Fagburn28 October 2014 at 21:43

    'Yeah, but that bitch not only seems to exclusively date dudes he also has a penchant for hideous fashionistas and admittedly hot male models. Dude is a gay!'

    Does he???

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    Replies
    1. BK28 October 2014 at 21:52

      Well, maybe only one new boyfriend since he came out about that ex dude, but google "Frank Ocean boyfriend" - he's gorge; and ever since his album came out he does seem to spend all his time at fashion dos and hanging out with Lagerfeld and so on, shiz like that. Mind you, all popstars do that now, don't they?
      The vibe I get is that he dates dudes and is heavily into the fashion scene, though.

      Delete

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