(CNN) -- Perez Hilton is a celebrity blogger who dishes out the latest Hollywood gossip, but there's something about his personal life you may not know.
Hilton is a Latino pioneer. He is one of the first Latino public figures in the U.S. to be openly gay. While Latinos have broken ground on the U.S. Supreme Court, in Hollywood and in professional sports, gay Latinos in the nation's public arena remain largely invisible.Hilton says deep-seated homophobia within the Latino community has forced many gay Latinos to go underground, but attitudes are shifting.
"At the beginning, when I came out to my mom, she reacted with a sigh and said, 'You're my son and I have to love you,' " Hilton says. "But now she says, 'You're the best son in the world, and we need to find you a man.' "
As I read this I started to wonder: To what effect would "coming out of the closet" have on a person's career? Would it be better to keep quiet or publicize yourself? And is it worth it?
I think in this day and age, "coming out" can almost be good for their career at some points. There are a lot of celebrities that are openly gay and have partners and kids. And I don't see that their career has really gone downhill at all. Perez Hilton is definitely still popular. I think that people may not agree with what their lifestlye is but no one can argue that is affects their talents. I think they only thing that it would be risky is with maybe their personal family as we see here with Perez Hilton.
ReplyDeleteOur society has become much more accepting of homosexual individuals, but that does not mean that coming out will not negatively affect their career or reputation. Depending on the more defined cultural views in a specific area, the effects of being openly gay will vary. The perceptions of homosexual individuals in the Hollywood community are going to be different than the perceptions held within a conservative group of people.
ReplyDeleteOne interesting aspect that I had never really thought about before concerning homosexuality, is that the tolerance and acceptance of these individuals is also dependent on ethnicity. The risks taken by coming out about being homosexual aren't the same for a non-Hispanic white as for a Hispanic. I don't think there is a concise answer as to whether or not an individual should "come out", and really the decision is left in the realm of the individual, depending on the risks they are willing to take.
I also think that the affect coming out will have on your career depends on the area in which you live. For example, in certain areas of California one would be widely accepted for coming out and might even gain popularity in some places. However, in other much more conservativee areas it could seriously hinder someones career because they would be discriinated against and forced into less important jobs.
ReplyDeleteI think it is sad how much people determine what they do by the image they are projecting to others. Image is such a huge thing that many people act to put off a good image,rather than to please themselves. I do not believe that it should have to be that way. Everyone should feel comfortable doing what they believe best and not have to worry about the opinions and thoughts of others.
I also agree that it depends on the location of where the individual is located. In many parts of the world this is still something that is frowned upon and that people are not comfortable with. So the individual would be taking a chance with their career and their life by “coming out” because they won’t know how those around them will react. But I say be who you are with no fear of what others around may do or say. You have to love yourself in order for those around you to love you back and accept you for who you are.
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