With Great Power...
By Josh Aterovis

Do closeted celebrities owe it to their public to come out?

It's a question that many have tackled, but few have come up with a satisfactory answer. Pundits and columnists argue their point of view every time a famous actor or singer comes out. Some believe, to quote from Spiderman, with great power comes great responsibility. In other words, if you're going to accept celebrity and all that comes with it, you also become a role model simply by being in the public eye. Others believe that becoming famous doesn't negate one's right to privacy.

In the past, celebrity outings have caused much hullabaloo on both sides of the fence. I still remember clearly the criticism that was flung at Rosie O'Donnell when she came out publicly. At the time, it seemed there were more people judging her for not coming out sooner than there were people congratulating her for having the courage to live openly.

More recently, Olympic skater Johnny Weir has drawn the ire of many for skirting the issue of sexuality. Now, I don't know Weir, so I can't say for certain if he's gay or not, but let's just say he sends my gaydar off the chart. There's no doubt he's a flamboyant little thing, and on most topics, quite outspoken. When it comes to his sexuality, however, he's been strangely reticent.

In the past, Weir has given us telling quotes such as, "I'm very princessy as far as travel is concerned, having a nice room and things like that," when discussing the Olympic Village, and "I don't like to be called a jock. That makes me think of spandex-covered football players. It's not me. I'm in rhinestones and velvet, not spandex." Those don't sound like statements from someone overly concerned about being called gay. However, when a reporter asked if he was gay at a press conference, Weir responded: "I think it's funny that people care. Who I sleep with doesn't affect what I'm doing on the ice or what I'm doing in a press conference."

Of course, that begs the question, is it any of our business really? The reporter's queer query was in response to earlier criticism from openly gay skater Rudy Galindo. Galindo slammed the media for ignoring Weir's sexuality while playing up his "style" and "flamboyance."
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