Victor Garber (Released photo via Wikimedia Commons)
LOS ANGELES — Oscar-winning actress Jodie Foster came out as gay while accepting a Golden Globe lifetime achievement award this week. Foster had been coy about her sexual orientation for years, though in 2007 acknowledged her former partner during another awards show.
Reaction from LGBT advocates was mixed, with some longtime activists criticizing Foster for staying in the closet for so many years.
NEW YORK — LGBs who are out are less anxious, depressed and burned out than their closeted counterparts or straights according to a new study from Canada published in Psychosomatic Medicine, the New York Daily News reported.
The study looked at 87 men and women of varying sexual orientations all of whom were around age 25; 46 identified as gay, lesbian or bi and 41 were straight. Participants were given psychological tests and provided multiple urine and saliva samples to test for various biomarkers related to stress and general health, the Daily News said.
All the participants who were out had lower stress hormone levels and fewer symptoms of depression than those who weren’t out. In the men, out gay and bi men had lower stress and fewer symptoms of depression than straight men.
Researchers at the University of Montreal wrote that living openly eliminates the constant stress of keeping a large part of one’s life hidden, which can cause the hormone cortisol to spike and create inflammation in the body, which has been linked to heart disease, diabetes and other chronic illnesses, the report said.
Scott Fujita of the Cleveland Browns, who’s straight, said ‘I honestly think the players of the NFL have been ready for an openly gay player for quite some time now.’ (Photo courtesy NFL)
“Based on interviews over the past several weeks with current and former players,” Freeman writes, “I’m told that a current gay NFL player is strongly considering coming out publicly within the next few months — and after doing so, the player would attempt to continue his career.”
Though a few players have come out after retiring, there has never been an active openly gay player, but Freeman believes that will soon change. Speaking to Freeman, veteran NFL star Scott Fujita of the Cleveland Browns said, “I honestly think the players of the NFL have been ready for an openly gay player for quite some time now.”
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney called Jason Collins’ decision to come out “courageous” (Blade file photo by Michael Key)
UPDATE: A White House aide told the Blade on Monday that President Obama called Jason Collins to “express his support” and said he was “impressed by his courage.”
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney commended Jason Collins on Tuesday “for his courage” to come out as gay and encouraged the player’s teammates and fans to support the decision.
Carney made the remarks in response to a question from the Associated Press’ Julie Pace on whether President Obama had a reaction to the announcement.
“I haven’t spoken with him about it,” Carney replied. “I can certainly tell you that here at the White House, we view that as another example of the progress that has been made and the evolution that has been taking place in this country, and commend him for his courage and support him in this effort and hope that his fans and his team support him going forward.”
Collins made the announcement in an article published Monday in Sports Illustrated. He’s considered the first openly gay male player in a major professional sport.
President Obama talked about Jason Collins during a news briefing on Tuesday (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
President Obama said on Tuesday he “couldn’t be prouder” of Jason Collins for coming out as gay and cited the NBA player’s announcement as an example of the recent progress the country has seen on behalf of the LGBT community.
Obama made the remarks during a news conference with reporters in the White House briefing room after reporters called him back to the podium to respond to Collins’ decision to come out.
“I’ll say something about Jason Collins,” Obama said. “I had a chance to talk to him yesterday. He seems like a terrific young man, and I told him I couldn’t be prouder of him. One of the extraordinary measures of progress that we’ve seen in this country has been the recognition that the LGBT community deserves full equality, not just partial equality, not just tolerance, but a recognition that they’re fully a part of the American family.”
Obama added the decision of Collins — who’s considered the first male player to come out as gay in a major league — is particularly important “given the importance of sports in our society.”
“For an individual who excelled at the highest levels in one of the major sports to go out and say, “This is who I am, and I’m proud of it. I’m still a great competitor. I’m still 7 foot tall and can bang with Shaq, and deliver a hard foul,” for, I think, a lot of young people out there who are gay or lesbian who are struggling with these issues to see a role model like that who’s unafraid, I think it’s a great thing,” Obama said.
Obama concluded, “And I think America should be part that this is just one more step in this ongoing recognition that we treat everybody fairly, and everybody’s part of the family, and we just people on the basis of their character and their performance, and not their sexual orientation. So, I’m very proud of him.”
Obama’s affirmation that he spoke with Collins on Monday is consistent with a Blade report on Monday that he reached out to Collins to express support and say he admired the courage of the player.
Watch the video here (courtesy Talking Points Memo)
LOS ANGELES — The fresh faced star of the now canceled ABC Family sci-fi drama Kyle XY, Matt Dallas, came out to his followers on Twitter last week by announcing his engagement to L.A. musician Blue Hamilton.
“Starting off the year with a new fiancé, @bluehamilton. A great way to kick off 2013!” read the Tweet, snapped by Towleroad.
Among some of the notable personalities: actors Gillian Anderson, Matt Bomer, Kristy McNichol, and Sherman Hemsley (posthumously); athletes Shaun T., Orlando Cruz, and Megan Rapinoe; and newsmakers Sam Champion, Anderson Cooper, Todd Glass, Kevin McClatchy, Frank Ocean, Mika, Tammy Smith and Lana Wachowski.
