http://bigthink.com<br /><br />It would be "infinitely better" for the gay community if celebrities like Cooper, Kevin Spacey, and Jodie Foster came out, says Perez Hilton. "Visibility is key."<br /><br />Question: Who did you first come out to and what was it like?Perez Hilton: I don't remember who I first came out to. I <br /> remember being at a holiday party, my freshman year at college. That <br />was the fall of '96 at NYU. And this girl said, "You're gay." And I <br />was like, "No, I'm not!" She's like, "Honey, please. Are you going to <br />come out? You're gay." I'm like, "Okay, I'm gay!" And then I <br />realized, you know what? It's no big deal. I went to the Tisch School <br />of the Arts. Practically every other person there was gay. <br />Question: Is coming out a personal experience?Perez Hilton: Absolutely. Nobody ever forces anyone to <br />come out. Nobody ever "outs" anyone, even though people accuse me of <br />that. I report on celebrities; I report on the private lives of public <br />figures. Look at someone like Anderson Cooper, who even Out magazine <br />has reported as being gay. Has Anderson come out? No. That's his <br />choice. He's choosing to remain in the closet even though everybody <br />knows he's gay. And that's okay because it's his story to tell if and <br />when he's ready. But that doesn't mean that the gay media, myself <br />included, shouldn't talk about Anderson Cooper being in the closet. And <br /> we shouldn't talk about how much better it would be for the community <br />and for him if he were open. <br />Question: Why would it be better for the community if he were to <br />come out?Perez Hilton: It would be infinitely better for the <br />community if Anderson Cooper came out, if Kevin Spacey came out, if <br />Jodie Foster came out. Why? Because visibility is key. The more <br />straight people see that there are gay folks out there, the easier it is <br /> for us to achieve change, the easier it will be for us to get marriage <br /> equality, the harder it is for people to hate.Recorded April 29, 2010
