Cindy Lauper, of Celebrity Apprentice fame, and her True Colors Fund launches a new project-website-catchphrase called We Give A Damn, which is yielding a “database error” for the time being. It lists about a gazillion partners, including the Human Rights Campaign, which is what can happen when you are famous and decide to start a new activism project. But outshining Lauper’s new gig is the involvement of True Blood‘s Anna Paquin in the PSA. Where she comes out as bi.
So goes the report about the engaged actress: “The PSA was taped Saturday, January 30th, at the Standard Hotel in Los Angeles, and a source exclusively tells RadarOnline.com that Paquin, on-camera, identified herself as being bisexual, saying: ‘I’m Anna Paquin. I’m bisexual, and I give a damn.’ … Our source tells us that people close to Paquin, who were at the shoot, did not know she was going to make the statement, and it was a surprise to them.”
You can watch the PSA here. It’s tres moving! And while Paquin technically “hijacks” the purpose of the PSA, she’s also bolstering its cause: Lauper’s new effort will get attention it otherwise wouldn’t receive because, hey, this entertainment industry darling just came out as bi.
Some of us need a mere web posting to come out publicly. Others, a PSA.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Cam
Anybody else notice that whenever these female hollywood celebs say that they are bi, it’s always when they seem to be in a long term relationship or marriage to a man? Almost as if their publicists are telling them “Hey, say you’re bi to turn on the guys, but make sure you have a boyfriend so it won’t be yucky and people will still think you’re a good little girl by being with a man.”
Seriously, Fergie, Pink, Angelina Jolie, Anna Paquin, Megan Fox, Madonna, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu, Christina Aguillera, etc… then the ones that ACTUALLY seem to really like dating women like Michell Rodriguez etc… are told to stay in the closet. Not saying Anna is making anything up, but it would sure be nice the next time somebody like Fergie goes on an interview and smiles at the male reporter telling him she’s bisexual, to actually have her reveal that she’s dating a woman.
Oh Boy
I love Cyndi Lauper. She is an American original. And that Celebrity Apprentice would be an utter bore without her on it.
TonyD
“Cyndi” Lauper and many others are participating, please do your research- Ms. Lauper has been a feminist/gay rights activist rights voice from the beginning of her career. Please don’t make her out as a fame chaser, like some of the others participating in the We Give A Damn program.
Alexandre
@Cam: But Angeline Jolie was actually in a relationship with a woman. Don’t you remember Jenny Shimizu?
asd
Blah blah blah everyone is bi now. How fashionable.
Cam
No. 4 · Alexandre
@Cam: But Angeline Jolie was actually in a relationship with a woman. Don’t you remember Jenny Shimizu?
_______________________
Yeah, but by the time that was announced, she was already with men. Now Jenny on the other hand, makes no bones about what she prefers, but I’m just saying that all these women talk about being bi, but only when they are with a man. It just seems like a Hollywood thing “Keep quiet about it unless you are with a man” You know, then it doesn’t come off as real, it comes off as something to make her seem a little wild. (And Jason, before you chime in, that wasn’t a dig at Bi’s it was a dig on how Hollywood puts on this type of thing.)
Swishy Pants
Because identifying as bi is suddenly “hi-jacking” something? From what I’ve heard ALL of the participants in the series of ads identified their sexuality at the begging of their ad, even if they were straight.
Hi-jacking indeed. Keep on failing queerty, you’re so good at it.
DR
This became a “hijack” because Anna Paquin told us something about herself we didn’t know. However, I’m fairly certain that although people “close to her” claim they didn’t know what she was going to say, she would have run this by the organization first. I find it difficult to believe that someone would jump on a project run by Cyndi Lauper, one of the most famous GLBT rights activists today, and “hijack” the PSA by outing herself knowing it would take away form the impact of the PSA itself. Maybe I’m just not as jaded and cynical as some. *shrug*
DillonS
Dear editors: please explain how this was a hijacking. (Hyperbole is becoming quite a nuisance here on Queerty.)
Swishy Pants
“and “hijack” the PSA by outing herself knowing it would take away form the impact of the PSA itself. Maybe I’m just not as jaded and cynical as some. *shrug*”
This is true, and even the “you’re taking away from the message…” argument is busted if a person thinks about how many people who wouldn’t have gone near this video before will now see it on celebrity and gossip blogs will now watch it. In these days of so much media saturation, it’s a pretty smart strategy if indeed they knew about it beforehand.
D'oh, The Magnificent
It is only a hijack because of celebrity culture. Not because of her disclosing the information. I guess she could have thought “wait if I am honest here people may ignore the message.” But that’s a bit much.
jason
I honestly am getting sick and tired of these “bisexual” female celebrities. Kudos to the poster who pointed out that almost all of these women appear to be in long-term relationships with men, either as boyfriends or married. To me, it stinks. It’s either a tacky marketing ploy or it’s a misguided attempt to appear sympathetic to the gay rights cause.
Fuck off, Anna.
tr
@Cam:
Billy joe Armstrong (Greenday) is sort of the male equivalent
adam
How come there are no bisexual male celebrities in Cyndi Lauper’s public service announcement? It appears Cyndi is uncomfortable with male bisexuality.
jason
Oh, go away, Cyndi “Fucking” Lauper. We in the GLBT community are sick of you. Now you’re trading on the “female bi’s are hot” notion at the expense of genuine acceptance of our community.
Your position is better suited to the world of porn, Cyndi. There, you’ll see tons of grubby bisexual females putting out for men and women for the express purpose of causing semen emissions in equally grubby straight guys.
brian
Doesn’t this prove that there’s a bisexual double standard in Hollywood? It suggests that it’s OK for a woman to be thought of as bi but not a man. Is this double standard good for our community? I think not.
It seems to be about a phony acceptance based on titillation, and not a genuine acceptance, when it’s only women who are declaring their bisexuality. Marketing ploy, perhaps.
DillonS
@adam: What could you possibly be basing that assumption on? I think if you look at her work for and with the LGBT community she doesn’t seem phased by anyone’s sexuality. Maybe the issue is that bisexual male celebrities willing to discuss their sexuality are just harder to find.
And Jason, you are one sad mofo. You most certainly do not speak for the LGBT community so please don’t pretend that you do. And you want her to go away because? What has she done that is so amazingly offensive to you that you added ‘fucking’ to her moniker as if that somehow made you clever? Seriously, what is the issue?
jeffree
Cyndi Lauper has been outspoken about LGB rights for many many years. To criticise her is plain lame. Big fan of hers even if she’s old enough 2 be my mom. She still rocks….
jason
Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day is apparently bi. Why didn’t Cyndi get him to declare his bisexuality in the ad?
There just seems to be this ugly trend – aided and abetted by the GLBT community – where females are allowed to declare themselves as bi (even if they aren’t) whereas men aren’t (even if they are). It’s a form of political correctness gone mad.
How low can our community go? And what exactly are we doing here?
Is the bisexual double standard emblematic of the notion that we must please heterosexual men (with girl-girl action) in order to receive our GLBT rights? Or is it emblematic of the fact that women tend to use their sexuality as a marketing ploy?
DR
Jason, Billy Joe Armstrong has NEVER been an activist. He came out in 1995 in an interview with The Advocate, and in 2010 was quoted in Out specifically stating that there were certain aspects of his personal life which he refuses to discuss out of respect for his wife, specifically sex (and since they’ve been married for almost 20 years now, who is anyone to demand he do so?).
I doubt that given his own somewhat quiet acceptance of his bisexuality, he’s not going to be an “out there celebrity”.
Alexander A.
Kudos to Anna for being honest. As for those who say “she’s only saying she’s bi because she’s with a man now”, who the fuck cares? Even if this statement WERE true, she’s at least a valuable, visible ally.
We can’t win everything we need by being cloistered and segregated; we need our strong allies: bi, straight or whatever.
gomez
what a bunch of fucking whiners and haters. of course jason is here with his bi-girl hate, so full of it he posts 3x over the course in one day.
any credit to these peeps doing a psa against hate crimes?
this biphobia is getting out of fucking control. fuck y’all
DillonS
I’m confused about this ‘only bi girls were allowed to speak out’ thing. So you know, first hand, that Cyndi didn’t approach any bi male celebs she knew?
Swedish Fish
I’m sick of the flak bisexuals get… So what if she says she’s bi? A lot of women are, whether they sleep with men or women most of the time. I didn’t know people had to apply with references to declare their sexual orientation.
jeffree
Call me radical, but any time anyone is willing to speak out on LGBQ rights I don’t care if they r str8, lesbian, gay, bi or undecided.
If they have a fan base, great — maybe those people will follow.
Slamming on the bisexuals is unkind. Yes Jason –& fistpuppet Brian!!– remind us three times a day that female bisexuality is acceptable, & male bisexuality is taboo, but, I can’t see why we *spend more time* hating on our allies than on our friends!
jason
The problem is that women exploit the bisexual double standard. In many cases, these “bi” women aren’t even bisexual but they market themselves thus simply because the male heterosexual patriarchy allows them to. It’s similar to the bisexual double standard you see in porn.
I truly have no respect for these women.
By the way, someone in the gay media should ask Anna Paquin if her husband Stephen Moyer is bisexual. If she um’s and aah’s, she’s a hypocrite and a phony.
DR
Jason, how on Earth can you blame Anna Paquin for “exploiting the bi double standard”?!? What has she done besides appear in a bloody PSA meant to help people!
You need to get off your high horse. Seriously. You sound like a raving lunatic on every board you’re posting on, ranting about this. You don’t like that there aren’t enough bi male role models out there, maybe you ought to go Google a few and see if they’ll be your personal bloody spokeperson!
jeffree
Anna Paquin likes women! Jason jates women.
Who would we rather spend time with?
gomez
@jason: jason, you are insane. so if anna is bi, her husband must be also or else she’s a hypocrite and phony? you are calling her a liar? you are seriously scrambled, my friend. get help.
Swishy Pants
“@jason: jason, you are insane. so if anna is bi, her husband must be also or else she’s a hypocrite and phony? you are calling her a liar? you are seriously scrambled, my friend. get help.”
Well, Jason isn’t so much lying about being a misogynist and bi-phobe, that’s for sure.
K.
@jason: “I truly have no respect for these women.”
It’s people like you that make the world shitty for bi people. How do YOU personally know what Anna Paquin or anyone else’s motivations are for coming out as bi? I think it’s great that she came out in this way. Hopefully the more bi people who refuse to straight- or gay-wash themselves by letting everyone assume their sexuality on the basis of who their partner is and actually assert their identity will increase visibility, and make life maybe a little easier for the bi people of the future. And will make sad fucks like you look even dumber than you do already.
AND to all the people commenting on bi women only coming out while in relationships with guys: perhaps it is less a big conspiracy than an actual tendency. If you’re a bi woman but aren’t necessarily running in queer circles, seeking out other queer women, or visibly queer, you probably get hit on by guys more often than girls, and are thus likely to date guys more often. It’s just what happens…
jason
It’s not a genuine acceptance if it’s only females who are permitted to market themselves as bisexual.
Women DO use their sexuality as marketing ploy. You often see it in the difference in the level of modesty between a woman and her husband at, say, a cocktail function. Why is he conservatively dressed when she’s walking around showing everyone her cleavage? Why are women allowed entry into mainstream nightclubs wearing mini-skirts etc whereas the men are often required to wear body-covering shirts and slacks? Think about it.
Lately, I’ve noticed that women – especially celebrities – have been using the concept of female bisexuality as a marketing ploy. Strange that no Brad Pitts or other males seem to want to say they’re bisexual.
As I said, it’s not a genuine acceptance if it’s only females who are permitted to market themselves as bisexual. If my forthrightness offends some women, so be it. I honestly have no time for women who are propping up this homophobic double standard.
K.
@jason: Having your sexuality reduced to someone else’s fantasy, or someone else’s assumption that you are digging for publicity, is NEVER enjoyable. Being reduced to a sex object is not a privilege. It is an insult. Bi women and bi men both have it pretty bad. You don’t have to disrespect bi women to make your point that bi men have their own set of problems. “My problem is worse than yours” whining gets us nowhere. We all face problems, and they all have their own complications. Supporting each other is the only way to make life better for everyone.
DR
jason, please stop posting now. you need to stop pissing on open celebrities. no wonder, between this and the various discussions about Mike from the Real World, it’s easy to see why bisexuals hang in straight society. at least lesbians are accepting of bisexuality, while people like jason piss all over them.
Kanika ?????
@jason: I don’t know what your problem is, but it’s clear to me (and everyone else here) that you’ve got some deep-seated issues w/bisexual women. Work it out, homie!
fern
I agree with Jason and don’t think he’s insulting bi women. He’s just telling it like it is in terms of social norms and what is and isn’t acceptable in our culture.
If bi women want to be taken seriously and not seen as straight men’s playthings, they need visibility in a different way than is happening right now. We also need bi male celebs to be out and proud so people can see bisexuality as something more than a gimmick to arouse straight men.
Geri
@Cam: Lindsay Lohan on your list?
Geri
@Geri: BTW That comment about Lohan was addressed to No. 1 · Cam