Because I think gay people love glamorous women, and I think I’m glamorous. And I’m not blowing my own trumpet, but I’ve been told it often enough. Also, they know I’m a nice person, haha… It was also being one of the first people on television with a gay son, in Dynasty. Blake threw him out of his life. That had an effect on very young gay men. We received a lot of mail about it.”
— Joan Collins telling us what we already knew in an interview with Michael Musto for Out magazine in which the legendary star also discusses her upcoming one-night-only one-woman show
MikeE
I think she may have a slightly exaggerated idea of her importance to “gay men”.
Gay men who loved Dynasty did so because it was trash, and the women in it were trash. Everything in it was overblown melodrama.
Other than playing a character who had an ambiguously gay son (he was, then he wasn’t anymore, then he was, then he wasn’t anymore) in a trashy soap opera, what exactly has Joan Collins done for LGBT people?
tookietookie
Why does it matter what she has done for LGBT people? Why this droning transactional drumbeat about what we got or what we didn’t get or what we should have got or what they could have given us? Enough of the victim mentality already!
She is merely saying a lot of gay men found her to be entertaining and an iconic glamorous female (which she knows based on mail – what basis would you have to refute that, did you work in their mailroom?), which stands to reason as you see it everywhere – we have RuPaul drag culture which heavily draws from the diva stereotype, Disney villians, etc…it’s VERY disingenuous to pretend otherwise. While I think the thing about the gay son on the show is a little overstated, it was of interest and important for its time.
Get the sand out of your panties and leave people like this alone. They’re awesome and deserve the reputation as such they’ve received.
MikeE
Blind adulation. It’s cute in a child. Not so much in an adult.
John Doe
Her statement needs to be looked at in context. She was doing an interview for OUT and THEY asked her, “Why do you feel the gays love you so much?” It isn’t as if she made her comment to a non-gay interviewer that wasn’t even asking about gay men “loving” her. Besides, her answer is somewhat accurate. I do believe that one of the character qualities that gay appreciated about her was her glamour… as well as her being progressive compared to many others. I’m sure that she’s heard these things for 30+ years and has many LGBT friends by now. It isn’t as if she is speaking out of ignorance on this topic.
OUT could have easily asked the same question of Madonna, Kyle Minogue, Lady Gaga, Cher, Lucille Ball, Cyndi Lauper, Oprah, Bette Davis, etc. (Obviously some of those were admired / loved by gays in prior generations).
2eo
@MikeE: Of course these laws do not count when we are talking about Bill Murray.
Alan down in Florida
Joan Collins has been a strong, take no prisoners woman and my generation admired strength and the power to be who you are despite the obstacles. In addition she is a huge star who never took herself too seriously.
Icebloo
I DETEST this self absorbed, greedy, arrogant bi#ch. She once said all British people were lazy because they wanted paid vacations – this from a woman who has never done a real day’s work in her entire, privileged life.
And I agree – WHAT HAS JOAN EVER DONE FOR GAY PEOPLE ? NOTHING !!!! Joan is all about Joan and doing whatever it takes to fill Joan’s bank account.
She is a HORRIBLE person (and one of the worst actors of all time !).
Michael
@Icebloo: You’ve obviously never worked on a soap opera. Long, long hours, promo work, interviews. It never ends, especially when you’re as a huge a success as she was.