Statistically speaking, one [of them] probably is. But it’s crazy with a market like that because [it’s] 100% young women and they fantasise about these guys. Then you have the record labels and everyone kind of grooming you to make sure you don’t even mention you have a girlfriend so screw the fact that you are going to come out as being gay – it ruins their whole business plan.”
— Former *NSYNCer Lance Bass grossly underestimating One Direction on The Rubin Report, via PinkNews.
BritAus
I’m hoping it’s either Louis or Liam, but my guess is that it’s probably Niall.
(I can’t believe I know their names lol)
Caleb in SC
Are you kidding me? They all act like they’ve seen one up close!
miagoodguy
What an idiot.
robtosh
If only it were Zayn – swoon!
singforfood
@robtosh: He’s already been outed as straight….remember the hotel hallway video scandal? (tl,dr: he was trolling for teen groupie sex in the hotel and someone caught a video out of her room’s peephole)
Dev.C
I don’t agree that 100% of their fan base is girls, I would say at least 15 to 20% are young gay men.
I wouldn’t think in this day and age it would hurt them tremendously if one of them were gay.
I think producers and management teams have more of a prejudice against gay entertainers than the
fans themselves.
Niall
@miagoodguy: Who Lance Bass? In which case, how’s he an idiot? He’s pretty much saying the truth. Pretty sure one of them IS gay or at least bi.
Kenover
Really???!!!! You think?????
tardis
I think Lance was right. Today, it’s much more different. They’re very homoerotic on stage. Not sure if that’s the right word, but they have no problem touching each other it seems. So, I actually don’t think it would hurt them. Who knows?!
Dixie Rect
I guess this is the only way Lance can get press or attention? You can only say you were a back up singer for Justin Timberlake for so long.
MK Ultra
Here’s the thing about marketing to teenage girls and young women today – they just want a fantasy boyfriend, so gay or straight doesn’t matter as long as they can fantasize he’s singing to them.
Some prefer the gay guy because they know there will be no “competition” from other females.
Some young females find it cute, others find it sexy.
But you know the ones behind the scenes, controlling everything are usually about 5 years behind the public.
LadyL
@MK Ultra: I think your analysis is spot-on, including the observation about the Powers That Be typically being the last to know.
And I don’t for a second believe that Lance Bass doesn’t know how laughably off he is in his estimation of the fan base. He can’t be that big an idiot and breathe.
charlie947
@BritAus: Niall is literally the straightest out if all of them. xD Louis & Harry are both gay and together and Zayn is most likely bi (at least bicurious).
charlie947
@BritAus: Niall is literally the straightest out if all of them. xD Louis & Harry are both gay and together and Zayn is most likely bi (at least bicurious). @singforfood: Ummm you do realise that just because you like girls, doesn’t mean you can’t like boys, too right? You should see how Zayn is/was around Liam.
charlie947
@tardis: I am so late to this, but as a directioner and a Larry believer (I strongly believe Louis & Harry are a real life couple – I’m not going to go into all the proof, but there’s plenty of pretty damn convincing stuff on the Internet) day, I want to point that touching each other and playing gay for fan-service is very different than actually coming out as gay. Many girls enjoy the fantasy of two men together, but two men actually being together is perplexing for a lot of people. Even our part of the fandom (the Larry shippers) treats the boys like characters in a movie/book sometimes. I don’t think they/we do it intentionally, but I see it all the time. Harry and Louis ignore each other for an hour during a concert – well that must mean they are miserable and they’ve broken up. They spend time in different countries and hang out with friends? Okay, are they dating those people instead?
Point is: people are okay if men pretend to be gay to be funny and cute and whatever, but are not ACTUALLY gay. And a lot of people don’t seem to understand how long-term relationships work, either…