Is life “simpler” for gay people?
According to British actor, comedian, and TV personality David Williams, yes. In fact, he wishes he were gay because everything would be so. Much. Easier.
“I do love women and I’m attracted to women,” Williams said recently to Attitude in an interview, “but sometimes I think it would be simpler if I wasn’t.”
Hmmm. We’re not so sure about that. Sure, being gay has its perks. Dating tends to be less stressful. Sex is easier to come by. Plus we don’t have to worry about accidentally getting someone pregnant.
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But then there are all those other things about being gay that aren’t so great. You know, stuff like homophobia, hate crimes, the constant threat of having your rights taken away, the increased risk for HIV/AIDS, being disowned by your family, the potential for being passed over for a job because of your voice, or, you know, having your sexuality turned into the butt of a joke.
Related: Can a “gay-sounding voice” cost you your job?
Williams also tells Attitude that a lot of people mistakenly think he’s gay.
“People think I’m gay and I’m camp,” he says.
In 2013, he told the Daily Mail a similar story, explaining, “I’ve always been effeminate, and I think people confuse effeminacy with homosexuality, like they go hand-in-hand.”
But, alas, despite his effeminacy, Williams says he is not a homosexual.
In fact, he was married to Dutch model Lara Stone for five years and the two have a three-year-old son together, and he’s currently rumored to be dating Norwegian model Sylvia Flote.
A straight, white dude who only dates supermodels complaining about how he wishes he were gay…
ingyaom
CORRECTION: His name is David Walliams, not David Williams.
Xzamilloh
Context matters. He’s clearly saying that it would be simpler if he were gay, not being gay in general. His manners and flamboyancy have people thinking he is gay all of the time, so I imagine it would get tiresome constantly having to correct people, especially women who wouldn’t see you as a viable partner, but as a gay best friend or some stupid mess like that. David Williams is a cool guy, and an ally, so how about cooling it with the constant poking and prodding and dissecting of everything someone says?
Xzamilloh
*Walliams
Damn autocorrect. I know what I’m doing lol
galileo
Absolutely right. This is exactly how I read it, he is clearly not saying that it is simpler being gay in general, but that as everyone assumes he is gay already then it would be simpler if he was to be so.
I think a David Grant has skim read the original story and found some faux outrage.
PRINCE OF SNARKNESS aka DIVKID
Yup but the outrage machine/sanctimonious shark must continue to grind/swim forward otherwise it breaks/dies. Twofer metaphor big bargain sale!!!!!!!
RexMovesSlow
Totally agree. He better be glad he’s not gay so he doesn’t have to feel the need to visit sites like this which find it impossible to be warm or positive about anything other than bulging speedos.
Eldred
David Grant must have really long arms to do this kind of reaching.
yeshuavan
Do better next time queerty, this is a reach if there ever was one.
broadshoulder
Qwerty gets it wrong again
He’s been bisexual for ages. I’d say he was straight with gay overtones. Him and Matt Lucas have been hamming it up for ten years now in Britain
And it’s walliams not williams
CanadianGuy62
“Him” and Matt Lucas?! It’s one thing to speak using poor grammar (and betray your low intellect) but to write in that same fashion? Wow!
FnameLname
How does Qwerty get it wrong when David W. clearly stated that he was straight? As far as the Matt Lucas story goes I wonder if either of them are aware of this?
strix1
Had no idea David was straight…Simon always teases him on BGT and he outright flirts with the male talent…contestants. Not that a str8 guy can’t flirt with another guy for their own amusement or the amusement of others. His last name was Williams but someone else had the same name in the acting industry so he changed it to Walliams.
whatsaywhat
Another article alerting us to be “offended” about something completely innocuous.
Whoever wrote it probably some useless liberal arts grad who has no idea who David Walliams is, not any clue about Walliams’ style of humor. They’ve judged him based on 1. his sexuality (straight) and
2.the people he has sexual relationships with (attractive female models)
That’s it. Whoever wrote this is a silly over-sensitive twit with no sense of humour.
mhoffman953
Why did the author have to point out the man’s race? How did the fact that he’s white add relevance or nuance to this story?
Raphael
It’s all about the level of “easiness”. Being straight, no matter skin color, is easy. Being straight AND white is even easier than if he were black. It makes perfect sense to emphasize how “simple” his life is. But that being said, I agree that the quote was taken out of context and he not meant to sound as bad as it did.
whatsaywhat
You need to throw out all the labels you can if you want to win in the Victim Olympics.
WindsorOntario
Right! Being gay is easier huh? Let’s see…hardly any selection to choose from, and what is out there is mostly pompous guys with very rude attitudes and unrealistic expectations regarding who they’re going to find to date; throw in a little entitlement because gay men have this personality that they expect either the best or nothing at all – since they’re highly educated, high income and have a perfect home, they expect their date to have the same plus a perfect body…which results in the reality that most of us aren’t finding anything. With only 1-2 percent of the male population identifying as gay, that’s virtually nothing.
Donston
The dating pool for non-closeted, non-obsessed with hetero-dynamics, non-depressive, non-narcissistic, level-headed, monogamous homo men is indeed tiny as hell. That’s why I put a ring on my husband as quick as reasonable.
davidjohng
Let’s not forget to add “dysfunctional…drug and alcohol dependency, etc” to your list. The fact is a lot of us stay in relationships because we, through HARD experience, know what the reality is out there in this so-called “community”. Just another hurdle to jump for gay men (really gay people in general).
Donston
A lot of people do seem to have the attitude that being gay is an “easier lifestyle”, which is absurd unless you grow up in a not too religious environment, in a fully accepting family, don’t care about monogamy, is conventionally good-looking, have money and are white. However, that doesn’t seem to be where this guy is coming from.
Donston
Also, it is amazing how a site that frequently promotes internalized homophobia and hetero-worship just as often tells people to be offended.
RexMovesSlow
I’m afraid this is why I rarely look at your site anymore. He didnt say it was groundbreaking or that anyone should be grateful. He just shared his thoughts. You at Queerty are so negative. The queer media has become a massive part of the problem. Are you all frustrated with your lives or do you think this is what we want?
Sluggo2007
Something tells me that Queerty is written by uneducated, gay teenagers.
Donston
The media in general has become a problem, entirely driven by sensationalism and click-bait. But “queer” media has been particularly problematic in recent years and is doing more harm than good: telling people when they should be offended, the constant promotion of sex and partying instead of promoting self-acceptance and mental health and physical health and promoting actually loving someone of the same gender, the hetero-worship, the refusal to dive into very real problems like internalized homophobia and self-destructive behaviors. Queerty is simply the worst.