Robby Rogers - happy to be out and being honest with people

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Retired gay soccer pro Robby Rogers: “I’m just happy to be out and being honest with people”

By Greg Hernandez on Mar 30, 2013 2:08 pm

It was in mid-February that soccer pro Robby Rogers posted a ‘Letter Of Life’ to his Web site and publicly came out to the world as a gay man.

Then he retired which means there has still not been a single male player in a major team sport in the US to come out while still an active player.

Rogers does not rule out the possibility of coming back but he tells The New York Times that, right now, it is not a priority for him. He hopes “people will understand that I need to be a little selfish about this.”

“I’m definitely not closing any doors,” he said. “Maybe I will go back. Right now, I’m just happy to be out and being honest with people. But just because I’m out doesn’t mean I’m 100 percent healthy. It’s been 25 years that I haven’t been myself. Twenty-five years of lying. That’s really, really hard.”

He shares the pressure of remaining closeted to everyone who knew him including family and close friends.

“I’m a Catholic, I’m a conservative, I’m a footballer and I’m gay,” he said. “Imagine living all that time with just a cramp in your stomach. I kept thinking, I hope I don’t do something that makes people wonder, is Robbie gay?”

He added: “I was never close to coming out before. Never. I never went to any gay bars, never hooked up with a guy. It was so unhealthy and so bad that I felt this way. Two years ago, I would have thought that I would never come out during my entire life.”

Last summer, Rogers finally accepted who he was and told someone he was gay. “Technically, the first person was some girl I met at a bar,” he said, laughing. “I told her I was gay, and she still tried to hook up with me. It was weird.”

Here’s my favorite quote in the story: “I’ve played in Olympics and won championships, but I’ve told people, forget all of that: telling my family was the best thing I’ve ever done in my life. And posting that letter was second.”

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I'm so happy for him.

But I really really understand the last part.

“I was never close to coming out before. Never. I never went to any gay bars, never hooked up with a guy. It was so unhealthy and so bad that I felt this way. Two years ago, I would have thought that I would never come out during my entire life.”

Well, I think if I were 20 years younger, I would.....

Greg interviewd Victor Garber

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How my interview w/Victor Garber got interesting

By Greg Hernandez on Jan 14, 2013 2:02 pm

I didn’t plan on asking Victor Garber about his private life.

Last week during the TV Critics Association Press Tour in Pasadena, the actor was onstage with the cast of the new NBC drama Deception and I knew that I’d want to chat with him one-on-one after the panel.

So I quickly looked at his Wikipedia page and there it was: ‘He lives in New York with his companion of 13 years, Rainer Andreesen.’ I then found all kinds of photos of this most handsome couple together.

I wondered, ‘Did he come out publicly and I missed it?’

After the panel, I still had that question in mind as I talked to Garber about the new series, his role in Argo and whether or not he was going to do a guest spot on Smash which was also stated on Wikipedia.

“Wikipedia is bullshit,’ Garber said in telling me he was not doing Smash.

We were being rushed off the stage so the next panel could be set up so I thanked him and we parted ways. I sat down but couldn’t help wondering: “Did he come out and I missed it?”

So I got up, walked into the lobby of the Langham Huntington Hotel and found Garber. I just decided to ask him: “Wikipedia lists Rainer Andreesen as your partner. I wondered if that’s something that’s public, that you’ve confirmed.”

He seemed surprised by the question but said: ‘I don’t really talk about it but everybody knows.”

Garber then added: “He’s going to be out here with me for the SAG Awards.”

So in the end, our chat ended up being a bit more interesting than I thought it would be!

Here is some of what else he had to say:

On his new series, NBC’s Deception: “I’m a lucky actor, I work. But this is the first series that’s come along since Eli Stone, three years ago, that I really wanted to do. It was smart, it was interesting, it was dynamic and it wasn’t like the show was going to rest on me. I thought this was the perfect thing at this point in my life. It had everything I like: the complexity of the character, the family drama, all of the duplicity. For an actor, it’s like getting a dessert – like getting what you hope for and rarely get. I love to work and I love the idea of going to work every day and also the fact that I get to do it in New York. ‘It’s like a gift. I feel like I won the lottery.’

On being in the cast of Argo: ‘It’s such a gratification because of my relationship with Ben (Affleck) and Jennifer (Garner) to see him emerge now as one of the great directors which I’ve always felt since Gone Baby Gone. To be a part of it is like the icing on the cake. It’s incredibly thrilling for me. And the fact that people love the movie so much means the world.’

Jeremy Sheffield

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Monday Morning Man: Jeremy Sheffield!
By Greg Hernandez on Nov 28, 2011 12:00 am

Somehow, I got caught up watching The Wedding Date on television last night – a movie starring Debra Messing as a woman who hires a handsome male escort (Dermott Mulroney) to accompany her to her sister’s wedding.

She does this to make the man who dumped her jealous and he is portrayed by today’s Morning Man Jeremy Sheffield, an English actor and former ballet dancer.

The 45-year-old actor is openly gay but has played mostly straight roles in such films as The Wedding Date, The Children, Last Chance Harvey and Creep and on the British drama series Holby Hills.

He participated on the ITV competition Dancing on Ice last year and has just joined the long-running series Coronation Street.

“I found that LA and Hollywood were particularly homophobic,” Jeremy said in a 2003 interview with Attitude Magazine. “It’s a high-risk industry with big budgets at stake, and there’s a fear – underlined by homophobia – of testing that theory. And I’m presuming that it’s the money people who aren’t prepared to take that risk, simply because it hasn’t been done before.

An article from Greg in Hollywood

Welsh rugby player Jed Hooper comes out!

By Greg Hernandez on Nov 3, 2011 12:02 am

 

I’m a few days late with this item but I wanted to offer my congratulations to Welsh rugby star Jed Hooper who came out publicly this week.

He follows in the footsteps of recently-retired rugby star Gareth Thomas who is also from Wales.

Jed is just 22 and captain of the Welsh rugby team the Old Redcliffians.

He explained to the Bristol Post what motivated him to come out: “I met someone earlier this year who said he could not be with someone who was in the closet. That, basically, was the catalyst that I needed. Before that, I think I had already told about ten friends and their reaction was very positive so that gave me an inkling of what might happen. And I also thought if the crap really hits the fan then at least there are ten people on my side!”

You’ve got a lot more than that Jed!

An article from Greg in Hollywood

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Cyndi Lauper talks: “I have had a very long and enduring love affair with the LGBT community.”
By Greg Hernandez on Apr 9, 2011 12:02 am

One of my favorite events of the year is the LA Gay & Lesbian Center’s Evening With Women which benefits its services for women which include legal assistance, domestic violence services, health and services and cultural arts programs.

I have some wonderful memories from past events including interviewing Sharon Stone one year and Ann and Nancy Wilson last year. Two years ago Christina Aguilera performed and she did not forget a single lyric!

This year’s event takes place on April 16 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel and I’m especially excited because the great Cyndi Lauper, one of our most beloved straight allies, will be performing!

Cyndi did a wide-ranging interview in advance of the event with The Center. Here are a few highlights:

On being an LGBT ally: “I have had a very long and enduring love affair with the LGBT community. The community has been there for me throughout my career, and I hope that I have been there for the community whenever they have needed me. I am inspired by the community’s unwavering ability to never give up, especially in light of so much discrimination and hatred in the world.”

On True Colors Tour: “The True Colors Tour will be back, but in a new and exciting way. We are currently in the planning stages and hope you have something to announce soon. As for hints, think ‘one singular sensation’.”

On the ‘We Give a Damn’ Campaign: “We just celebrated our first anniversary on April 1 and were looking back on what was accomplished in that time. It is amazing to see so many people take part in the campaign and tell their stories to their family and friends about why they support equality. We have been very fortunate to have many celebrities take part and we are deeply grateful for their support. It has been wonderful to see so many of my peers in the entertainment industry step up and help spread the message of equality. I have not been surprised, but I have been very moved by their commitment to the cause.

On the apartment building for LGBT youth that she’s building in Harlem: “It is the first type of housing like this in New York specifically for LGBT youth. It is almost built and will open this summer. We are very excited to finally open the doors.”

An article from Greg in Hollywood

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In interview with The Advocate, Richard Chamberlain doesn't advise leading men to come out
By Greg Hernandez on Dec 22, 2010 2:12 pm


When he was a hot, young leading man on television’s Dr. Kildare then later on such classic miniseries as The Thorn Birds and Shogun, actor now openly gay actor Richard Chamberlain remained firmly in the closet.

In a new interview with Brandon Voss for The Advocate, the now 76-year-old Chamberlain surprisingly advises gay actors who are leading man types to do in 2010 what he did in the 60s, 70s, and 80s: stay in the closet!

“It’s complicated,” he says. “There’s still a tremendous amount of homophobia in our culture. It’s regrettable, it’s stupid, it’s heartless, and it’s immoral, but there it is. For an actor to be working is a kind of miracle, because most actors aren’t, so it’s just silly for a working actor to say, “Oh, I don’t care if anybody knows I’m gay” — especially if you’re a leading man. Personally, I wouldn’t advise a gay leading man-type actor to come out.”

Brandon follows up by asking: “When can a leading man come out – when he’s 69 and promoting a memoir?” (As Chamberlain did in 2004 with Shattered Faith)

“I have no idea,” the actor says. “Despite all the wonderful advances that have been made, it’s still dangerous for an actor to talk about that in our extremely misguided culture. Look at what happened in California with Proposition 8. Please, don’t pretend that we’re suddenly all wonderfully, blissfully accepted.”

Arrrg! With the success of such openly gay stars as Neil Patrick Harris, John Barrowman, Alan Cumming and others who can play straight or gay roles, this is exactly the kind of attitude that will never change things.

I wish Chamberlain, who will be guest-starring on ABC’s Brothers & Sisters as a love interest for Saul (Ron Rifkin), were more encouraging of actors coming and working to help change this viewpoint. Maybe B&S cast member, the openly gay Luke Macfarlane, can talk some sense into him!

To read the rest of Brandon’s interview with Chamberlain, go to Advocate.com!