The Problem With Perez
Sometimes the gay media pisses me off in a major way. What did they do now? Well, Out.com recently recognized Perez Hilton as one of the most influential gay people in this country. He even got the royal treatment by the folks at Out.com (check out the following picture), and that's what I object to.
Now, in all fairness to Mr. Lavandeira (aka Perez Hilton), I have to acknowledge that his blog, Perezhilton.com, is one of the most popular blogs on the web. Is he influential? Well, I'll give him some credit. He gets a lot of attention from the main stream media. He was on the view and he appears on MTV and other popular news and entertainment outlets on a regular basis. So, from a very objective perspective, I'd say that he is influential. But does that mean he should be honored by the gay media?
Funny thing is, he is every activist's dream. He's out, proud, and successful. Oh, but it gets better. The man doesn't hide his sexuality. Many have seen a side of Perez Hilton that's too disgusting to describe on this blog. My point is: he is not asexual. I read somewhere that's he's getting his own show. That's impressive. So, should we kiss his ass? I don't think so. I contend that he is not an asset to the LGBT community. I'm sorry, but simply being out and proud shouldn't be some sort of badge of honor. I think it's great that's he's out. It's always wonderful to see someone who's comfortable with his or her sexuality, but we shouldn't just shower someone with praise for being out. He is not a good role model for LGBT people in this (or any) country. He's a smart internet personality. Good for him, but why does the gay media have to jump on the "I love Perez" band wagon.
I'm fully aware that Perez is a part of our community, whether we like it or not. The LGBT community is not a monolith. We are a very diverse group of people, and Perez will always have a place in our community. My beef is with the gay media and the writers who work for and/or are associated with them. These individuals often serve as representatives of the entire LGBT community. And that's a shame. They only represent a segment of our community. It's interesting that Perez Hilton is Hispanic American but contributes nothing significant to the plight of gay men and Lesbians of Hispanic descent. I'm not saying Perez is obligated to do anything; I'm just pointing out that he's just a successful American blogger who has nothing meaningful to contribute to any cause. Where are other gay people of color? Don't they exist? They have a very different perspective that's rarely heard. How about gay people who can't be out for various reasons. This large group of gay men and lesbians may not be out to the world, but they are on the internet consuming gay culture. They are a part of our community.
Labels: Celebrities, Culture, Gay, Gold, Homosexuality, News
8 Comments:
Great post Marius.....I think many would agree.
It is so shallow to me how people who get a lot of attention are considered influential. Never mind what kind of attention it is...
I am not prepared to say that Perez Hilton shouldn't be out there (in all the ways that we mean "out"). What does interest me, though, is the way that he is so valued by the mainstream media. Indeed, I am not sure that many queer folk really do follow him all that much (Out magazine aside (which many (most?) gay men consider fairly irrelevant to their daily lives anyway).
I also wonder about the ways that race plays into this image . . . I think you bring up an important point about his relationship to Latinos of color. Alas, though, I have stayed intentionally ignorant of most of his shenanigans and can't really comment fully.
okay, so i read perez hilton on occasion - i went through a couple of weeks where i checked in daily, but then i just went back to the snarkfest at thesuperficial.com.
two things: Perez is way into being gay, and way into being hispanic. He titles pictures of hot celebs with the tag "yummy yummy screw." he comments on how he'd like to do various gay, suspected-gay or known hetero male celebs. he's done some praiseworthy attempts at encouraging celebs to come out of the closet.
he's also pretty dedicated to supporting Latino/a celebs.
i've fallen away from perezhilton mainly because it's gotten TOO self-promoting, and too samey, and i just don't care anymore. a lot of it IS mindless dribble from a celebrity-nerd (and this is why I agree with marius's questioning of the way perez is being feted in the queer media).
but i DO give him credit for being OUT THERE. it's a little (ok, a lot) stereotypical (queen gushes over madonna! and jessica alba's gowns!).
but there is something ... refreshing? about having a loud out gay man all over the goddamn mainstream media. there just aren't that many of them.
this sounds like i'm saying a shallow stereotype is better than nothing.....and i don't think that. but i don't think perez is all bad.
but i don't think he's all that great, either.
wow! lots of blithering ambivalence from me!
Thanks, everyone, for your comments.
Jinxy, yeah, it's often all about selling magazines. It can be very shallow and superficial.
Gayprof, I should point out that I just don't like Perez Hilton. Maybe I'm being too harsh. But, honestly, the guy is just a media whore.
CB, as I mentioned above, I've always disliked Perez, but you made some good points. I didn't know he supported Latino celebrities. That's a good thing. Also, I like your statement about just being OUT THERE in the main stream media. It is refreshing. However, I still can’t stand him. LOL.
Can't stand the man. I recall his reaction when Posh Spice approached him and asked him straight out why his comments about her were so mean. He just said there dumbfounded and tittered like a girl caught shoplifting.
Ick. I totally agree with you Marius.
I admit to reading Perezhilton.com more than I should. And I hate him too! So, I refuse to click on any advertiser links, for what that's worth. I am surprised that the mainstream media has taken him in - given his comments and posts are so one-sided and nearly misogynistic. It's fine to have favorites and celebrate them, but he also regularly disses certain, generally female, celebrities with a meanness best left to an 8th grade girl. He also regularly calls women whores and sluts - for no apparent reason.
And, I totally agree with CB - he's gotten way to self-promoting. And his attention to detail - such as spelling, grammar, punctuation, facts... has gotten very sloppy. All you need to do is read the comments and see all the corrections he gets. He's got to have a staff writing for him and they are clearly the aforementioned 8th grade girls.
Finally, while he does support Latino and gay celebs - which is great - he dumps on most other groups and then takes umbrage when one of his groups is dumped on. And that gets me back to wondering why the mainstream media takes him seriously - he's completely subjective in his reporting. While this is fine in the blog world, it is antithetical to the goals of professional journalism.
Perez Hilton is a train wreck.
As a gay man, I don't see how any of his gossip reporting has advanced the "gay cause" forward. He's as lame and self promoting as the celebutards he chases for a story.
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