Jodie Foster outed (again)?

i cannot believe whoever at 'out' decided this was a good idea! i mean really, people don't have to come out to the world and wave their banner about. it is personal choice, and whether or not jodie or anderson are gay isn't the point. outing people without the said person having ANYTHING to do with it is completely disrespectful. i hope the magazine is prepared for a huge backlash for doing this!

plus, i don't know half the people on the list, and for perez hilton to be on it is laughable! ellen should be #1 anyway ;)

This is an extreme invasion of privacy and completely disrespectful. Why call out Jodie and Anderson? There are a TON of public figures whom the gay community has known/suspected for years of being gay, but have not technically come out yet. Isn't coming out supposed to be a personal decision? It's just as rude as if they broke down the door of "jane nobody" in middle america and outed them to the world. It's cruel and insensitive.

I wish Jodie would just "come out and play" with the rest of us, but it is not my decision to make. It is hers. If she chooses to go "don't ask don't tell" then it is her perogative. I would have been mortified if someone outed me to my family before I said anything myself.......it's just so.......oooo (can't think of any strong enough words).

Anyway the list is a joke ...I mean really a porn star??? Plus the lack of people of color, and low count of lesbians must mean this mag was obvious not trying to get my attention.

generally speaking, i enjoy Out magazine, but this is just way too invasive. Its like the front of any ridiculous tabloid. This sort of journalism really ought to be more likened to trolling than anything else.

i certainly would not have appreciated having my face plastered on the front of any periodical when i was still in the closet. we need to respect our community and realize that everyone, celebrity or not, has the choice to keep their sexuality undisclosed.

i would expect this sort of bullshit from US or People or I don't know.. Star, but not from Out. Come on guys, show a little fucking respect.

OK, this is mostly a gay male magazine? That explains why i only know (some of) the women mentioned. LOL

Has actually someone in an interview (not movie promotion, that I'd consider tactless, but a real interview) once asked Ms. Foster:

"Ms. Foster are you gay/ a lesbian?" or better (Some people don't do labels.) "Are you in a relationship with a woman?"

It's not such a hard question to ask, is it? I know i don't tell as long as i am not asked.

As for the so called "Outing" of Jodie Foster this topic has been discussed for nearly 20 years now. It's hardly a secret. I bet 'she' is only on the cover and list for money making reasons.

I agree Out should not have included people who are not openly out. They seem to be taking a page from Perez Hilton. Just because he's popular, though, doesn't mean others should imitate him.

The lack of diversity is also troubling. How on Earth could Out leave Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin off the list, for one?

Dana Rudolph

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Horrible.

An amazing double-standard.

Jeezus. It's not like they're publishing a sex video. The point isn't that it's offensive or not but that we all KNOW shes gay and yet she's not saying so. That's a larger discussion than the whole privacy thing. which isn't really an issue anyway 'cuz speculation is not invasion.

Why are lesbians so easily offended???????

Okay, guess I'll jump in with both feet but, be warned, I have my boxing gloves at the ready...

Other than the idiocy of some of their picks, I don't see anything wrong with the listing of Jodie or Anderson.  They didn't put anyone on the list who isn't out in the exact same way that an average joe/jane living in America is considered out.  You're out when your family, friends, co-workers, etc. know you are gay.  That is all true for Jodie (I don't know much about Anderson, so I'll leave that to someone else). 

Jodie is completely open to her family, her friends, her co-workers (which in this case consists of the entirety of the entertainment industry).  She has never merkin-ed up.  She is often photographed out and about with Cydney and the kids.  She brings Cydney to parties and film openings, etc.  She's out.  I didn't have to put out a press release or blatantly explain that I sleep with women to every person I passed on the street to be considered out.  Did you? 

If I was in a situation to have people continuously asking about my personal life my answer would be, 'You know, I'm a private person and would like to keep my private life private.  Thank you.'  In other words, I don't want you bothering the people I love with this shit, so let's just leave them out of it.  That's not a denial, that's being a private person.  You know, just like the private hetero stars who don't talk about their private lives and their loved ones in interviews. 

Those who want everything kept so hush hush, even when it is already a known fact, seem to be promoting the idea that gay is an evil thing that must be hidden.  You know, she's also never directly said the words "I am a woman" so I guess articles should stop refering to her as that as well since, even though it is a known fact, she's never directly stated it. 

Anyway, she's out, they listed her.  Big deal.  Notice who they didn't list?  The rumored stars who live closeted lives and pretend they are heterosexual even when it is a pretty well known fact that they aren't.  You know, the ones that try to sue people over such things.   

i can understand outing people who do things that directly affect other gay people negatively (like gay politicians who support anti-gay legislation, gay preachers who preach hatred of gay people, etc.). but really, jodie and anderson? really? that's the best they could do?

and as many have said, it's not exactly a secret with jodie. she has always been tight-lipped with the media, which is not surprising given her history with being stalked (and having the president shot in her name). hello???!!!i wouldn't give out much personal detail after that either.

I don't thinking Out-ing anyone is okay, under any circumstances, but this seems to be a bit more complicated than that. Ms. Foster has kept her private life private for a reason, and the fact that she's in a relationship with a woman can be acknowledged but not flaunted.

But then it comes back to an issue of visability. Some in the GLBT community believe in bringing out people's sexuality, and they mean it in a positive way, to gain strength and support for community as well as solidarity. But some people prefer to keep such matters quiet. It reminds me of the Grey's Anatomy issue, and when TR Knight said "I hope the fact that I'm gay isn't the most interesting part of me" it kind up summed up the way I feel about my sexuality when exposed to the rest of the world.

Nobody's really wrong: It's more a matter of finding balance and a middle ground. I think maybe Ms. Foster's requests for privacy and keeping the media away from it made Out's article seem a little agressive and inflamatory. They should have respected her silence in that area; in my opinion, but I doubt that Jodie will make a big deal over one article in one magazine.

I have to sidestep the obvious, and just note that I cancelled my subscription to Out after one year back in 2003 and haven't looked at it since. Why?

After each issue, I would go through the magazine and count the references to (out) Lesbians. I would then write to the all-male editorial staff and ask why so few nods to their Gay sisters.

Not one of the letters I emailed was acknowledged with a response, nor were they printed.

One of the most offending issues only featured women in a fashion layout -- for men. And, the female models were posed in positions being servile to the men.

It's really too bad -- women were a crucial part of originating the magazine. I don't have the entire history of the editorial board at hand, but if my recollection is correct, the editor until the late 90's was a woman that unfortunately died from cancer. Since then, the magazine has made a definite turn to men only.

I subscribed to OUT before the first issue was even printed, but it's a joke now.

A2 Connection: Lesbian Social Network

You said:  Have we reached a tipping point in journalism (or at least, entertainment journalism) in which a celebrity's public statements (or non-statements) on their sexual orientation is irrelevant?

It's still relevant.  If it were irrelevant, Out wouldn't have bothered with the issue, the subject, or these two particular stars.  No tipping point yet, though perhaps we're on our way.

I suppose that's a step in the right direction, towards getting some exposure for lesbians. I've never read Out, I probably would if I had more white gay male friends.

Sadly, outing Cooper and Foster seems sensationalist. Who did the research for those pieces? How hard is it to use Google and compile a list? If you type in lesbian, you get lesbian.com and a bunch of other websites (afterellen.com does not come up) . . . seems to me that the women/men who own those sites (and this one) are probably more reportable than people who haven't come out yet.

Two surprises here:

1. Jodie Foster isn't OUT? You're kidding me! Are you sure you aren't confusing "not out" with "sick to death of talking about it already"?

2. Anderson Cooper is GAY?!! I seriously had no idea.

Well what do you know. (More than me, clearly...)

Not Only But Also

Like OutGrrl, I became completely disgusted with Out's lack of lesbian coverage and abandoned it. It became glaringly evident that the male editors had no interest in continuing to cover lesbian stories after Sarah Pettit's unfortunate death. That being said, it'll be intersting to see if the Jodi/Anderson "revelation" gets any play in the mainstream press. Thank you Sarah, for updating us on Friday.

Regarding the outing, I agree with dj shiva on exposing hypocrites like Ken Mehlman and the aide who worked for Rick Santorum. However, Jodi and Anderson prefer to keep their lives as private as a public person can, and I respect that. I think the magazine should have respected it, too.

"As far as I can remember the fact that Jodie Foster is a lesbian has been well known."

You would be surprised at how many ppl do not either acknowledge she is a lesbian, or just have no idea. For many ppl, a gay person has to get up on the roof tops, and shout:"I'm queer",before they will believe that they're gay!