Michael Stipe, for those of you who don’t know who he is, shame on you, –is the frontman for R.E.M. and a very talented and wise man at that. Although I’ve always had my suspicions about his orientation, and honestly, -who hasn’t? –this still comes as somewhat of a shock, because of all the years Michael has been discreet about his sexuality. From Us Magazine:
“R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe has come out of the closet.
“It was super complicated for me in the ’80s,” he tells Spin. “I was totally open with the band and my family and my friends and certainly the people I was sleeping with. I thought it was pretty obvious.”
The singer, who had always deflected questions about his sexual orientation, says he “didn’t always see” how coming out could help others.
“But I see now, of course, that’s the case,” he says. “I’d just never felt strongly enough about a particular relationship to say, ‘Yeah, he’s my boyfriend, that is what it is.’
“Now I recognize that to have public figures be very open about their sexuality helps some kid somewhere out there.”
The band recently played the South by Southwest Music festival.
They release their next album, Accelerate, on April 1.”
I appreciate very much that Michael Stipe is revealing his orientation towards same sex relationships, openly for the right reasons. As you’ll recall I’m sure, I hate J.K. Rowling for her PR-based and sudden announcement of the sexual orientation of a fictional character. As if that in any way, shape, or form will help her in the future. She did -not- comment on her reasoning, so I can only assume that it was highly flawed, and if there’s anyone out there who can prove me wrong, please do. Otherwise, Michael Stipe is still a brilliant man, for opening up to the world, and giving people everywhere hope for a non-biased future for gays and lesbians.
Sorry, but seriously, “WTF?” had to be in the title. WTF is J.K. Rowling even talking about? Children around the world right now are standing in awe and disbelief as conservative parents burn their Harry Potter series in the front yard. What on Earth was this woman even thinking? Is she serious? Is it a media ploy? It worked. The author literally, told a young fan, that Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, icon to children on a global scale, is gay. What, in the name of all that is innocent and non-diluted by recockulous political statements, is wrong with this woman? From People: