In recent years, there has been a pressure put on celebrities to come out. The reasoning for this is to call out a celebrity for their alleged behavior or to address a rumor about them. If they don’t, many are labeled as queer-baiters (someone who acts stereotypically queer to get attention) or are harassed by fans to tell their audience their sexuality. Coming out is a very private event for people and everyone should be able to do it on their own time. Fans need to remember that celebrities are still human beings and they do not owe their fanbase any private information.
One example of this has been actor Kit Connor, who was forced by fans to come out. Connor, who plays a bisexual character in the show Heartstopper, was called out as being a “queer-baiter” because he was benefiting from playing a queer character on the show while having a girlfriend. Following this, Connor posted on his twitter account (now deleted) saying “Back for a minute. I’m bi. Congrats for forcing an 18 year old to out himself. I think some of you missed the point of the show. Bye.” Because Connor was facing criticism from the media, he had no other choice but to come out. If he didn’t, he could have lost brand deals and roles just because the media wanted to call out a teenager for something false. Many people need to learn to keep their opinions quiet and let celebrities live their lives, especially when they are barely an adult like Conner.You may think you know everything about a celebrity, but they are a stranger to you. You don’t know them and don’t know their situation, so just leave them and their sexuality alone. If someone hasn’t commented on it, it is probably for a reason that isn’t any of your business.
Another person who has been subject of queer-baiting has been Billie Eilish. Recently Eilish has come out, and once again it was because of queer-baiting rumors. In one of Eilish’s music videos, she is surrounded by a bunch of femme presenting friends dancing. Eilish displayed her sexuality through this music video and fans were upset. Eilish recently made a statement during a red carpet interview that she didn’t feel the need to come out because she doesn’t believe in labels. “Why can’t we just exist?” Eilish said. Later Eilish took to social media describing how she was annoyed at being outed during the interview. The need for fans to know everything about their favorite celebrity just seems exhausting, especially when they don’t want to address it.
Lastly, Harry Styles. Styles is known for expressing his feminine side, which has led fans into thinking he may be queer. He wears dresses and other feminine attire, that men don’t traditionally wear. Even though Styles presents himself this way, that does not mean he is queer. By suggesting this, it is not only offensive, but it reinstates the toxic idea that straight men shouldn’t dress in a feminine way because it makes them weak. This is not only a sexist mindset, but it is homophobic as well. There have also been long standing rumors that he has been in a relationship with his former bandmate Louis Tomlinson. Although these rumors have no proof and have made both of the artists very uncomfortable, fans continue to “ship” them and sexualize their friendship.
This common obsession with knowing celebrities’ sexuality has developed into an offensive trend that harms them and their private life. It is important to have famous queer figures, but there is no need to harass young celebrities who do not yet feel comfortable discussing their private lives with millions of people on the internet. The bottom line is: please stop demanding things from celebrities because even though you are a fan, you are not entitled to know every detail in their life.
