After over a decade of speculation around his sexuality Ricky Martin, a celebrated Puerto Rican performer, described himself as "a fortunate homosexual man" in a post on his website. Reactions from some LGBT Americans, as gauged by their comments on reports made by the preeminent LGBT news blog Advocate.com, have been mixed. Opinions range from congratulatory notes to more vitriolic rants about Ricky's apparently coward attempt to conceal his sexual orientation at a time when gay people were making real strides in gaining acceptance in mainstream America while building his career. Being gay is not like being African-American or Chinese-American in the sense that no one knows that you are gay (well, let's just assume for argument's sake) unless you tell them. At the height of the Black civil rights movement the individual was made aware of their stigmatized status at a very young age and more or less had ample time to come to terms with it within a community. On the other hand, there isn't always a community to fall back on when one decides to identify as gay. The process of coming to terms with this new identity is often a challenging one, made all the more difficult when one's life could be adversely affected if they publicly identity as "gay". This is most evident for celebrities who realistically perceive that it is possible to lose their careers if they come out.
I find identity markers of race and sexuality problematic. I understand well that assuming a stigmatized identity and fighting against an apathetic and sometimes antagonistic majority as a community is important. However, when do societies become tolerant enough that assuming a minority identity, and going to any length to prove that difference is not a bad thing is no longer relevant? "Black" people are different from "White" people, but not in a way that I consider relevant when considering the abilities of an individual and the potential to interact with them on a level plane. Overall, we are not that different. However, after convincing ourselves that we are different for generations in order to present an organized front against white supremacy can a Black person ever return to just being another individual?
On April 2, the Advocate published "Five Tasks for Ricky Now That He's Out." I'll mention the four that are relevant to my argument.
2: Expand the Focus of the Ricky Martin Foundation to focus on fighting for the rights of gay youths around the world.
3: Sit down with Oprah and give the world a glimpse at what an intelligent, successful gay father looks like.
4: Give a Speech or Two About Gay Rights
5: Make a Sexy Music Video ... With a Man
Why should Ricky have to reframe his life and redirect his personal efforts now that he has confirmed longtime suspicions that he is gay? While it is true that he may have suppressed his desire to participate more extensively in LGBT causes so as not to inflame speculations, it could also be that his passions lie elsewhere. It is irrefutable that celebrities are in a position to influence public perceptions of LGBT people, but not everyone is comfortable becoming an activist and no once should be forced to be one. If Ricky Martin chooses to continue without change it doesn't mean he is a coward and it shouldn't mean that he shirking responsibilities as a "gay" celebrity. The man hasn't been publicly out for a week and yet we are already chiming in about how we think he should be living his (new) life. The media, which now includes the common man as people are able to voice their opinions freely through blogs and comment threads found on the websites of established news sources is actively critiquing his decision to come out, therefore making his sexuality a much larger issue than it needs to be (after all, we claim me always knew anyway).
If I don't speak Ebonics and I find it easy to make friends with "White" people I must be trying to be "White. If I am gay but I don't fit many gay stereotypes it must be that I am hiding my inner queen. If Ricky Martin is going to be openly gay he must use his fame for the advancement of LGBT rights in America and Latin America because it is his duty as a gay celebrity. I disagree.
How can we ever claim to have control of our identities when there are always people telling us how we should be living in order to fit some pre-designed model of how to (truly) be a part of any given community? Who will send the memo when it is no longer necessary to come out as gay and evolve into an identifiable gay person who people can learn to accept despite their apparent difference? When an individual belongs to more than one minority identities why do we still expect them to identify strongly with one?
It'll be interesting to see how his career develops from now on, and how the media chooses to portray him now that he has formally joined the growing list of out gay and lesbian celebrities.
At the end of the day we all have some agency to decide how we want to identify ourselves. Nevertheless, society makes a valiant effort to put us into boxes into which we do not all neatly fit.
"Do you think this man is gay?"
I think you're bumping up against an issue that has intrigued me for a long time: who owns identity? We've been raised in this culture, at this moment in time, to believe that our identities are our own creations. That they are individually owned and operated. In the case of Ricky Martin and his "new" gayness, the question is, as you point out, who gets to own that gayness? Who gets to direct it? Make meaning of it? Our first response is to say "Ricky Martin and no one but Ricky Martin." That is the principled answer, informed by the values of the culture we live in. On a personal level, this is my answer, too. But when I begin to think more broadly about identity and how it is owned and operated I begin to understand it as a social rather than an individual construct -- socially owned and socially operated. This is a hard pill to swallow, as we all want to believe that we are free, self-determining agents. But are we really? I hope that your blog will take up this question at least once before you're through.
ReplyDeleteWhile I understand Gocsik's point about identity in a social context, I can't bring myself to think that my identity *should* be owned by the public. Others may control who they THINK I am, but they don't control who I am -- my essence, my actions, my beliefs, my lifestyle. Nor should they.
ReplyDeleteWe can't ever understand everything about a person, and just because Ricky Martin is in the public eye in one respect (e.g. as a singer) doesn't mean that he then turns over every detail his personal life to the world as well.
@ Gocsik: It's my consideration of those very questions that led to me starting this blog. The more I reflect and write, the more I realize something that doesn't seem so scary anymore- I don't own my identity.
ReplyDelete@nhmediablog: I'll have to disagree with you on the first half of your comment. Who you are in a social context is almost entirely dependent on how you are perceived to be. How people approach you, interact with you, and remember you has nothing to do with who you think you are. I'm not sure Gocsik was arguing that your identity should be owned by the public- it's more of a reasoned observation. Your essence, your actions, your beliefs and your lifestyle are all heavily shaped by that which you are exposed to. This is precisely the reason why we change over time. The context changes. Our influences change. Perhaps you could argue that you control the extent of that change, or if you want to change at all, but I would say- who you become is directly related to who and what you are exposed to. Even when you "choose" to maintain your essence, you are reacting to new influences that you do not want to affect you. You are the person society molds you to be.
Ricky wont have to turn over every detail of his life to the world, but his public image is no longer in his control. First we were exposed to him, then we decided who we think he is/should be. Stability. Now he's gay, so we have to reevaluate what we think of him. We're the ones stepping back and judging him- "Ricky Martin" is at our mercy.
I agree with you Jaja. I think the Advocate's task for Ricky Martin are ridiculous. Just because he has come out as gay, doesn't mean that he has to become a gay activist. His confession does not have to change his actions. I think that he can continue to act exactly the same way as he did before the confession.
ReplyDelete