Last week Tevin Campbell, one of my nineties idols came out publicly during an interview. I know a lot of people on here won't even know who Tevin Campbell is unless you lived in America during the 1990s, or like me you lived in Britain and listened to American rnb music. Tevin Campbell was an rnb singer who had hits like Can We Talk? and I'm Ready. He also starred in The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Moesha. Lots of people I know were big Tevin Campbell fans. I admit that had Tevin come out back then, it would have been a huge talking point. And yes he might even have lost fans. Back in those days if you were part of the black community which I'm from, and you were gay or bi, it was very difficult to come out as people weren't as accepting then. So I totally get the predicament that Tevin was in. But the thing is there has been a lot of rumours about his sexuality for years, and there were occasions when Tevin even added fuel to the fire so I think we all knew, and we accepted it because yes, times have changed. But I don't understand why someone's sexuality needs to be announced and why it needs to make the news. We've all come a long way and we're in the year 2022. Attitudes have changed a lot and for the better so I don't get why it still makes headlines.
I remember when Philip Scofield came out on his show and the big fuss that was made about that. No one cared if he was gay or not but the way it was all done, anyone would think we were back in the 1950s!
What does everyone else think about this? And please, no hate. I'm only asking because I'm very accepting of people's sexuality so I don't get why it's still such an issue for other people.
Honestly, I don't care! I know that when we were kids, news of someone being gay was like a major scandal. It didn't matter if it was a celebrity or the guy across the road. But now I really don't know who exactly cares about someone else's sexuality, much less someone they don't even know and have never met.
My two favourite groups are New Kids On The Block and Boyzone. And both groups have a gay member. Stephen Gately from Boyzone was the first person from a boyband (that I know of anyway) to come out. And when he did, the British press went into a frenzy. It was front page news for who knows how many days. His boyfriend who was in a Dutch boyband also came out but I think that in Holland, they have a more relaxed attitude to sexuality. But Stephen was something of a hero because to come out at that time (late nineties) could easily have been the end of his career. A lot of boyband members then couldn't even admit to having a girlfriend never mind a boyfriend! But Stephen paved the way for lots of pop stars to be who they really are and not to have to hide away out of fear, and for that I'm glad. By the time Jonathan Knight from the New Kids came out more than a decade later, people were much more accepting.
I'm also a bit baffled about why it's still headline news. I didn't think it would be. Not in this day and age. I couldn't understand why they made such a song and dance about Philip Schofield. Maybe in the seventies and eighties that was how it was done with this huge announcement and shocked headlines nationwide but we live in very different times now where someone's sexuality - whatever that may be - is not really of much interest to most of us. Maybe the gossips and those who don't have much else to do but not the rest of us!
Thank you all for all your comments on this post. It seems as though everyone is very accepting of people's sexuality. Things have changed a lot over the years and I'm glad. I know that there are still people out there who still hold disapproving viewpoints, and while they might be entitled to their opinion, unpleasantness and bigotry is never acceptable. And while I'm glad that things have changed in a positive sense, it still doesn't explain why the press are so concerned about who people are getting jiggy with! Surely a celebrity's sexuality isn't going to sell that many papers these days!
In the time that we live in, whether a celebrity is gay, straight or whatever doesn't really need to be discussed. That's what I think anyways. They're here to make movies, music etc. that we can enjoy for our entertainment. What they do in their private lives is up to them and we need to respect that. Although if they wish to go public with that then it's up to them. But I don't see why it needs to make the 6 0'clock news like it's something so scandalous.
I'm not so familiar with the singer in question, but I'm old enough to remember a time when people's careers could really suffer if the truth about their sexuality were to come out. As a result a lot of people lived in fear of being exposed. I remember what happened with Michael Barrymore which weren't too dissimilar to Philip Schofield's situation. The difference is that Philip's career survived while Michael's went down the pan. Times are different now and thank heavens for that.
I hope I won't be accused of stereotyping here, but many of my family members have always worked in the arts and entertainment industry, and many of our friends and acquaintances come from this industry. So for us, people's sexuality was never an issue and neither was it anything we were overly curious about. Even during times when most people were quite intolerant about such issues. Thank goodness it's getting better! But I don't really understand why people's sexuality still makes headline news given the day and age we live in. I'm glad that people are much more comfortable about coming out and that they get more support now than they would have done in previous times. But I do wonder if the papers have nothing else more newsworthy to report on.
I do remember Tevin Campbell as I used to listen to a lot of his music back in the day. And recently started listening again! Tevin seemed to have drifted from the public eye over the years and I wasn't quite sure what he was doing but I did hear the rumours regarding his sexuality and wonder if that had been a factor in him keeping a rather low profile for so many years. I really hope not because he was and still is such a huge talent that it would be a shame if that was the case.
But like many of you here have said, I'm also glad that Tevin is out and that he's free to be who he is. We live in a different time now where people are much more tolerant and accepting - as it should be.
I don't think it's that people are not accepting of people's sexuality these days but more a case that people are just genuinely very nosey! LOL! You only have to see how big social media is and celebrity gossip magazines to know that everyone has an interest in everyone else's lives. If it's not about your sexuality then people want to know your relationship status, if you have kids, how much money you have in the bank.
But I think with regards to sexuality, people are just naturally curious about other people's private lives. And as James has said, if a celebrity is straight well that's not really of interest to anyone. The difference is that today being gay doesn't mean the end of your career, or front-page tabloid 'scandal'. I'd like to think we've come a long way.
I have lots of friends who are gay so it doesn't really bother me. Maybe there was a time when someone's sexuality and celebrities coming out was a big talking point but I feel that those days are long gone now. I think the stigma and the gossip was during a time when people had a very narrowminded viewpoint on being gay and it was considered scandalous. Today it's really only those who are easily shocked or have nothing better to do that feel it's something to gossip about. That's why I couldn't understand why the media was making such a big deal about Philip Schofield coming out. I actually felt as though I'd gone back in time!
I'm not sure if people really are that hung on other people's sexuality anymore. The singer in question came out because he chose to. No one outed him or was even threatening to out him. We all know that in the past the press took pleasure in outing celebrities and people would talk about nothing else for weeks. But now who is gay and who isn't, isn't quite the big news it once was. At least that's how I see it.
Honestly - Lord knows! 🤔
I remember Tevin Campbell. He had some great hits in the early nineties I think it was. Lots of the kids I went to school with idolized him. Never knew what happened to him, but now I'm wondering if his career stalled a bit because of his sexuality. The nineties were a very different time.
I remember when Mark from Westlife came out. By then nobody really cared what your sexuality was and you weren't in danger of being kicked out of one of the hottest boybands in the country just because the screaming girls didn't take your fancy. That's one of the good things about living in this time.
I think on the whole, people today aren't bothered by things like this. It's not breaking news like it once was, and thankfully coming out doesn't hurt people like it once did. The people who are bothered by it are the narrowminded bigots and you can always tell who they are - even though they claim not to be.
I was also a big Tevin Campbell fan myself and still love his music. I always wondered what had happened to him. Yes I did hear rumours about his sexuality and figured it probably was true and to be honest, I wasn't bothered. Why would I be! It would appear that Tevin Campbell had come out to his family and friends years ago and I'm really pleased about that - that he never felt the need to keep his sexuality a secret from those closest to him because as someone has already said, that's not healthy and will just cause other problems in the long run. I'm glad that he took his time coming out to the public and did so when he was ready to do so. I think whether celebrities come out to their fans or not is a personal decision that only they can make. As long as they're happy and comfortable within themselves is all that matters.
It's because of society’s obsession with sex and anything to do with it, which includes someone's sexual preference.
As a heterosexual person, which of course is boring to a lot of people, nothing special about being 'straight', I don’t understand it. People can have sex with anyone or anything for all I care. The only person’s sex life I’m interested in is mine. And my partner, if I’m very lucky to have one these days, at my age.
Well I don't think it's a question of needing to announce your sexuality but wanting to. I do know who Tevin Campbell is as loads of my mates back in the day listened to urban music, and as far as I know there was no one back then in that particular music scene who was part of the LGBTQ community. There were rumours that R Kelly were gay which we now know wasn't true. It's just too bad no one revealed back then the kind of person he really was and then all those girls wouldn't have been harmed by him.
But going back to this topic, if Tevin had come out back then, I really do think it would have damaged his career and reputation as we all know how people were back then. So he had to hide his sexuality. I think the reason why celebrities make such a public announcement is because it's about people wanting to out in the open and be free and have everyone know instead of having to hide and keep secrets which as we all know can play havoc with your mental health. Good on Tevin for having the courage to be who he is.
I do agree that in this day and age when being gay isn't viewed in the unfavourable way it once was, it is strange that it's big news when a celebrity comes out as gay. After all it never makes massive headlines when a straight celebrity gets a new girlfriend, boyfriend, fifth wife whatever, so why should someone's private life in this situation be any different?