Nick Jonas has been such the hot topic in the gay community and for some time now. The fascination over his sexual orientation perplexes me. A number of gay media outlets find it ever so interesting to constantly update us on every move he makes.
Week after week, I browse gay media sites, and their Facebook pages list breaking news like, “Nick Jonas took his shirt off today.” I may be exaggerating a bit, but plastered all over the news and many gay media outlets we are once again fed with pointless chatter about Nick Jonas and whether or not he has ‘gay sex’ or not. I have to ask, why is this important?
In a new interview with The Sun, Jonas repeatedly assured the publication that he won’t say he’s never been with another man since his on-camera sex scene in ‘On ‘Kingdom.’ REALLY!? He also added, “It’s my lips, it’s my hands, it’s my body, even if I’m playing a character. So technically I have done that, so I wouldn’t say I haven’t, because that would be lying.” Sounds like something I would have said to someone who may be forcing the issue of my sexuality and I wasn’t ready to say anything or I thought the question was unnecessary and irrelevant.
Corey Stoll, the very straight, married, and the sexy star of the “The Strain” recently had a steamy and very realistic sex scene with Andrew Rannells on “Girls” but no-one questions his sexuality. Straight actors have been playing gay roles for decades so what makes Nick Jonas any different?
As gay men our sexuality has been a point of contention for decades and we’ve fought hard for acceptance, equality and the right to marry. Within the gay community we treat each other with respect during the coming out process. Why would any gay person force another person who they don’t even know if they are gay to come out? Sadly there is so much ‘gay baiting’ out there towards those we find attractive and if it continues it’s going to bite us in the ass (and not in a good way).
What if Nick Jonas did come out? Then what? How would that change your opinion of him? Would you love his music any more or would you like it less? Would you fantasize about sleeping with him less often? Would he quickly fall from the headlines as the hot topic of the day and become old news like typical celebrity stories?
As gay men we all have experienced our family members, friends, and co-workers speculating about our own sexuality and if you’re like me that made us uncomfortable. Before I came out I wanted to be left the hell alone. I found it to be offensive when someone asked and I believed my sexual orientation was none of anyone’s business. And that’s true today. It shouldn’t matter who someone is sleeping with. To top it off some people identify with being gender fluid and are pan sexual and are perfectly comfortable sleeping with anyone.
When a person’s sexual orientation becomes more important than their character it proves to me that the equality we fought for is fleeting, and nothing more than a joke. What does it say about who we as a gay community have become if we continue gay baiting guys?
The Huffington Post writes, “the star [Jonas], who is currently promoting his new album, ‘Last Year Was Complicated,’ shrugged off those who believe he hasn’t been upfront about his sexuality and may be secretly gay.” This statement proves our sexuality will always be questioned, accepted, or be a non-issue. I chuckle to myself because we move two-steps forward only to move four-steps backwards.
The culprit for decades was mainstream media with headlines and accusations of someone being gay. Sadly “mainstream” gay media outlets have picked up the slack where the other mainstream ones have fallen back. Gay-baiting by gay media outlets just shows that they are perpetuating the idea that our sexuality is an oddity. I look forward to the day when a person’s sexual orientation is not of such interest.
