Being gay in showbiz: Easier but tricky

Once career suicide, coming out is less risky today for stars

Actor Sir Ian McKellan on his Academy nomination for his work in "The Lord of the Rings": "As a gay man, I'm particularly happy about that."

LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- In Hollywood today, you can be "out" and still be "in."

Just ask Academy Award nominee Sir Ian McKellan, who for years has been open in public about his homosexuality. He knows that his Oscar nomination for his work as Gandalf in "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" brings heightened attention to his sexuality.

"And as a gay man, I'm particularly happy about that," Sir Ian says.

But it wasn't always so. Silent star Billy Haines ("Strictly Dynamite," 1934; "A Tailor Made Man," 1931) was told to save his career by ditching his boyfriend. He ditched his career instead.

Not Rock Hudson, star of romantic comedies including the Doris Day co-starring "Pillow Talk" (1959) -- the one with the line, "You ought to quit all this chasing around and get married."

VIDEO CNN's Anne McDermott has more on being gay in Hollywood: While many say their careers still thrive, coming out still carries some risks. (March 14) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)   EXTRA INFORMATION Read the People.com Cover Story on Rosie O'Donnell: "Now she's going public to help change a law barring gays from adopting."

That's what the gay actor did -- got married -- in an attempt to silence the rumors.

But today, actor Rupert Everett ("The Importance of Being Earnest," 2002; "An Ideal Husband," 1999) is frank about his sexual orientation. When asked in interview why he's not married, he answers, "Well, because I'm homosexual, to start with."

Meanwhile, scenes from television shows including Showtime's "Queer as Folk" can be seen in living rooms across the United States -- except in Lynchburg, Virginia, where a station there has declined to air a same-gender kiss.

Not that sexual candor is necessarily ratings gold. Ellen DeGeneres' "The Ellen Show" eventually tanked, after DeGeneres' candor about being a lesbian. But critics say the quality of the show had tanked, too -- maybe the gay issue wasn't the problem.

Risk assessment

And what of Rosie O'Donnell's career, then?

She goes to ABC News' air Thursday night on "Primetime Live," not only with the first open public comments about her homosexuality but also with a strong message of support for gay parents, and particularly for people fighting a gay-adoption ban in Florida.

"I don't think America knows what a gay parent looks like," she tells correspondent Diane Sawyer, talking of her own three adopted children. "I am the gay parent."

When asked if the White House's position that adoptions should be made by families with a woman and man who are married, O'Donnell response, "Well, he's wrong. President Bush is wrong about that. "If ... he and his wife are invited to come spend a weekend at my house with my children ... I'm sure his mind would change."

Is O'Donnell's career at risk for such statements?

Joan Garry, of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation says, "I think there are career repercussions for anyone who comes out."

But maybe fewer repercussions than might be expected. When CNN asked a group of folks about O'Donnell's decision to speak out for gay parents, the responses were: "Doesn't make a difference to me" and "no, no, not at all."

Rupert Everett is open about his sexual orientation.

O'Donnell has been one of those celebrities who might be described as having been in a glass closet -- it's been generally known she was gay, although not generally discussed.

But that's changing, says David Ehrenstein, author of "Open Secret: Gay Hollywood, 1928-2000" (Harper Perennial, May 2000). Ehrenstein predicts it won't be long before a romantic leading man will be openly gay -- and openly accepted -- because moviemaking is make-believe.

"Going to the movies and getting romantically involved with whoever's on the screen," Ehrenstein says, "is a fantasy. You don't know those people."

Maybe. But in the meantime, the Hollywood closet isn't exactly empty.